《A Core Ship From The Start》 Chapter 1: Prologue Start Over_1 Chapter 1: Prologue Start Over_1 The Gxy is infinite. In the darkness of the universe, a silvery cylindrical object is slowly floating, with the light from stars shining on its surface, reflecting specks of brightness. From a distance, a boundless gxy can be observed. However, this beautiful scene is utterly meaningless to the person currently inside it. ¡°Why did this happen to me!!!¡± Duanmu Huai clutched his head with an utterly deste look. Yes, he had traveled to another world. For Duanmu Huai, this was an absolutely undeserved misfortune. He just wanted to go online and see what the new updates were after the game upgrade. But to Duanmu Huai¡¯s surprise, as soon as he reopened his eyes, he was stuck in this narrow space, and¡­¡­ ¡°Why do I look like this?!!!¡± Looking at the mirror in front of him, Duanmu Huai was on the brink of tears. The reflection was not the pretty, delicate, and adorable girl he had taken five hours to create, but instead, a man standing two and a half meters tall, with an eight-pack abdomen, bald head, and vicious scar on his face. His face showed a murderous aura reminiscent of a serial killer. Yes, that man was Duanmu Huai himself. ¡°Why am I so unlucky¡­¡± Looking dumbfoundedly at the system prompt in front of him, Duanmu Huai muttered to himself. In fact, the reason for his transmigration was simple and clear. It was written on the first line of the ¡°User Agreement¡±. ¡°After the game update, any yer who agrees to this agreement to enter the game will have a chance to be chosen for traveling to an alternate world¡­¡­¡± Looking at thetest user agreement, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face twitched. Who would bother to read this crap? For yers, usual practice is to skip reading the ¡°User Agreement¡± and ¡°Privacy Agreement¡±, and simply check the box to signify eptance. But who would have thought that this would turn into such a disaster? However, even if yers had read it, they probably would haveughed it off as a joke or some humorous gimmick by the gamepany. It¡¯s the year 2202, who would take all this stuff seriously? But, for Duanmu Huai, it was noughing matter. ¡°Hah¡­¡­¡± After sighing deeply, Duanmu Huai plopped down on a nearby chair. Star Ocean Online. In Duanmu Huai¡¯s world, this was the most popr game. The yer would y thest surviving member of the ¡°Light of Order¡± n, who woke up from hibernation to find only the Core Cabin left, floating aimlessly in the vast universe. What the yer needed to do was to venture to others and worlds, find various holy artifacts lost by the Light of Order n and connect them to the Core Cabin to create characteristic star city space stations. In theter stage, yers could even recruit soldiers from these space stations to form a fleet and fight enemies from other dimensions. Duanmu Huai was one of the yers of Star Ocean Online, and a top yer at that. He yed the game partly because he liked it, and partly because ¡ª¡ª he really couldn¡¯t do any other work. His face revealed everything. From a young age, Duanmu Huai was shunned because of his appearance and height. While studying, he was always treated as the school bully. There were even rumors that he murdered several people bare-handed, but wasn¡¯t jailed due to being underage. After graduating from college, Duanmu Huai¡¯s situation didn¡¯t improve. When applying for jobs, employers thought his appearance was too intimidating. They feared customers might suspect thepany had connections with the underworld. Even job applications for security guards were rejected, as property managers worried residents might mistake him for a highway robber. Even when he tried being a livestreamer, he onlysted three days before being buried under an avnche ofints and got banned. In the end, to escape from reality, Duanmu Huai immersed himself in ying online games. At least in online games, he could adopt another image, instead of having a serial killer-like face. So Duanmu Huai created a pretty, petite, and cute character for himself. After all, ording to official statistics, 80% of male yers y as female characters. It was not a big deal, really. In this way, Duanmu Huaipletely immersed himself in the game, reaching top yer status before he even realized it. However, Duanmu Huai never participated in professional leagues. He preferred to y solo, usuallypleting missions for clients to earn money. After all, professional leagues required one to appear on camera, and if Duanmu Huai were to go on stage¡­ Ahem, the operator inside the cute little girl character was a giant, murderous-looking man. The contrast was far too great. ¡°Never mind, there¡¯s no use inining about it now.¡± Duanmu Huai pped his face hard, then opened his status bar. Soon, a list of information floated in front of him. [Hitting your head with a small hammer] [Profession: Judge (LV1)] [Strength: 8][Unarmed Combat +4][Gctic Warrior Combat Training LV3] [Agility: 4][Shooting +0][Sicaran Enhancement LV1] [Physical Attribute: 6][Tenacity +2][Religious Army Siege Rules LV2] [Intelligence: 6][Will +2][Psychic Combat Training LV2] [Perception: 8][Awareness +4][Legal Department Assault Tactics LV3] [Charm: 1 (Locked)][Communication -3][Intimidation LV2] ¡°This isn¡¯t my character¡­¡± Duanmu Huai was disheartened when he saw his status. When he created his character, he maxed out his charm. Now this value ¨C it must be based on his own physical values. Just looking at that ¡°Charm 1¡± and he knew. Is it not zero because I¡¯m still human? Forget it, these are not important. Duanmu Huai stood up, staring at thendscape outside the window. Regardless of how absurd it seemed, he had traveled through space, and what he needed to do now was survive. He only had one Core Cabin now. He was as powerless as a baby in the universe. Duanmu Huai knew that in the world of Star Ocean Online, dangers lurked everywhere. Not to mention¡­ there isn¡¯t even food here, if he stays here, he will eventually starve. Real-life isn¡¯t like a game where you can AFK indefinitely. With these thoughts in mind, Duanmu Huai opened the warehouse and put on his gear. Luckily, as a secondary character, he still had a set of system-provided Heirloom Equipment. It was the only benefit he had right now. He can¡¯t be expected to venture out naked. He walked up to the terminal, reached out, and activated the system. Immediately, a line of information appeared. [Start search for Holy Artifact signal ¡­ signal has been locked down ¡­ Do you want to teleport?] ¡°Teleport!¡± As he finished speaking, Duanmu Huai felt the ground beneath his feet suddenly disappear. The scene before his eyes began to change in an instant. It was as if an endlessndscape was being torn into strips of light, shing past his eyes. Then, a whistling wind swept past his ears, an invisible gravity seized his body, and he fell from the sky like he was bungee jumping¡­ ¡°Boom!!!¡± The next moment, Duanmu Huai felt his body violently shake as he fell to the ground. The massive vibration and impact made his body numb. While at the same time, a line of system notification appeared before his eyes. [You have attacked the Evil God Priest] [You caused 12,000 fall damage to the Evil God Priest] [Evil God Priest died, you gain 350 experience points] [ Level Up to LV3] [You gain 1 free attribute point, 1 skill specialty point] What the hell? Duanmu Huai was stunned by the notification in front of him. Then he raised his head and looked around to see people in ck robes staring at him with suspicious looks all around. Not far behind them, there was a woman tied to a stake, who also watched the unexpected guest in disbelief. Just then, Duanmu Huai noticed that the crowd in ck robes was pulling out their weapons. ¡°He killed our Priest!¡± ¡°Kill this bastard who obstructed our ceremony!!¡± At the same time, a new system notification appeared before Duanmu Huai. [Task ¡®Chaotic Intrusion¡¯ activated] [Objective: Eliminate enemies!] [As a Judge, your mission is tobat chaos and destroy all enemies of order! Unwavering loyalty!] ¡°Sigh ¡­¡± Looking at the Evil God Cultists who started to attack, Duanmu Huai sighed inwardly, then tightly clutched his weapon. It seemed like there was no way but to fight! Chapter 2 - 1 Descending from the Sky_1 Chapter 2: Chapter 1 Descending from the Sky_1 I am going to die. Tied to a wooden stake, the pale-faced girl trembled uncontrobly. Beside hery bodies, brutally murdered and mutted, their limbs severed ¡ª once her guards and attendants, now mere mute corpses. ¡°Offer noble blood for our lord, awaken him from the age-old seal!! Great Ancient God, heed my call, reveal yourself!¡± Not far from the girl, a strange man d in a ck robe and hiding behind a mask stood with his hands raised high, uttering sphemous and evil spells. Innocent flesh and souls were being sacrificed to release the devil sealed here. All she could do was watch nkly. She was petrified, longing to run away, but she has lost all her strength. She could even feel her own power slowly draining from her body as the me signifying life grew dim, and even felt a hint of icy coldness¡­¡­ ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Just then, a dazzling light cut through the gloomy sky. Instinctively, she looked up. She then saw a zing fireball falling from the sky, crashing¡­ right in front of her. ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The intense heatwave and blinding sh of the explosion proved almost suffocating, causing her to instinctively close her eyes. For a moment, she thought she would be burnt alive. However, the heat quickly receded, reced by an icy cold breeze, prompting her to involuntarily open her eyes and look ahead. And then, she gasped. The Evil God Priest who was just arrogantly parading himself vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a massive, charred pit. At the center of the pit, fierce mes were still burning. ¡°nk¡­nk¡­¡± But before she could react, she heard a strange noise. A tall silhouette emerged from the pit¡¯s mes, walking withrge strides. What was that?! Seeing all this, the girl opened her eyes wide in surprise. Standing before her was a man taller than an orc, covered from head to toe in thick, massive, pitch-ck armor. Semi-circr te armor covered his shoulders, decorated with a white skull and a cross emblem. His hands gripped a menacing, shiny ck war hammer. His helmet was quite terrifying too. It bore a hideous face, swinging left and right within the round depression, its eyes glowing deep red. Could this be the terrifying demon beast that those Evil God Cultists have summoned? Could it be the legendary Hell Knight? Just when the girl was feeling horrified, those Evil God Cultists began to stir. ¡°He killed the Great Priest!¡± ¡°Kill this guy who is disrupting the ritual!¡± Amidst the roar, she saw the Evil God Cultists charge towards the ck Knight with weapons in their hands, chanting spells. ¡°Seeking death!¡± With a roar, the ck Knight raised his war hammer high against the charging Evil God Cultists, and as he moved, the ck hammer burst into a dazzling thunderous glow. The ck Knight then brought down the hammer with a mighty swing! ¡°Boom!!!¡± With the hammer striking the ground, the thunderous st roared, turning all the Evil God Cultists charging at the ck Knight into ck, smoking human-shaped charcoal. They were then reduced to ashes, carried away by the explosive winds. ¡°Quick, kill him!!¡± Witnessing the ck Knight¡¯s valor, the Evil God Cultists cried out in terror. They raised their hands, reciting sphemous spells, andunched an attack against the ck Knight. Upon seeing this, the girl gasped in shock¨Dshe knew how horrifying the dark magic of these Evil God Cultists could be. Her guards couldn¡¯t resist such attacks and ended up dying.. Could this ck Knight withstand the Evil God Cultists¡¯ attack? ¡°Boom, boom, boom!!!¡± The assault of the Evil God Cultists hit the ck Knight¡¯s armor, but contrary to the girl¡¯s expectation, there was no explosion. Instead, the ck Knight suddenly raised his left hand, above which a cylinder suddenly shone brightly. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± In the next moment, a blinding sh and a deafening st engulfed the Evil God Cultists, leaving the entire world seemingly silent. The Evil God Cultists trembled, swayed and nearly fell. But the ck Knight was unscathed. He grabbed his war hammer with both hands once again and rushed towards the Evil God Cultists in the back. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Suddenly, dazzling thunders and loud roars covered everything. A momentter, thend was left charred. Duanmu Huai advanced, gripping his war hammer. In front of him was an Evil God Cultist, half-dead, staring at him in horror. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer! Don¡¯te over! You damn sphemer, you can¡¯t stop the great will¡­¡­¡­!¡± However, before he could finish speaking, Duanmu Huai raised his war hammer and swung it down forcefully. The dark hammer smashed the head of the Evil God Cultist before him into fragments. The cultist¡¯s body jerked violently, like a fish out of water, before falling deathly still. [Judge Level raised to LV5, Skill Point +1, Attribute Point +1] [Unlocked (Matter Discement)(Temporal Stasis)(Subspace Energy Diversion)(Attack Weak Points) specializations, please choose your specialization] ¡°Choose Matter Discement.¡± With just a nce, Duanmu Huai made his decision. Among these specializations, Matter Discement is armor-piercing, Temporal Stasis is slowing, Subspace Energy Diversion auto-absorbs to recover the shield, whereas Attack Weak Points increases critical hit damage. Previously, Duanmu Huai¡¯s game character had chosen the same way, regarding it as her family heirloom treasure. The Judge¡¯s Power Armor had pretty decent defense in the early phase, so Duanmu chose the inherent ¡°armor-piercing¡± Matter Discement. After all, the best defense is a good offense. Regarding the two attribute points, Duanmu hesitated a moment, eventually deciding to add directly on to bring his Strength to 10 points. He had considered adding to Charm, but¡­ Charm value is locked and cannot be increased. Is the world ying a joke on me? Even the system can¡¯t change my appearance? Mumbling a curse under his breath, Duanmu Huai headed towards the girl tied to the wooden stake. She was still bound there, her face pale and filled with worry. Duanmu didn¡¯t care about such minor details though. He reached out and effortlessly ripped the ropes binding the girl¡¯s hands and feet. Once she was freed, Duanmu turned and spoke to her. ¡°Civilian! Report your status!¡± ¡°Huh? What? What do you mean?¡± However, the girl in front of him didn¡¯t respond immediately to a specific phrase like in a game¡­ It¡¯s not her fault; after all, this isn¡¯t a game anymore, it¡¯s reality. Cough cough, too much time spent ying games. Duanmu Huai¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment, but thankfully, wearing a helmet hid his expression. ¡°Who are you? Why are you here?¡± ¡°I, I am ¡­¡­¡± However, before she could finish speaking, the earth beneath them began to quake. Lines of fresh blood appeared on the ground, and then a crimson light erupted in the distance. A monstrous figure emerged from the magic array on the altar. ¡°Is that¡­ a Demon?!¡± Seeing this, the girl screamed in terror. Duanmu turned and saw a strange creature marching towards them from the distance. It stood over three meters tall, its torso reminiscent of a humanoid demon, its entire body drenched in a deep red hue. me-like lights burned in its red eyes, and sharp teeth filled its mouth. Below its waist, it had six legs that resembled mechanical spider appendages. In one hand it held a sword, in the other a shield, giving off an overwhelming aura of brutal terror. It blocked Duanmu and the girl¡¯s way out. ¡°Ah, mortals¡­ what interesting souls. Perfect to be my first meal in this world¡­¡± The demon looked at them with a smirk, swinging its shield and sword. ¡°Hehehe¡­ let me taste the vor of your fear and death. I believe it will be a most delicious meal¡­¡± At the same time, information about it appeared in Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. [Brutal Demon (Elite)] [Level: LV10] I see, so this thing is the boss. To think that those Evil God Cultists went through all that trouble just to summon this thing. With that thought, Duanmu made his decision. ¡°Get away from here, and leave this brute to me!¡± ¡°Ah, okay!¡± Hearing Duanmu¡¯s orders, the panicked girl hurriedly nodded and backed away. At the same time, Duanmu tightened his grip on his weapon, turning towards the enemy standing before him. It was just a LV10 elite. Even though he was only a LV5 Judge, it didn¡¯t mean he was helpless! ¡°Come on¡­¡± Duanmu locked eyes with the soul-grinding monster, his gaze icy cold. Let¡¯s see which one of us is stronger! Chapter 3 - 2: Battle against the Demon_1 Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Battle against the Demon_1 ¡°Stupid mortals¡­¡± The Brutal Demon gripped its weapon, looking at Duanmu Huai before him with a touch of triumphant mockery. ¡°You have no idea who you¡¯re about to face¡­ I am¡­¡± Who cares what you¡¯re going to say! Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t be bothered to listen to the Brutal Demon¡¯s preamble. Typically, he fast-forwarded through these pre-battle cutscenes for bosses, okay? They were going to die anyway, why waste time on them? With this thought, Duanmu Huai unhesitatingly raised his left hand, apanied by a roar, the next moment explosive mes spouted out instantly, hitting the Brutal Demon, interrupting its foolish act of still reciting its opening lines. ¡°You goddamn bastard!!¡± The Brutal Demon clearly did not expect this human before it to be so audacious, to daringly interrupt its speech, instantly it was enraged. ¡°I will smash your stupid tin can to pieces! Let you understand before a demon, how much a mortal is¡­ ¡± I told you, who¡¯s listening to you! As for the Brutal Demon¡¯s roar, Duanmu Huai naturally ignored it. Uponnding one blow, he immediately rushed forward with his War Hammer, straight into the face of the Brutal Demon, swinging it violently at its mechanical foot. ¡°Thump!!¡± The Thunder Hammer, flickering with lightning, heavily hit the metal-made mechanical leg, and in an instant, thunderbolts rumbled, even the Brutal Demon¡¯s movements paused for a moment. But soon, it roared and swung its longsword, forcefully shing down at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Bam!!!¡± The ming longsword broke through the weak shield, directly shing into the heavy shoulder armor. However, Duanmu Huai did not choose to dodge, he knew very well the weaknesses of these monsters. The high mobility provided by the six mechanical legs was the biggest threat of the Brutal Demon. If he couldn¡¯t destroy its mechanical legs in the shortest time, then the fight would just be more troublesome! With this thought, Duanmu Huai gripped his War Hammer again, swung it hard and hit the mechanical leg again. This time, the mechanical leg which had already taken a heavy hit finally could not hold up, and abruptly shattered. And taking advantage of the moment when the Brutal Demon¡¯s body tilted, Duanmu Huai delivered another loud blow with his heavy hammer! Matter Discement! With this hit, the mechanical leg¡¯s connection pointpletely copsed under the impact. The sturdy steel twisted and distorted under the violent collision, shattered and broken. With the destruction of the front two pairs of mechanical legs, the Brutal Demon¡¯s body also tried to bnce itself, shrieking as it fell forward. Duanmu Huai, of course, wouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. He dodged and simultaneously gripped the War Hammer with both hands, and his entire body made a quick spin, then with arge, pitch-ck War Hammer heavily smacked onto the back of the Brutal Demon¡¯s head! Critical Hit! For most creatures, the back of the head is the most vulnerable part, and the Brutal Demon is no exception. It mainly relies on its agile mobility to fight the enemy. Although it has the toughness typical for a demon in defense, it also has its limits. Under this breakthrough attack, the Brutal Demon immediately fell to the ground, but even so, it did not give up resistance. The mechanical legs under the Brutal Demon wildly iled, trying to tear apart anything that dared to approach it as a threat. At the same time, the Brutal Demon tried to get up again and fight this cunning human. But of course, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t give it that chance. He circled to the back of the Brutal Demon, raised his War Hammer again, and swung it down at the iling mechanical legs of the Brutal Demon. ¡°Thump! Thump!! Thump!!!¡± In an instant, the Brutal Demon¡¯s mechanical legs were smashed into a pile of scrap metal, and sans legs, it was now like a fish onnd, only able to desperately wriggle and hop in an attempt to escape. But Duanmu Huai obviously wouldn¡¯t give it this chance, he used his hammer to bat away the Brutal Demon¡¯s longsword, then strided over to the devil¡¯s face, and stepped on the Brutal Demon¡¯s both hands. For Duanmu Huai, he had killed many demons like the Brutal Demon. In Star Ocean Online, although there was a setting that higher levels could resist damage, there was also the concept of killing with a single hit on the weak point. As long as the weak points of each enemy could be mastered, and targeted attacks were made, even a level 1 yer could eliminate monsters many levels higher. Killing monsters beyond your own level was not umon in Star Ocean Online. As a lone yer, Duanmu Huai did so even more so. His most glorious achievement was driving away a level 90 incarnation of the Evil God all by himself. It was after that battle that Duanmu Huai received a lot of orders, transitioning from dabbling in tasks to bing a high-end yer who could really make money. Compared to the incarnation of the Evil God, this current Brutal Demon was just a piece of cake¡­ ¡°Stupid human! You can¡¯t kill me!¡± Sensing that it could not escape, the Brutal Demon immediately roared in rage. ¡°I will return to my world, waiting for the next descent, and when that timees, I will tear you into shreds¡­ ¡± However, the Brutal Demon hadn¡¯t finished its sentence before the sturdy War Hammer whistled down at the next moment, hitting it straight on the head, reducing the demon¡¯s firm head to a pulp like a watermelon. Then, the Brutal Demon¡¯s body instantly ignited, turning into ck dust that disappeared into the air in the blink of an eye. ¡°Hmph, too much nonsense.¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the demon¡¯s body that was dissolving and disappearing, and he snorted coldly. He knew the truth of what the Brutal Demon was saying. As demons, they cannot be killed. Even if these demons are killed here, they just go back to their own world. Even if these demons are tracked down and killed in their own world, they still will not bepletely destroyed, but will reincarnate and be a low-level demon again. Chapter 4 - 2: Battle against the Demon_2 Chapter 4: Chapter 2: Battle against the Demon_2 But what does any of this have to do with Duanmu Huai? No matter how many there are, just kill them. As Duanmu Huai finishes off the Demon in front of him, a system prompt appears. [Task ¡°Chaotic Intrusion¡± Completed] [Task Evaluation: Quite Good] [Reward: 1500 experience points, additional 1000 experience points, level increased to 8, Attribute Points +1, Specialization Points +1, Obtained ¡°Maintenance Device¡ªSkull Repair¡±] [Follow-up Task ¡°Guardian¡± Triggered] [Task Introduction: You have defeated the followers of Chaos and rescued the sacrificial victim. But this is just the beginning. You can choose to take her away from here and send her back safely. Or you can leave her here, letting her fend for herself. Regardless, the decision is yours.] Not bad at all. Duanmu Huai is not surprised by the taskpletion. Virtually every task has simr settings where actions within the task, or even the actions of those inadvertently involved, can affect the task grading, which in turn affects the task reward. This is one of the most appealing aspects of Star Ocean Online, where many yers will painstakingly study each task to ensure they get the best rewards. Clearly, saving the young girl is the reason for his high task rating. If Duanmu Huai had ignored her, his task rating certainly wouldn¡¯t have been this high. As for the specialization points, Duanmu Huai invested them in ¡°Attack Weak Points¡± to boost damage. This was his leveling n from before his incarnation, where even though his character build was a cute girl, it still followed Duanmu Huai¡¯s aggressive melee style¨C as evidenced by his ID. As for the attribute point, Duanmu Huai again invested it in Strength, raising it to 11 points, and leveled up his Star Warriorbat training to LV4. After all, his charm was stuck, so he couldn¡¯t improve that, leaving him no other choice. Having decided on this, Duanmu Huai turned to the ragged girl, who was peeking out nervously at him. When she saw him, she shrank back in fear, uncertain about what to do. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind it; he simply strode towards her, ncing at her as he passed. ¡°Follow me if you want.¡± Having said that, Duanmu Huai left the polluted evilnds without hesitation. The girl hesitated for a moment before bravely following him. She couldn¡¯t possibly be left alone with the burnt corpses of the Evil God Cultists. The Evil God Cultists would not choose a bustling city as their Demon summoning site. In fact, this was a scarcely trodden wilderness. Duanmu Huai obviously didn¡¯t know where this was, but it didn¡¯t matter as beside him stood a local. The girl followed him and shared her story. She was Elisa, daughter of the Lord of this domain. Although this was a deste territory on the Imperial frontier, it was home to them. They had been returning home from a merchant¡¯s feast in the city when they encountered the Evil God Cultists and were kidnapped. All her guards and her father were killed, leaving her as the only sacrificial victim¡­ It was clear that without Duanmu Huai¡¯s arrival, she would have been sacrificed by the Evil God Cultists. As Elisa told her story in tears, Duanmu Huai remained indifferent. yers have done simr tasks thousands of times. Although he sympathized with the youngdy, there was nothing he could do except to move on. The dead can¡¯t be brought back to life after all. ¡°Do you know where this is?¡± ¡°Of, of course!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Elisa nodded earnestly. ¡°This is the wilderness beyond the Imperial frontier¡­¡­¡± ¡°Do you know how to get out of here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Duanmu Huai decided toplete the follow-up task quickly. After all, finding the Holy Artifact was aplicated matter. Each¡¯s Holy Artifact has a different main storyline. Some are deeply buried in ruins, requiring yers to investigate numerous clues, then pinpoint the location of the ruins before going in to find the artifact. That was the easy part. Some artifacts were even worshipped as Divine Artifacts on the local, whichplicated matters. yers either had to charge in and steal them, risking reputation loss, or follow the storyline and see if there were peaceful means to obtain it. Of course, this also depended on each¡¯s civilization level and status. This ¡°Novice¡± was easy byparison, its civilization at a medieval level, but the star civilizations inter stages would be a different story. This was precisely why yers needed to build their fleets. One person can¡¯t possibly go against a cosmic fleet. It¡¯s not something that couldn¡¯t be aplished in theter stages, though. Even though Elisa was eager to leave as soon as possible, she herself was utterly exhausted, and with the day growingte. After escaping from their of the Evil God Cultist and temporarily eluding their pursuit, they could do nothing more than quickly find a ce to rest, only being able to continue on their journey at the break of dawn. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind, after all, his Power Armor had also been damaged in the previous battle against the Brutal Demon and needed repairs. Cowering by the fire, Elisa cautiously watched the tall dark figure in the distance. They had travelled together for so long, yet she had never seen this mysterious knight remove his helmet and reveal his true features. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± However, just as Elisa gathered the courage to strike up a conversation, she was taken aback to see the metal box behind the knight suddenly open. Following that, a white skull head flew out from it and was whizzing around the ck Knight, asionally emitting a sinister glow from the dark eye socket, illuminating the ck Knight¡¯s armor. Ah!¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Upon seeing this bizarre object, Elisa jumped in fright. What on earth is this thing? Is it the skull of a deceased person? Could he be the legendary Death Knight? Speaking of which, he has skull insignias on both his shoulders and waist¡­ Isn¡¯t that a Necromancer¡¯s favorite symbol? Did he save me because he wants to turn me into an undead creature? Could the skull currently whirling around him also be a former victim of his? Elisa looked at Duanmu Huai with anxiety, but she didn¡¯t know what to do. Even though she badly wanted to get up and leave, where she could go from here? If she ended up lost in the wilderness, she could possibly be food for the wolves. But staying here¡­ Is it really safe? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Noticing Elisa¡¯s gaze, Duanmu Huai turned his head her way. He had just activated his Maintenance Device¡ªSkull Repair and was fixing his Power Armor. As an Heirloom Equipment, this set of Power Armor not only increases its power alongside the yer¡¯s level, but it can also obtain unique abilities through installing various plug-ins. Basically, this equipment could serve Duanmu Huai till max level without issues. After all, it¡¯s the equipment used to help low level ounts navigate through their story mode¡­ ¡°Umm¡­. Excuse me¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai speak, Elisa hesitated for a while before plucking up the courage to ask a question. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Sir Knight, are you¡­ a human being?¡± ¡°Of course, is there any problem?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I hope to see your face.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Silence greeted her unusual request. Hearing Elisa¡¯s request, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. He then removed his helmet and looked at her. ¡°Is this okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­. ¡± Elisa didn¡¯t say anything. She just stared nkly at Duanmu Huai and then¡­ fell to the ground unconscious. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders and quietly put on his helmet. Just as he thought it would end this way. Chapter 5 - 3 Go to the Ruins_1 Chapter 5: Chapter 3 Go to the Ruins_1 ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­!¡± Following Duanmu Huai, Elisa was looking embarrassed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that; it was just that I was too tired and was startled¡­¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­ I wasn¡¯t saying you, Sir Knight, are ugly. It¡¯s just, well¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± Elisa stammered for quite a while before finally murmuring. ¡°Just¡­ a tad scary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯m used to it.¡± Duanmu Huai was prettyid-back about it. Much as Elisa said, he wasn¡¯t really ugly, but¡­ exceedingly frightening. He had a fierce and sinister aura like that of a serial killer in a Hollywood movie. If you described him, he¡¯d be utterly ferocious, leopard-headed, ring-eyed, and could y the part of Li Kui without makeup, instilling the fear of death with just one look at him. After all these years, Duanmu Huai had grown ustomed to it. It was tiring, so he figured, he might as welly back and let it destroy him. After all, what can you do when even a cosmetic clinic¡¯s doctor suggests you can only be made to look like the Incredible Hulk? Just then, Duanmu Huai noticed a cloud of dust up ahead. He halted and looked forward. Soon, several heat signatures were marked. Hm? What¡¯s this¡­? Seeing the heat signatures before him, Duanmu Huai quirked an eyebrow then stood his ground, gesturing to Elisa. ¡°Stay behind me.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Elisa obediently nodded and hid behind him. Real-world people were significantly more obedient than NPCs. When doing NPC protection missions, those morons would just charge headlong into enemies, and some would even directly trigger rms, forcing him into annihtion mode¡­ Those idiots must be doing it on purpose, right? As Duanmu Huai mulled over these dull thoughts, the sand and dust up ahead parted to reveal a group of horse-riding Evil God Cultists, who now stood before him. Gazing at the ferocious-looking Power Armor up ahead, the Cultists too were taken aback. However, when they spotted Elisa behind Duanmu Huai, they immediately adjusted their maneuvers. ¡°Kill him, seize the sacrifice!!¡± The leading Cultist drew his weapon and issued themand. Following suit, the others raised their weapons, whipped their horses, and charged towards them! ¡°Hmph!¡± In the face of the approaching enemies, Duanmu Huai merely grunted before striding forward. He raised his War Hammer high and forcefully swung it downward. ¡°Bang¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The electrifying War Hammer smashed straight onto the head of the oing horse, knocking it to the ground. Its rider, an Evil God Cultist, flew out screaming as Duanmu Huai backhanded him and sent him hurtling away. ¡°Haah!!!¡± At that moment, another Cultist came galloping from the side. With a loud yell, he swung his sword down onto Duanmu Huai¡¯s armor. Yet his attack simply bounced off the Power Armor, leaving no mark. Before the Cultist could react, Duanmu Huai, the colossal Steel Warrior, mmed into him, sending him and his horse flying out. To Duanmu Huai, these Cultists posed no threat whatsoever. Compared to the Chaotic Demon, their attack was like a tickle. As a result, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t even need to dodge. He stood still like a Steel Fortress and blocked the horsemen¡¯s onught, knocking them off their horses. In the blink of an eye, the Cultists were defeated by Duanmu Huai, left in shambles and nearly obliterated. What on earth was that thing? Witnessing his own horsemen being downed one by one by Duanmu Huai, the squad leader turned as pale as a sheet. Although this guy had seemed formidable from the outside, he hadn¡¯t expected him to be this formidable. His own men weren¡¯t even a match for him, and their attacks couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on that robust armor!! Was this creature summoned through the ritual? Then why isn¡¯t it obeying them? And why was it together with the sacrifice? Why was it even protecting her? Had something gone wrong? I must report this to the boss immediately!! With that thought, the leader immediately turned tail and ran. But as soon as he turned around, everything in front of him went dark. When he instinctively looked up, a massive shadow was descending from the sky, crashing towards him. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The ground trembled, and smoke billowed. When Duanmu Huai emerged from the smoke, all that was left behind him were the bodies of the squad leader and his horse. ¡°They sure are quick to catch up.¡± Duanmu Huai discarded the body in his hand, ncing over at Elisa, who was pale as a sheet, and remained silent. He wasn¡¯t surprised by this development. Given that the Core Cabin could detect and teleport him near relevant mainline information, the girl must have something to do with the mainline mission of this, and perhaps even with the Holy Artifact. Well, they¡¯re usually the main characters anyway¡­ Often it¡¯s ¡®heaven bestows great tasks on those who can handle them,¡¯ forcing them to go through family destruction, disability, betrothal annulment, family extermination, and whatnot¡­ ¡°We need to leave here.¡± Duanmu Huai said, and Elisa shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s too difficult¡­ The nearest city is nearly ten days¡¯ journey away. We can¡¯t possibly evade the search parties of those Evil God Cultists¡­¡± ¡°That indeed is a problem.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded, and then an idea popped into his head. ¡°Right, are there any ruins or something of the sort around here?¡± ¡°¡­ Ruins??¡± Chapter 6 - 4 Soul Resonance_1 Chapter 6: Chapter 4 Soul Resonance_1 ¡°Aaaaah¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± An Evil God Cultist let out a piercing scream, charging forward with his spear. However, he was only halfway there when a Heavy Hammer flew in with a whoosh, sending him flying like a golf ball. ¡°The third scouting team¡­ Finally taken care of.¡± Retracting his War Hammer, Duanmu Huai let out a sigh. They had been under constant attack by the followers of the Evil God, and this was already the third group. It must be said, even though these Evil God Cultists were annoying, the experience they brought was quite extensive. ¡°May I ask, what are we here to do?¡± Trailing behind Duanmu Huai, Elisa nervously asked. After all, Sir ck Knight had brought her to these forsaken ruins¡­ ¡°You¡¯ll know when the timees.¡± After eliminating yet another squad of Evil God Cultists, Duanmu Huai finally found the information he was seeking. [Level up to 10, unlocking specialty branches] [Select Specialty Branch¡ªSuper Warrior, Technological Priest, Psychic] Here it is! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes widened in excitement. This was what he had been waiting for! The three specialty branches of the Judge profession each correspond to different abilities. The Super Warrior needs no introduction, primarily enhancing melee attack and defense capabilities, belonging to the Knight plus DPS ss. The Technological Priest is a bit special. They can create their own technological artifacts to fight, simr to drones and automatic turrets, which looks very high-tech. However, they also possess shielding and healing capabilities. You could say that the Technological Priest sees themselves more as a hybrid of a summoning and healing ss in the realm of science, which is why it¡¯s the fastest to appear career specialization route that makes up an army. The only drawback is that producing a Mechanical Legion consumes resources. Finally, we have the Psychic. It can be considered a ss simr to a magician. It offers damage output, healing, and melee capabilities, appearing veryprehensive. The actual power is indeed powerful, but¡­ the Psychic has its own weakness. That is the Subspace Crisis. ording to Star Ocean Online¡¯s setup, this world possesses a unique dimensional space, known as the Subspace. It¡¯s a mysterious dimension where the shadow projections of all entities coexist. It¡¯s like the shadow of the real world. Everything in existence leaves an imprint of its existence in the Subspace. Psychics perform various spells by drawing power from the Subspace, but ¡­ there¡¯s a problem with that. The Subspace is infested with countless demons. When Psychics draw power to cast spells, their soul projections in the eyes of the demons in the Subspace appear as zing mes. Those demons, like moths drawn to a me, swarm toward the Psychics¡¯ soul projections. So, if Psychics use magic for too long, it causes a risk of Subspace Erosion. This can result in all sorts of strange issues and even the possibility of higher-ranking demons directly inviting you to join them ¡ª most Psychics do not have the power to refuse at this point. Denying them wouldn¡¯t make a difference anyway. For this reason, yers loathe teaming up with Psychics, especially the novices. Many simply chose this profession after reading the introduction, thinking it¡¯s cool and fun. Then, they end up screwing over their teammates. Imagine that you are fighting a dungeon boss with a five-person team, and suddenly the game alerts you that the Psychic in your team has overheated, causing Subspace anomalies. Then a bunch of debuffs like poison, slow, and armor break suddenly appear over your team, you would probably wish you were dead. Not to mention, if you¡¯re out of luck, the Psychic may be corrupted by demons, turning into a terrifying enemy. Then¡­ Victory or loss is amon urrence in the army, please try again. Hence, during the initial stages, Psychics teaming up to clear dungeons is an extremely frustrating process. They have to ensure both their damage output and maintaining a non-overheating status to avoid the Subspace Crisis, or else they would be condemned as a team¡¯s tumor and may be directly expelled. Therefore, in the beginning, Psychics were not very popr, and yers even mocked that finally, there was a game where Mages were not grandfathers but grandchildren. Because of this, many yers saw Psychic as the most difficult profession, and no one wanted to y. As for those who ruined their ounts¡­ there was no alternative but to delete characters and start all over again, at a cost. After all, the setting in Star Ocean Online was that only those whopleted the main storyline were qualified to open a second ount and obtain heirlooms, either that or pay to delete the ount and start over¡­ Damn, this broken game really is all about money. However, shortly thereafter, someone figured out the proper way to y Psychic. By then, most yers were shocked to discover that your grandfather is still your grandfather¡­ those who deleted their ounts and started over howled in their regret. The one who figured this out was Duanmu Huai. In fact, at that time, he too was filled with regret. If he had known about this way to y earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer now¡­. Honestly, ever since then, Duanmu Huai always had a thought. If he could relive everything, pair his own findings with tactics, could he create a character stronger than the ones in the game¡­? Of course, there are no potions for regret in this world¡­ but isn¡¯t this one right here? ¡°Choose Psychic.¡± Duanmu Huai made the decision decisively. [yer Acquires Psychic Specialization¡­¡­Please Choose Core Skill] [Ethereal Walker][Sky Walker][Soul Walker] ¡°Soul Walker.¡± [¡­yer Acquires Soul Walker Core] [yer Acquires Special Skill¡­..Soul Resonance] [Power Armor Reced with Subspace Mode] The next moment, the heavy ck armor on Duanmu Huai emanated a purple radiance and gradually changed its form. Although the overall color tone remained ck, the edges turned golden. At the same time, the previously bulky equipment box on his back transformed into a gorgeously intricate golden halo. Seeing this, Elisa, standing beside him, also widened her eyes in surprise, staring at the ck Knight next to her in amazement. At the same time, Duanmu Huai reopened his character status panel. [Hitting your head with a small hammer] [Profession: Judge (LV10)][Soul Walker Specialization][Subspace Heat ¨C Consumption 50%] [Strength: 12][Close Combat+6][Gctic Warrior Combat Training LV5][Matter Discement][Attack Weak Points] [Agility: 4][Shooting+0][Sicaran Enhancement LV1] [Physical Attribute: 6][Resistance+2][Religious Army Siege Rules LV2] [Intelligence: 7][Will +2][Combat Psychic Training LV2][Soul Resonance (Special Skill)] [Perception: 8][Detection +4][Legal Department Assault Tactics LV3] [Charm: 1 (Locked)][Communication -3][Intimidation LV2] Many yers did not choose to be a Soul Walker when ying as Psychics, mainly because the special effect of the Subspace Armor was too low-key. It could reduce the consumption of subspace heat by 50%, but besides that, it did not possess the teleportation ability of the Etheric Armor, nor the defensive strength of the Sky Armor. For many yers, it was not exactly a desirable armor mode. However, the most powerful part is still the core skill¡­ Duanmu Huai extended his hand to tap on [Soul Resonance]. Shortly after, a system description popped up. [Soul Resonance: You can feel the power of ancient history, the power of souls, and the great force from the apex of the world, all of which will be at your disposal.] A brief phrase with no further ability description. In fact, before the cross-over, everyone, Duanmu Huai included, was utterly befuddled by the [Soul Resonance] skill. At least other skills had simple descriptions, letting yers know whether they were support, offensive, or defensive, or something else, but only [Soul Resonance] was utterly inscrutable. yers had tried to use this skill on various other things, like NPCs, bosses, items, but to no avail. At first, yers thought this was a game bug, or that Star Ocean Online¡¯s officials hadn¡¯t noticed, and they reported it on the forum. But the officials from Star Ocean Online replied with ¡°The function is normal, there are no bugs¡±¡ª¡ªwhich meant that the [Soul Resonance] skill did indeed have an effect, and the yers had just not discovered what it was. In fact, not only was this skill effective, but it was also incredibly powerful. And its true power was hidden within the ruins! Duanmu Huai retracted his gaze, looking at the dpidated ruins before him, his expression growing serious. The real critical partes next! Chapter 7 - 5 Ruins and Remains _1 Chapter 7: Chapter 5 Ruins and Remains _1 The ruin of the relics is a dangerous ce. Duanmu Huai marched forward, looking left and right. The dazzling light from his helmet illuminated the dim ruins in front of him. Most of it was buried in the sand. Only some remaining pirs and statues stood there, stubbornly asserting their existence. Duanmu Huai advanced step by step, observing the decorations and creation around him. But behind him, a bump appeared in the smooth dust and sand pile, slowly approaching the prey in front of it. Then it suddenly sprang out of the sand and lunged towards the target with its sharp teeth bared. At the same time, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on his war hammer, and struck back with a blow! ¡°Boom!!¡± The steel hammer instantly hit the shadow, sending it flying out. The shadow fell to the ground, emitting a piercing squeal. It stared fixedly at Duanmu Huai. It was a giant snake as thick as a barrel and nearly ten meters long. It opened its mouth and venom spurted out towards Duanmu Huai. Duanmu Huai, sessful with his strike, did not foolishly stay put. On the contrary, he clenched his hammer and sprinted forward as the giant snake spat venom at him. Then, he jumped high, avoiding the snake¡¯s venom, and smashed his hammer onto the snake¡¯s head again, knocking it over. Under the relentless hits of the steel hammer, the snake copsed. When it tried to struggle again, a shadow emerged out of nowhere, blocking its field of view. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!¡± Duanmu Huai stomped down, his powered foot mercilessly stomping on the snake¡¯s hard head. The snake tried to resist, but its skull was obviously not hard enough topare with the ruthless mechanical force. With a ¡°squelch¡±, its head was crushed into pulp. [The Wilderness Giant Snake perished, you gained 50 experience points] Duanmu Huai nced at the system prompt and continued walking forward. At that moment, he felt as if he were back in the game, which reminded him of his initial sentiment when he first yed Star Ocean Online. With different identities, he traveled in different worlds, exploring unknown adventures, desiring to find some entertaining secrets or even powerful treasures. These interests were more fulfilling than merely killing monsters, and exploring the unknown was a fascinating thing to do. That was why he loved this game. Countlesss, countless worlds, countless adventures. The excitement and satisfaction of exploration was always addictive. Moreover, he seemed not the only one exploring this ce. Duanmu Huai stopped and crouched down. He stretched out his hand and gripped something buried in the sand, then lifted it up. It was a corpse, half of which had already rotted away. The exposed white bones shuddered as they moved along with Duanmu¡¯s actions, as if they had a consciousness of their own. Based on the decayed and bluish face, the man was probably the snake¡¯sst victim. I avenged you. Duanmu Huai was calm in front of the corpse, having seen too many disgusting things in Star Ocean Online, especially in thete stage when he went deep into the subspace of the Evil Gods. Every ce there was hundred times more disgusting than a B-grade sma film. The ce he was in now could even be considered pleasant inparison. It was Elisa who turned pale at the sight of the corpse and almost vomited. ¡°Sir ck Knight, let¡¯s take another route¡­ this ce is too dangerous¡­¡± Elisa was on the verge of tears. She regretted telling Sir ck Knight about this ce. If she had known how dangerous it was, she wouldn¡¯t havee¡­ But she had nowhere else to go if she didn¡¯te. The Evil God Cultists had been chasing them relentlessly. In fact, on the way to the ruins, Duanmu Huai and Elisa had encountered several chasing squads, all of which Duanmu Huai had killed. From their words, the two confirmed that arge number of these Cultists had indeed been sent out to capture Elisa at all costs. ¡°We press on.¡± Of course, Duanmu Huai would not listen to Elisa. He shook his head and moved forward, and she could only follow behind. ¡°By the way, do you know the history of these ruins?¡± As he looked at the remnants around him, Duanmu Huai asked. This was his favorite thing to do in the game, walking through the broken, forgotten ruins of times past, imagining their former glory. In this city, what had happened, how many people had lived here, and how had they embarked on the road of destruction that turned this ce into a ghost town? Because of this, Duanmu Huai had once thought about majoring in archaeology. But¡­ someone said he looked like a grave robber. That¡¯s ridiculous. I¡¯d rather be called a smuggler. Which grave robber is as burly as me? Wouldn¡¯t I get stuck in the tomb? If he couldn¡¯t do it in reality, Duanmu Huai thought it was equally satisfying to do it in the game. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ve heard a few things.¡± Elisa seemed to be familiar with the ce too. While keeping up with Duanmu Huai and carefully watching her surroundings, she whispered. ¡°I heard that a country once existed here. This country had very advanced technology for creating magic puppets. The king of this country used this technology to create numerous fearless magic puppets that invaded other countries, seizing a lot ofnd.¡± ¡°So how was it destroyed?¡± Duanmu Huai curiously inquired, and Elisa pondered for a bit. ¡°It seems that they created a very powerful Magic Puppet with the intent of conquering the world. However, for some unknown reason, the Magic Puppet went berserk, attacking the Royal City, entirely obliterating it, and even killing the King. There are rumors that some sort of curse was at y¡­ Anyway, after that, the kingdom started to decline, and the citizens left.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see any remnants of a Magic Puppet.¡± Duanmu Huai looked around the deste wilderness. Apart from shattered walls and ruins, nothing was left. ¡°After all, it¡¯s just a rumor, and that¡¯s was hundreds of years ago¡­¡± As she spoke, Elisa suddenly stopped in her tracks, then tilted her head to listen. ¡°Sir Knight, did you hear that? There¡¯s the sound of water!!¡± ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± ¡°Great! Can we go over there?!¡± At this moment, Elisa grabbed Duanmu Huai¡¯s arm and looked at him pleadingly. Even though she wanted to rush over, she didn¡¯t dare to. The dangers hidden here were simply too many, the gigantic snake they encountered earlier being a prime example. ¡°Of course, no problem.¡± Those Evil God Cultists hadn¡¯t caught up yet, so Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t mind letting Elisa rx a bit. The source of the water sound was a river. It seemed deemed that this river was a moat a long time ago, but now it had turned into a small stream. ¡°Excellent!¡± Upon seeing this, Elisa was overjoyed, and then, looking a bit shy, she turned to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Sir ck Knight, um¡­ I want to take a bath¡­¡± It¡¯s no wonder Elisa had this request. Since she was rescued by Duanmu Huai, she had been looking disheveled, covered in blood, in tattered clothes, and smelling stinky. If it weren¡¯t for the armor¡¯s istion, Duanmu Huai might have smelled the foul odor on her ¡ª a humiliation that any beauty-conscious girl would find uneptable. ¡°You¡¯ve got twenty minutes.¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t say much. Since Elisa indeed needed a bath, he didn¡¯t stop her. After scanning the surroundings to ensure there were no hidden creatures around, Duanmu Huai nodded and walked away, leaving Elisa who gleefully dived into the stream. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t loiter around sneakily to peep at Elisa bathing. Instead, with Elisa away, it gave him an opportunity. As an experienced yer, Duanmu Huai knew that it was basically impossible to escape the pursuit of those Evil God Cultists. This kind of chain quest bes more challenging as it progresses¡ªalongside the foot soldiers that appear at the start, there are also the higher-ranking bosses. Having already fended off three groups of soldiers, in the ¡°Escort¡± mission hispletion shows ¡°3/?¡±, which indicates there will be pursuers, and even potent BOSS-level enemies. Whether or not he could deal with this depended on Elisa¡¯s value. If she was highly valuable, then the entire organization might mobilize to get her. If she was of average value, dealing with a few Evil God Cultists trying to snatch her should resolve the issue. Regardless, under no circumstances would Duanmu Huai let these cultists get away. In the world of Star Ocean Online, all Evil God Cultists are followers of the Chaos Evil God, enemies of order. They betray order, ally with chaos, and wreak havoc on the world. Such sphemy! In Star Ocean Online, yers have great freedom to choose their faction, but the Chaos Evil God and the Evil God Cultists are always hostile factions that can¡¯t be changed! With Duanmu Huai¡¯s current power, he could only deal with small BOSS. If a more powerful enemy came, he might be a bit helpless. Even with power armor, with his low-level, the value of armor is not high, and he is just a sitting duck for high-level demons. This is why he came here¡ªonly here, he would be stronger. Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he raised his right hand. ¡°Activate, Soul Resonance!¡± Chapter 8 - 6 Soul Shard (Thanks to the Alliance Leader who rewarded Pig Cat)_1 Chapter 8: Chapter 6 Soul Shard (Thanks to the Alliance Leader who rewarded Pig Cat)_1 ¡°Activate, Soul Resonance.¡± As Duanmu Huai¡¯s voice faded, the scene in front of him changed instantly. The ruins, now only remains of damaged walls, began to blur in Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, reced with fragmented illusions. This was not a sight of this world, but rather, the power of a Soul Walker. At this moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s soul had sensed and contacted the existence of the subspace. As previously stated, the subspace is the reflection of everything in the world, past, present, and future. Most of the time, when an entity in reality is destroyed, its reflection naturally disappears. However, some reflections did not vanish. Perhaps due to some kind of obsession, resentment, or simply a matter of luck, their essence remains in the subspace upon their eradication in reality, forming a solidified shard. Simply put, it¡¯s somewhat like a game bug, where when you defeat a certain enemy, you¡¯d find its shadow stuck in ce or the body wouldn¡¯t disappear, it¡¯s roughly the same situation. Of course, in a game, all it would take is to reload or refresh, but such luxuries don¡¯t exist in reality. Moreover, it¡¯s not entirely harmless either, game bugs lead to game crashes, stuck missions, or infinite refreshes. The reflections ¡°stuck¡± in the subspace can also cause problems. For instance, in many worlds, they might affect the real world in a ghostly or phantom like form. These shards are useless for most people, but not for Soul Walkers. They could not only find these shards, delve into them, but also control them, even utilize them! This is quite a formidable ability! One must understand, many ancient civilizations possessed different, powerful strengths and knowledge. However, quite often, this knowledge and power would have been buried under the dust of history, even divine artifacts could be destroyed ¡ª but the projections in the subspace are different! They would exist forever, never to perish! Of course, summoning them to the present world, also requires the consumption of power. But without going into specifics, merely summoning something that¡¯s already vanished to reality, can give you an idea of how powerful this ability is. However, the advantages of these shards are not limited to this. As previously described, these shards are essentially a collection of bugs, meaning they are independent entities. This implies that although they are in the subspace, these shards wouldn¡¯t be attacked by the demons! This is undeniably the perfect haven for psychics! If psychics possess these shard projections, they essentially hide their soul projections in the subspace in a safe, making it very hard for external demons to find, regardless of how much wisdom they employ. It¡¯s like putting a mouse in a safe, even if you ce a hundred cats outside, they can¡¯t detect anymotion the mouse makes inside the safe. Different shards vary in size, the smallest could be just a building, and the biggest¡­ perhaps a universe. One can only imagine how formidable a Soul Walker would be if they possess a universe. When Duanmu Huai discovered this ability, he was already in the intermediate stage of Star Ocean Online, which gave him some regrets. Because Star Ocean Online is a game with dynamic real-time changes; ces you visited before might disappear or be rebuilt afterwards due to various reasons, some ruins instances might vanish once cleared. If he had realized the true use of this ability when he first awakened, his leveling path would have been smoother, he might have even be the strongest yer in Star Ocean Online ¨C nopetition. Of course, for Duanmu Huai now, such a title holds no meaning, for all he knows, he might just be the only yer in this world. The most important thing now, is to find aplete shard. While pondering this, Duanmu Huai wandered within the projected ruins. Upon looking around, the nearby scenery was simr to the ruins he had seen before, but without theyer of sand covering it, the appearance of the entire city was clearer. ¡°Hmm?¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai spotted a light on a hill not far from the city¡­ this immediately piqued his interest, and he quickly quickened his pace toward the destination. In no time, Duanmu Huai arrived at the hill. In front of him was a small wooden hut which looked very simple and rustic. Without hesitation, he reached out his hand, pushed open the door and stepped into the house. ¡°Creak¡­¡± As the wooden door slowly opened, Duanmu Huai stepped inside and was initially met with¡ª a pile of arms hanging from the ceiling. ¡°¡­Turns out they¡¯re fake, gave me quite a fright.¡± Seeing these arms, Duanmu Huai was taken aback for a moment. Then, upon closer inspection, he realized that all these arms were wax carvings of fake limbs. But seeing these numerous arms hanging densely from the ceiling, in the candlelight¡­ it was indeed pretty creepy. Just then, suddenly, a voice echoed. ¡°The day has finallye when I can use my power to protect my country.¡± Chapter 9 - 6 Soul Shard (Thanks to the Alliance Leader who rewarded Pig Cat)_2 Chapter 9: Chapter 6 Soul Shard (Thanks to the Alliance Leader who rewarded Pig Cat)_2 As the words resounded, abruptly, a translucent figure of a man, much like a ghost, quietly appeared before Duanmu Huai. With an expression of excitement and enthusiasm, he was waving his hands. ¡°With this power, my country would never again have to suffer the pangs of warfare, nor fear invasion. Everyone could enjoy a life of peace and tranquility!!¡± Duanmu Huai just stood there, watching quietly. This scene wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to him, any fragment that is fortunate enough to be preserved carries the creator¡¯s intense thoughts and ideas. Clearly, this young man must be the owner of this room. After speaking these words, the man disappeared, and Duanmu Huai continued to advance. Soon, he crossed the entrance and arrived inside the house. The first thing he saw was a wooden workbench. Judging by the limbs strewn about, this man should be a Puppeteer Master. ¡°Puppets are wondrous existences¡­¡± At that moment, the figure of the man reappeared. He was sitting in a chair, seemingly crafting something meticulously. ¡°Born from the hands of humans, imitating humans, yet they are not. Beautiful, pure, perfect¡­ that is what I long for¡­¡± The voice slowly faded away and the phantom of the man shattered. Duanmu Huai took a nce at the workbench before him, then proceeded forward. But just as he approached the next room¡­ ¡°Thud!!¡± Suddenly, a teacup flew out, smashing heavily on the floor. Duanmu Huai peered into the room, only to see that what should have been a study was now a mess, the table overturned, teacups and teapots shattered. The man was taking deep breaths, sitting in a chair. His face looked incredibly old, whether due to time or mental strain wasn¡¯t clear. ¡°He deceived me! That liar! He deceived me! The puppets were to defend the nation, not for invading other countries! He turned me into a blood-stained invader, an executioner!!¡± The man roared like a beast, burying his face in his hands, his body trembling uncontrobly. Then, he seemed resolute, standing up. ¡°I won¡¯t let him get away with this, I¡¯ll stop everything. I¡¯m sorry, it seems¡­ I was too naive.¡± Finishing his words, the man reached into his pocket and put something on the table, then he sighed. ¡°I hope you find your purpose for existing, my child.¡± After he uttered these words, the man turned around with a determined expression, left the room, and vanished. So that¡¯s how it is. Huaving witnessed all these events, Duanmu Huai more or less understood what was going on. ording to Elisa¡¯s previous conversation, it was apparent that the owner of this house was a very powerful Puppeteer Master. He manufactured the Puppet Army that this country once possessed, however, his initial intention was only to protect his nation. He had no idea the king would use this army for invasion. After listening to Elisa¡¯s taunt that the king was nning to create a Demon Puppet that could conquer the world, the man must have finally made his decision topletely destroy him and his ambition¡­ If Duanmu¡¯s guess was correct and this man was the one who finally seeded in creating the Demon Puppet, and used it to raid the Royal Pce, kill the king, and ultimately self-destruct to obliterate the whole nation, then his will and belief would indeed be capable of solidifying the World Fragment. Now let¡¯s see what he left here. Duanmu Huai approached and saw a lone key adorned with a green gem on the table in the room. At that moment, a line of system notifications popped up before Duanmu Huai. [Task Activated ¡°Legacy of the Puppeteer¡±] [Task Objective: Obtain the Legacy] [Task Description: Obtain the acknowledgment of the will of the Puppeteer Master and gain his legacy!] ¡°Meh, it¡¯s a bit troublesome.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows. In order to acquire these fragments, all sorts of trials need to be passed. Generally, these could be divided into three types. One is to help the will within the fragment achieve its desires. Another is to defeat the challenge within the fragment to prove your strength. The final is the simplest, but also the most troublesome ¨C you must resonate with the will within the fragment. In simple terms, if the two of you hit it off and get along with each other, it¡¯ll be given to you directly. But if not¨Cthen you must fight. At this point, the yer might ask, isn¡¯t it just a matter of dialogue options and favorability? Can¡¯t I just choose ording to his preferences? Well, of course not. Because through such exchanges, the other party can read your initial thoughts. For instance, if you enter the will¡¯s world of a Sacred Knight and want to get his Holy Sword, then he asks you whether you could abide by the virtues of a knight. At this time, it wouldn¡¯t matter how eloquently the yer speaks, if their true thoughts are different such as ¡°Perhaps I could sell it for a good price,¡± or ¡°I can gain a powerful weapon for PvP,¡± then the knight will straight-up refuse. Next, the yer could either resort to stealing it, or simply be kicked out. However, there is a third method, persuasion. Chapter 10 - 6 Soul Shard (Thanks to the Alliance Leader who rewarded Pig Cat)_3 Chapter 10: Chapter 6 Soul Shard (Thanks to the Alliance Leader who rewarded Pig Cat)_3 Ideas can be changed, but if a yer is able to persuade the will to change its ideas, to admit their point of view is more reasonable, then it¡¯s not impossible. By the way, inte trolling won¡¯t work. Now, what Duanmu Huai is facing is this test mode. ¡°I sense your presence, visitor.¡± Along with a cold and hoarse voice, various parts hanging on the walls around him began to quiver, then they flew together and, in the blink of an eye, formed a puppet head that looked very simr to the man from before, staring intently at him. ¡°You have seen my past, what do you think of it?¡± ¡°You made a mistake, and you made amends for your mistake. That¡¯s all I can say.¡± Duanmu Huai quickly voiced his opinion. He knew that lying was pointless when dealing with a consciousness, only telling the truth would work. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I think too. I¡¯m just making amends for the mistake I made¡­ Now then, young man¡­¡± At this point, the Puppeteer Master¡¯s tone became serious. ¡°Since you desire this power, what do you intend to use it for?¡± ¡°To fight, of course.¡± Duanmu Huai answered unhesitatingly. What a joke. If not for fighting, why would Ie here? To make mncholic puppets at home as you do? ¡°Another fight!¡± Upon hearing this, the Puppeteer Master was immediately furious. ¡°Do you have no other thoughts apart from fighting?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to hear, what other thoughts do you have?¡± Duanmu Huai crossed his arms, looking at the Puppeteer Master in front of him. These types of people were typically artists, and most artists were quite entric, with viewspletely different from ordinary people. He wanted to see what this Puppeteer Master had to say. ¡°Puppets are imitations of humans. However, they will be superior to humans. Once they possess souls, they will be even more splendid entities¡­¡± ¡°Uh, sorry for interrupting.¡± Seeing the Puppeteer Master so worked up, Duanmu Huai decisively interrupted him. ¡°You basically wish the puppets to possess souls, and to have them be more superior than humans?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ And then?¡± Upon hearing this, the Puppeteer Master was stunned, seemingly unaware of Duanmu Huai¡¯s intentions. ¡°Exactly, once you say that it has a soul, it should be considered a living entity, right? It won¡¯t be like the puppets you sculpted before,pleted the moment you¡¯ve finished sculpting. It will grow, get bigger, think, observe. It¡¯s like a child. But one day it will realize that it¡¯s not a human, not even a creature, and possibly the only being in the world that is different from others. What would it do then? Do you have any ns or arrangements for that?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s questioning, the Puppeteer Master was dumbstruck, unable to speak for a while. Indeed, as Duanmu Huai mentioned, a puppet with a soul is no longer a straightforward piece of artwork, but a life that will grow. Then, what is its purpose? What is its meaning? Only at this moment did the Puppeteer Master astonishingly discover what he had done. ¡°What¡­ Just what am I doing¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Looking at the Puppeteer Master¡¯s bowed head, Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders without uttering a word. In truth, as a Judge, he also had taboos. When a yer chose the character of Judge, several taboos will appear. One of them is that a Judge must not create any self-conscious AI or any simr soul race. Once the prohibition is vited, all the professional skills and properties of that character will be sealed. It would basically amount to the yer having to start over from scratch. In the past, yers have ignored these rules and the results were always the same. It even caused a lot of debate on forums. Some yers felt that creating life was their business, but some considered the irresponsible creation of life was indeed not a good thing. Duanmu Huai was rtively inclined to thetter. He believed that anything endeavored should have a beginning and an end. This sort of unountable behavior really ticked him off. That¡¯s why Duanmu Huai, though he loves kittens and puppies, has never kept any. He knows that whether it¡¯s a cat or a dog, their lifespan is shorter than his, and no matter how well he takes care of them, they will still die before him. Instead of being heartbroken, he would rather watch cats online. That¡¯s why he despised artists like the Puppeteer Master from the bottom of his heart. To him, they were the kind to ride the tide of their fleeting passions as long as it satisfied them. After having fun, they never cared about nor considered the consequences of their actions. They were like those irresponsible individuals who, finding cats and dogs adorable, purchase them as pets. But then, considering the feeding process a hassle, they abandon them after a while. That was a disy of utter irresponsibility. So Duanmu Huai did not hide his thoughts. He also knew that, in this battle of wills, the opponent would certainly understand his thoughts. Hiding them would be meaningless. ¡°Perhaps, I really did make a mistake.¡± The Puppeteer Master was disheartened for a moment, then lifted his head. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Indeed, I¡¯m not a suitable father. Perhaps when I brought her into this world, I hadn¡¯t thought through this problem¡­ So¡­ I hope you can promise me, to take good care of her, no matter what.¡± Faced with the Puppeteer Master¡¯s requirement, Duanmu Huai furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that just yet. You should know I¡¯m about to face countless battles. There¡¯s risk involved.¡± ¡°I understand. I hope you can guide her true heart, help her understand humans, experience the feelings of humans, experience herself¡­¡± Upon saying this, the Puppeteer Master¡¯s face bore a bitter expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this task should have been mine, but¡­ I¡¯m afraid I no longer have that opportunity.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Alright, I might not be certain, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Duanmu Huai could only say this much. After all, he has never raised a child, has he? After hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, the Puppeteer Master nodded, then scattered into pieces on the floor. Duanmu Huai advanced and reached out. With one grab, he got hold of the key. The next moment, the entire room began to shake. When Duanmu Huai opened his eyes again, he was back in reality. ¡°Good, it¡¯s done¡­ ¡± Duanmu Huai lowered his gaze to look at the object in his hand, a hint of a smile appeared on his face. Finally seeded! Chapter 11 - 7: Soul Card_1 Chapter 11: Chapter 7: Soul Card_1 In Duanmu Huai¡¯s palm were eight different cards, each emitting a faint glow, appearing in front of him. [Experimental Improvement (Bronze)] [Cost: 0] [Add one modified puppet to your hand] [Puppeteer¡¯s Cloak (Bronze)] [Cost: 1] [When a puppet enters your battlefield, add two puppets to your hand] [Puppet Surgery (Bronze)] [Cost: 1] [Randomly enhance a puppet in your hand by +4/+0] [Craftsman¡¯s Faith (Bronze)] [Cost: 1] [Choose between a puppet, a modified puppet, and an armed enhancement to add to your hand] [Scrap Selection (Silver)] [Cost: 2] [Add a card that was destroyed in this battle and has an odd cost to your hand] [Puppet Room (Bronze)] [Cost: 3] [Add one puppet to your hand each turn] [Scrap (Bronze)] [Cost: 3] [Attack: 1] [Defense: 2] [Add one puppet to your hand when entering/exiting the battlefield] [Puppet Girl. Ogis (Legendary)] [Cost: 6] [Attack: 5] [Defense: 5] [Whenever fused with a puppet, you may summon a puppet to the battlefield and gain a +2/+0 effect] [If fused with one puppet, summon ¡®Ogis¡¯ Puppet. Lloyd¡¯ into the field] [If three or more, automatically evolve two cards] [Why do humans love humans? Why do humans hate humans? The answer must be somewhere in this world] [Mission ¡®Legacy of the Puppeteer¡¯ Completed] [Mission Evaluation: Unexpected] [Reward: Soul Card +6, Extra +2] [Trigger subsequent Mission ¡®Heart of the Puppet Girl¡¯] [Mission Objective: Travel with Puppet Girl Ogis, guiding her on the path to the future] [Mission Reward: Legacy of the Puppeteer] [Current Progress: 1/5] ¡°I see.¡± After looking at the Soul Cards in his hand and the mission instructions, Duanmu Huai nodded. The Soul Cards embody the items from the Fragmented World in reality. As long as he activates these cards with his spiritual energy, he can harness their abilities and use them in the real world. However, the quality of the first batch of cards given to him weren¡¯t very high. The quality of the cards are divided into bronze, silver, gold, and legendary. Among the cards given to him, they were all bronze, with only one silver. Regarding the ¡®Puppet Girl. Ogis¡¯ card, even though it¡¯s legendary, it¡¯s considered a story mode card. The reason is revealed in the ¡®Heart of the Puppet Girl¡¯ mission. It¡¯s clear that the Puppeteer is afraid that Duanmu might deny his obligations, so he used this method to limit him. As long as Duanmu travels with Ogis, let Ogis see and understand the world, gradually understand her existence and significance, he will progress and get the Puppeteer¡¯s other legacy. As for the cost¡­ As mentioned before, excessive use of spells can cause subspace anomalies. The cost is designed for this. At present, Duanmu Huai¡¯s heat limit is 100, and the cost of the ¡®Puppet Girl. Ogis¡¯ card is 6, meaning, when Duanmu Huai brings Ogis into y, his heat consumption will increase by 60. ording to subspace overheating standards, 40% or less is within the normal range, 40%-80% is considered overheating and various subspace anomalies would ur, and 100%¡­ depends on what kind of demon BOSS would appear. So if Duanmu Huai directly summons Ogis, his subspace heat will persist at an overheating level of 60%, bing a walking catastrophe, causing subspace anomalies wherever he goes. There were indeed yers who would exploit this to turn themselves into humanoid nuclear bombs in the past. Luckily, he is a Soul Walker, and¡­ he has Subspace Armor! ¡°Hmph!¡± Duanmu Huai tightly clenched his hand, putting away several cards. He then saw the cost of ¡®Puppet Girl. Ogis¡¯ instantly changed from 6 to 3, reducing by half! Yes, this is where the Subspace Armor really shines. Although it can¡¯t teleport or has powerful defensive capabilities, it can reduce the cost of all Soul Cards by half! This is half of it! You should know that the consumption of soul cards doesn¡¯t work with small numbers like decimals. Say if a card has a consumption of 3, Subspace Armour can reduce it straight to 1, and not 1.5. As for cards with a consumption of 1, they can be reduced directly to 0! This means that the consumption of the three cards, ¡°Puppet Surgery,¡± ¡°Puppeteer¡¯s Cloak,¡± and ¡°Craftsman¡¯s Faith¡± dropped from 1 to 0. ¡°Junk Selection,¡± ¡°Puppet Room¡± and ¡°Waste¡± dropped to 1, and ¡°Puppet Girl Ogis¡± dropped to 3. Among these cards, the puppets summoned themselves consume 0, the improved puppets consume 1, but under the suppression of Subspace Armor, it also bes 0. Although these ¡°Puppet¡± cards have the feature of being automatically destroyed after the battle is over, as long as they are on the battlefield, they arebat forces that don¡¯t require consumption! The quality may not be high, but the quantity is equally terrifying! Don¡¯t look down on the ¡°Puppet¡± with an attack power of only 1, and the ¡°Strengthened Puppet¡± with only 3. This 3 doesn¡¯t just mean 3 points of damage, it means the level of enemies they can eliminate! Actually, in soul cards, an attack of 1 represents the ability to eliminate enemies under level 10. An attack of 2 means enemies under level 20. Simrly, their defense represents how many levels of enemy attacks they can resist. Currently, Duanmu Huai is only a level 10 Judge. In terms of attack power¡­ well, it¡¯s definitely stronger than a puppet, but certainly no match for Ogis. After all, Ogis¡¯ attack and defense is 5, 7 after enhancement awakening, which means she can fight to the death with a level 70 enemy. The attack and defense of the ¡°Puppet¡± is 1, but after undergoing Ogis¡¯ card fusion, their attack can be increased to 2, that is, they can eliminate enemies of level 20 and below. This means that Duanmu Huai now has an army that can wipe out level 20 enemies with almost zero consumption! This is just a beginner, ording to Duanmu Huai¡¯s experience, the strongest here would not exceed level 40, level 20 is already considered mid-level. ¡°Indeed, being a Soul Walker in the early stage is so cool¡­¡± After nning the whole process, Duanmu Huai felt so excited that he lost control. Before he transmigrated, he had only figured out the purpose of the ¡°Soul Resonance¡± skill when he reached level 30. At the time, his enemies were level 30 and 40, and the ordinary low-level cards could no longer inflict enough damage on them. So Duanmu Huai had always wondered, what if he had this set of soul cards when he was level 10? Wouldn¡¯t it be awesome to level up by beating higher level monsters? A level 10 yer challenging a level 20 dungeon, that would be amazing! Now it seems that he finally got the chance to put his wild thoughts into practice. With that thought, Duanmu Huai lifted his head, staring into the distance with a glint of coldness in his eyes. Let¡¯s see how much experience you can bring me next! After that, Duanmu Huai took another round outside. Twenty minutester, he returned to the spot. At this time, Elisa was sitting on a rock, nkly staring at the sky in front of her. After a thorough cleanup, Elisa¡¯s true appearance was finally revealed to Duanmu Huai. Before this, Elisa had always been a messy, dirty-looking little girl in Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. But after washing off the stains and blood, the girl showed her beautiful side. Her silky golden hair was so smooth it could be used to advertise shampoo; her small and cute face had delicate features that showed a hint of weakness. Her deep blue eyes gave her the look of ady. It¡¯s a pity that her ragged clothes somewhat diminished this impression. ¡°Ah, Sir ck Knight.¡± Maybe it was because she had taken a bath, Elisa looked much better. Seeing Duanmu Huai approaching, she quickly stood up and courteously saluted him. ¡°How are you? Feeling better?¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze swept over Elisa¡¯s red-rimmed eyes ¨C after all, she couldn¡¯t see it through his helmet. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Elisa lowered her head somewhat shyly, then hesitated for a moment, and looked up at Duanmu Huai again. ¡°Sir ck Knight, what should we do next?¡± ¡°Next, we stop running.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, Elisa was taken aback. ¡°Stop running?¡± ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t run anyway, so we might as well stay here and wait for them. Let¡¯s meet them head-on and wipe out those bastards!¡± Now that he had the soul cards, Duanmu Huai was no longer afraid. With his own power plus the soul cards, dealing with the pursuers from the Evil God Cultist was no problem. It just depended on how much they were willing to sacrifice. ¡°¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Elisa showed some unease. However, it seemed like she quickly came to terms with something and clenched her fists tightly. ¡°I, I understand, Sir ck Knight. If you say so, then we¡¯ll do it¡­ Also, I have a request¡­¡± ¡°What request?¡± ¡°If¡­¡± At this point, Elisa seemed to hesitate, but finally made up her mind. ¡°If, we can¡¯t hold back, then please promise me¡­ you¡¯ll kill me!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai nced at Elisa. ¡°Kill you?¡± ¡°Yes. Whatever those Evil God Cultists are nning for me, it¡¯s definitely not going to be good! Falling into their hands, I won¡¯t only be tortured, I might even endanger others. So¡­ if there¡¯s really no other way, Sir ck Knight, you can kill me, and then escape on your own.¡± As she spoke, Elisa lowered her head again. ¡°But¡­ but, Sir ck Knight, I hope¡­ you can be gentle, not too painful¡­¡± What an interesting girl. Looking at the bowed Elisa, a smile flickered at the corner of Duanmu Huai¡¯s mouth. He stretched out his hand, and gently tousled Elisa¡¯s hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no matter whoes, I will protect you.¡± Chapter 12 - 8 Confrontation_1 Chapter 12: Chapter 8 Confrontation_1 The wind-howl echoed through the sandstorm. A dark shadow spread over the wilderness, and not far away, a band of horseback trackers slowly halted their steeds. At their sides, several canine creatures, their bodies a monstrous shade of red as if demons themselves, roared with a low growl. Their eyes fiercely aze, itching to tear apart any prey standing in their path. Even the howling wind or the sandden storm could not halt their progression. ¡°Our quarry is just ahead.¡± The leading knight said softly, his body cloaked in crimson battle armor atop an unusually massive warhorse. Hisrades, too, showed an eager glint in their eyes upon hearing the news. They had already lost several squads but none conceded defeat, for the evil god they worshipped craves war, bloodshed, and death. Whether friend or foe, any sacrifice of blood and death would be offered up to their great deity and bring honor! ¡°Kill!!¡± The sparking war hammer whistled through the air, striking heavily on the enemy¡¯s head, smashing both the helmet and skull into fragments in a single blow. Duanmu Huai gave the lifeless body a swift kick, unhesitatingly held his war hammer tightly, andunched an attack against the advancing cultists of the evil god. This time, the attackers were not usually cultists but fanatics of the chaos evil god. d in half-armor, horned helmets, and wielding battle axes, they resembled fearsome looking Viking pirates. However, Duanmu Huai showed no intimidation towards these viins. Standing at the copsed castle gate, he blocked everyone¡¯s path. A single warrior can keep a thousand enemies at bay! Want to reim your offerings? You will have to step over my corpse! Duanmu Huai was now bloodthirsty. He was fond of brute force as a yer and there is certainly no retreat for the present Duanmu Huai. The idea of surrendering or negotiating with these cultists of the evil god never crossed his mind. The duty of the judge is to eradicate chaos forces. Nopromise, no negotiation. No matter who the adversary is, or how numerous they are, if they believe in the chaos evil god, they must be wiped out! If a city worships, then destroy the city. If a nation worships, then destroy the nation. If a worships, then destroy the. If a world worships, then destroy the entire world! To undermine the Chaos Evil God and its followers is the unchanging duty of a Judge. Anypromise or surrender is an intolerable betrayal! It willpletely seal all the skills and characteristics of the Judge! If loyalty is not absolute, there is absolutely no loyalty! ¡°Bang!!!¡± Flesh stters as Duanmu Huai swings his war hammer and knocks each chaos fanatic to the ground. He has not immediately used his soul card because these chaos fanatics are of low-level and he by himself is enough to handle them. Being a veteran yer, Duanmu Huai is quite familiar with the Four Great Chaos Evil Gods and their followers. These men are quite evidently followers of the Brutal God, who revels in war and bloodshed. Basically, their ranks consist entirely of warriors. Yet, these warriors are not idiots. Even barbarians know to seize opportunities, these fanatics are no fools. If he were to use the soul card now, it would only present them with an opportunity. The power of Ogis is exceptionally formidable and for now, it serves as his trump card. There is only one chance to summon it and Duanmu Huai knows these fanatics very well. If Elisa is valuable enough, they are likely to summon the high-profile demons of the Evil God, hence the insurance that Duanmu Huai held onto. After all, to kill a chicken, there¡¯s no need to use a butcher¡¯s knife. He could single-handedly deal with these frets! ¡°Sigh¡­¡­¡± After knocking down another iing fanatic with his hammer, Duanmu Huai finally let out a sigh of relief and took a nce at his panel. Since yesterday, he has fended off four to five waves of attacks from these cultists. He has also leveled up to fifteen and didn¡¯t add any points to his strength; instead, he raised his physical and mental attributes to 10 ¨C the former increasing his resilience, and thetter mainly upgrading the overheating limit of subspace, enabling him to use more cards at once. ording to logic, Duanmu Huai should have allocated all his points to the mental attribute to maximize the overheating limit of subspace, but he was aware that this boost would only be valid if the owner himself existed. The Soul Walker may seem omnipotent but fundamentally it resembles a summoner, be it soldier, magic, or gear, they are all essentially summoned from another world. Eliminate the summoner itself, and everything else bes irrelevant. Before crossing over into this world during PK, Duanmu Huai had ruthlessly annihted countless Soul Walkers who specifically invested in mental attributes. Naturally, he was aware of the Soul Walker¡¯s vulnerabilities. A magician ignoring defense, would ultimately be thrown out of the arena and then finish off in a set. There were quite a few Soul Walkers who were smashed to death by Duanmu Huai¡¯s hammer back then, but at that time he was using a soft girl character, which many yers enjoyed ying. If it were now, seeing a malicious two and a half meter tall man smashing their heads with a hammer, those people probably wouldn¡¯t find it too enjoyable anymore. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Not far behind Duanmu Huai, Elisa huddled herself, trembling and not daring to speak. She chose not to run away because in actuality, she had no way of fleeing. By Duanmu Huai¡¯s side, she could still be protected by the ck Knight. But once she left Duanmu Huai, Elisa would bepletely unprotected. Not to mention, being so close would make it convenient for Duanmu Huai to turn around and smash her with his hammer if things went south. I hope it wouldn¡¯t hurt too much¡­¡­ ¡°Ohhhhh!!!¡± Just at that moment, a sharp cry rose from the wilderness amidst the gale, startling Elisa. ¡°What¡­ what was that noise? Is it a wolf?¡± ¡°The protagonist is here.¡± Hearing this sound, Duanmu Huai was invigorated, gripping his war hammer and looking ahead. Soon she saw a number of figures on tall horses appearing in the wind and sand, apanied by fierce-looking, bright red, four-legged monsters. Indeed, they were the Chaos Hounds. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes were cold. The Chaos Hounds were weak creatures, not worth mentioning, but they were bona fide demonic creatures. Their appearance here indicated that they were summoned from the world of the Brutal God, meaning that amongst his enemies this time, there would definitely be powerful demons! He wondered if this was a minor, intermediate, or major boss. But a fight would tell!! ¡°Roar!!¡± At this moment, along with an angry roar, the Chaos Hounds also spotted their prey, bellowing and sprinting ahead, charging towards Duanmu Huai¡¯s location. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes shed. The next moment, a Soul Card shed before him. The Puppeteer¡¯s Cloak was activated! The Craftsman¡¯s Faith was activated! Drawing a Puppet and Armed Enhancement! Summon the Puppet onto the field! Turn on the Puppeteer¡¯s Cloak¡¯s special ability, and add two Puppet cards into his hand! Summon the two Puppet cards added to his hand onto the field! Added four more Puppet cards to his hand! ¡°Swish swish!¡± In just the blink of an eye, a ck cloak edged with gold, looking incredibly extravagant, covered Duanmu Huai¡¯s power armor. The cloak fluttered in the windless air, and several puppets, dressed like rogues or assassins, burst out from it, rushing towards the enemy before them. In the blink of an eye, they were fighting the Chaos Hounds! ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Of course, the Chaos Hounds didn¡¯t know what was blocking their path, but they didn¡¯t need to. All they needed to do was shred anything that stood in their path. Hence, the Chaos Hounds lunged at the puppets in front of them and bit into their bodies. However, at the same time, the puppet¡¯s daggers and curved des were also stabbed into the bodies of the Chaos Hounds. Soon, arge number of Chaos Hounds fell, and the puppets that were also fighting crumbled and disappeared without a trace. ¡°Hmm?¡± Seeing this, the Red Knight atop his horse froze for a moment, then sneered. ¡°Magic, always such boring tricks, meaningless in the face of my lord¡¯s power!¡± As he spoke, the Red Knight raised hisnce and pointed it at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Charge!!!¡± Just as I thought you would make this move. Watching the Chaos Knights rushing towards him, Duanmu Huai sneered, the disciples of the Four Great Evil Gods each have unique characteristics, those under the Brutal God look down upon magic, hence his disciples too disdain magic. That¡¯s why Duanmu Huai dared to fight a thousand troops alone here. If it were the infamous Cunning God, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t foolishlymit suicide here ¨C his subordinates are all master magicians, his approach would simply be waiting for a magical beatdown. Tens of puppets once again sprinted out, rushing towards the Chaos Knights in front of them. Their damage potential isn¡¯t high, but it doesn¡¯t mean they are harmless. Soon, several knights were eliminated under the puppets¡¯ attack. But the guy in bright red armor on the tall horse in front seemed unaffected. Instead, those puppets that tried to attack him were torn into pieces by the howling airflow before they could get close. As expected, this guy is not easy to deal with. Staring at the Chaos Knight charging towards him, Duanmu Huai¡¯s expression was solemn. He gripped his war hammer in both hands and coldly watched his enemy approach, simultaneously conjuring another card into existence. Armed Enhancement activated! Giving +2/+2 status boost to a unit on the battlefield! At that moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s body seemed to ze with intense red mes as if forged in a furnace. At the same time, a +2 appeared next to his status attributes. The attack and defense values of the Soul Cards are calcted by dividing the yer¡¯s attributes by 10. Therefore, if Duanmu Huai¡¯s current attributes were converted into Soul Cards, his stats would be atk 1/def 0 ¨C with only his strength at 12 points and all attributes under 10 being calcted as 0. Hence, when Armed Enhancement is activated now, it meant Duanmu Huai¡¯s strength and physical attributes temporarily surged by +20 points within a short period! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± At the same time, the Chaos Knight reached Duanmu Huai and swung hisnce fiercely. In the face of his attack, Duanmu Huai let out a roar, raised his war hammer high, and met the charge head-on!! Chapter 13 - 9 Intense Battle_1 Chapter 13: Chapter 9 Intense Battle_1 ¡°Boom!!¡± The spear and the war hammer shed together, the resulting sound echoed, causing the ground to tremble slightly. Duanmu Huai, holding his war hammer, stood his ground. But the Chaos Knight shook and was forced to step back on horseback. However, he didn¡¯t retreat but instead spurred his horse onward and with a sudden kick of his front hooves, the horse aimed for Duanmu Huai! ¡°Humph!!¡± Facing the horse¡¯s trampling, Duanmu Huai scoffed. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, colliding with the horse and throwing it off bnce. The horse lost its bnce, let out a neigh, and fell backward. Then Duanmu Huai¡¯s war hammer whizzed past, breaking the horse¡¯s neck at a ny-degree angle¡ªit was clearly past saving. ¡°Phew!!¡± The Chaos Knight was no easy opponent either. The instant his horse lost bnce, he leaped into the air, thrusting his spear straight at Duanmu Huai. At the same time, Duanmu Huai kicked hard against the horse¡¯s carcass, hurling it towards the Chaos Knight, blocking his attack. The heavy carcass of the horse copsed to the ground with a thud, and for a moment, silence once again engulfed the battlefield. Duanmu Huai and the Chaos Knight stared each other down until the Chaos knight let out a fierce roar, his eyes instantly glowing with a brilliant red light. Berserk! As for the Chaos Knight¡¯s Berserk Skills, Duanmu Huai felt no surprise. Every follower of the Brutal God had this move, it was a basic entry-level skill. Like all priests could use Holy Light. If a follower of the Brutal God did not possess Berserk Skills, they were surely fakes. Of course, going berserk would increase the opponent¡¯s strength, but¡­ Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t fighting alone! As the Chaos knight lunged at him again, Duanmu Huai dodged and brandished his war hammer, charging forward. Simultaneously, several puppets appeared beside him, their swords shing towards the Chaos Knight. The puppets¡¯ attacks were not strong enough to kill the Chaos Knight but could cause him some trouble. Seeing the puppets lunging towards him, the berserk Chaos Knight did not hesitate and swept his spear, destroying Duanmu Huai¡¯s summoned puppets. He thrust his spear forward again, but Duanmu Huai responded with a fierce swing of his war hammer, smashing it down onto the spear, pinning it to the ground. After missing his first strike, the Chaos Knight surprisingly let go of his spear, clenched his fist, and punched Duanmu Huai,nding his blow on his Power Armor. The impact slightly shook Duanmu Huai¡¯s armor. He staggered a bit, but quickly took advantage of the moment. The Chaos Knight grabbed his spear again and rushed at him, but Duanmu Huai held his war hammer in front of him, defending against the Chaos Knight¡¯s renewed assault. ¡°Zzzzz¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Both sides were locked in a stalemate for a moment. The Chaos Knight, panting heavily, growled and pressed forward. Duanmu Huai, however, stood his ground, blocking the Chaos Knight¡¯s advance. Then, he suddenly extended his left hand, aiming it at the Chaos Knight. ¡°Bang!!!¡± Apanied by a st of fire from theuncher on Duanmu Huai¡¯s left hand armor, the Chaos Knight staggered backward, as if hit by a powerful blow, his armor shattered in ces. The sudden turn of events shocked the Chaos Knight, but before he could react, he felt a severe pain in his knee. He lost control and fell to the ground. Next, all he could see was an endless shadow of darkness,pletely engulfing him¡­ ¡°Splurt.¡± The heavy, robust Power Hammer crushed the Chaos Knight¡¯s skull and helmet into a pile of bloody, broken flesh. ¡°Whew¡­¡­¡­.¡± Duanmu Huai let out a sigh of relief, picked up his hammer, and turned his head to look ahead. At this moment, a timid Elisa peeked her head out and looked anxiously at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Sir ck Knight, is it over?¡± ¡°No.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°The real fight¡¯s about to start.¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, arge, ferocious man emerged from the dust and sand. He was just as tall as Duanmu Huai in his Power Armor. His hair was braided into small ponytails, a battle-axe in one hand, and a silver shield in the other. His face, framed by a big beard, looked fierce and tough, giving off an intimidating aura. [Brutal Fanatic (Elite)] [LV30] Yeah, he indeed looked quite formidable. ¡°You¡¯re impressively strong, warrior.¡± Looking at the fallenrade in front of Duanmu Huai, the man started speaking casually, seemingly apathetic about hisrade¡¯s demise. ¡°Strong, ruthless, cruel, these are the attributes my God requires of his followers. To spread His doctrine. There¡¯s still time, hand over the offering, be my God¡¯s follower, and thus¡­¡­¡± ¡°Boom!!¡± But before the man could finish his speech, Duanmu Huai abruptly raised his left hand, firing another shot. The man¡¯s reflexes were quick, raising his silver shield almost instantaneously to block Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack. ¡°Well done!¡± Once the smoke cleared, the man moved his shield away, his face turning deathly pale. ¡°In that case, I will offer your head to the Skull Throne!¡± As soon as his words ended, the fanatic ceremoniously banged the shield. Suddenly, a fiery red me portal appeared before him, and arge group of demons stepped out from it. They had goat-like hooves; their bodies were bright red, with elongated, alien-like heads crowned by long horns; they all tightly clutched a ck greatsword in their hands. Chapter 14 - 9 Intense Battle_2 Chapter 14: Chapter 9 Intense Battle_2 ¡°Kill him!!!¡± Upon the elite fanatic¡¯smand, the crimson demons let out a roar, brandishing their great swords and charging towards their enemies. ¡°Hmph!!!¡± Duanmu Huai certainly wouldn¡¯t sit around waiting for his death. He snorted coldly, his cloak fluttering without wind. Dozens of puppets then appeared and swiftly intervened, rushing towards the oing Demon Army! ¡°Gahhhhh!!!¡± Individually, the puppets were no match for the demons, but their sheer numbers transformed into a formidable force. For Duanmu Huai, summoning these puppets cost him nothing. There was no expenditure of energy, and he merely needed to flood the battlefield with them. Even if theycked power, their numbers would make up for it! Soon, both sides were embroiled in a chaotic melee. A massive number of puppets turned into fragments under the demons¡¯ sharp des, but numerous demons were also hit by the puppets¡¯ attacks. Screaming, they were swallowed by mes and banished back to their world. Seeing his summoned demon army halted, the elite fanatic had no intention of giving up. On the contrary, he raised his shield high and charged straight at Duanmu Huai. Unhesitating, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on a War Hammer, leapt up, aiming a powerful strike at the fanatic¡¯s head! ¡°Thud!!!¡± The War Hammer crashed into the fanatic¡¯s Silver Shield, producing a dull sound. Both parties withdrew a step. The fanatic then roared and swung his Battle Axe towards Duanmu Huai¡¯s waist! ¡°Damn!¡± Nudging the hint of danger, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face darkened. The fight so far had already reduced his Power Armor¡¯s durability to 40%. He couldn¡¯t repair his armor mid-fight with the skull, and if the opponent¡¯s axe actually hit, he could be cut in half! Therefore, he had to retreat, grabbing hold of the War Hammer and cing it at his side to fend off the fanatic¡¯s attack. However, the fanatic didn¡¯t retreat after his unsessful attack. Instead, he advanced a step, smashing his shield directly at Duanmu Huai! ¡°Bang!!!¡± Unable to counter this shield strike from the fanatic, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Hammer was knocked out of his hands, leaving him unprotected and vulnerable. Seeing this, the fanatic let out a cry of excitement, raised his Battle Axe, and swung it powerfully at Duanmu Huai! So, you¡¯ve finally made your move! Caught between moments, just as the fanatic swung his Battle Axe, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes shed a hint of ruthlessness. His left hand reaching behind, he drew out a Mechanical Sword from his waist. Seizing the gap as the fanatic swung his Battle Axe, he lunged for it, jabbing the sword directly into the fanatic¡¯s body!!! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Feeling the excruciating pain from within his body, the fanatic bellowed in rage. But Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t hesitate. Pressing hard on a button, the next moment¡­ ¡°Whirr¡ª¡ª¨C!!!¡± The Chainsaw on the Mechanical Sword began rotating at high speed, savagely tearing through and slicing open the fanatic¡¯s body, sawing his innards and bones like wood. Duanmu Huai roared, gripping the hilt with both hands, swung it forcefully, and with that, the bisected body of the fanatic was flung away¡ªHis body, soon reduced to ashes amidst a rain of fire from the sky. ¡°Phew¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-!!!¡± mes fell from the sky, charging straight at Duanmu Huai. He hurriedly grabbed the fanatic¡¯s Silver Shield to shield himself, letting the raging mes whoosh past him. The surrounding puppets and the Demon Army also vanished within these mes. As the sudden mes dissipated, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but kneel on the ground. He looked up and saw a towering figure in the sky not far away¡ªa Demon, massive in size, sporting bat wings, clutching a Battle Axe, and wearing a ferocious grin as he stared at him. ¡°Ah, an interesting prey, your head will be mine, mortal!¡± Bloodthirsty demon! I knew you wouldn¡¯t stay idle for long! Upon seeing this demon, Duanmu Huai takes a sharp breath. It¡¯s a formidable force in the army of the Brutal God¡¯s Demons. Clearly, it was also summoned by a zealous believer. Or maybe it is ¡ª the most powerful enemy here. But I¡¯m well-prepared. With Duanmu Huai¡¯s thought, a card quietly appears in front of him. It¡¯s your turn! [Puppet Girl. Ogis]! At the moment, the card shes, a petite figure emerges from in front of Duanmu Huai. A beautiful girl with silvery twin tails, her sleeveless, shoulder-baring ckce dress hugs her petite figure. Her slender arms are covered with ck elbow-length gloves, making her look like ady. But from the gaps at the connection points of her shoulders and fingers, it can be seen that she is not human, but a puppet. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The Bloodthirsty demon opens its mouth wide and spews a st of fire at Duanmu Huai. At the same time, the suitcase at the Puppet Girl¡¯s feet suddenly opens. Instantly, a giant puppet, wearing a mask and top hat like a Night Assassin, leaps out. Like a shield, it stands between the two of them, facing the fiery breath of the Bloodthirsty demon!! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The fire hits the giant puppet¡¯s body, but it blocks it. Then, the giant puppet extends its hands, which are like steel ws, and directly pounces on the Bloodthirsty demon!! ¡°What kind of trick is this?!¡± Seeing this sudden appearance of a giant puppet that is almost his size, the Bloodthirsty demon is stunned. But, it doesn¡¯t take this giant figure seriously. With a cold smirk, it swings its battle axe at the giant puppet! Unexpectedly, the moment the battle axe swings down, countless threads radiate from within the giant puppet¡¯s body. They wrap around the Bloodthirsty demon¡¯s body like sturdy chains, preventing its further onught. However, before the Bloodthirsty demon could break free, it feels a sudden pain in its back. The next moment, the Bloodthirsty demon, now devoid of wings, falls heavily from the sky with a cry of agony. Meanwhile, Ogis lowers her right hand, with blood-stained threads shing past. ¡°Scream!!!!¡± As the Bloodthirsty demon hits the ground, a mess of wreckage, Duanmu Huai, punctuated by a roar, rushes out of the sandstorm, holding aloft his Chainsaw Sword. He charges forward and mercilessly thrusts his Chainsaw Sword into the Bloodthirsty demon¡¯s eye. And then, the Chainsaw Sword starts spinning wildly, tearing the demon¡¯s flesh and piercing its brain! ¡°Aaaah!!!¡± The intense pain sends the Bloodthirsty demon into a screaming rage, trying desperately to struggle. But the giant puppet has it firmly bound. Finally, as Duanmu Huai¡¯s longsword pierces the brain of the Bloodthirsty demon, bright red mes erupt from the demon¡¯s giant body and engulf it in the blink of an eye. At the same time, a system prompt appears to Duanmu Huai. [First Phase of the ¡°Escort¡± Mission Completed!] Chapter 15 - 10 Continue Moving Forward_1 Chapter 15: Chapter 10 Continue Moving Forward_1 [First stage of the mission: ¡°Escort¡± Completed] [Mission Valuation: Unbelievable!] [Not only have you defeated the reinforcements of the Evil God Cultists, but you also annihted their mainmander. Your bravery and ferocity have instilled fear deep into the souls of your enemies. When they see you, fear and trembling will be their only choice.] [Task Rewards: 3000 experience, 2000 extra experience] [Gain Title¡ªNemesis of Evil (Fight against the forces of the Evil God, all attributes increase by 10%)] [Gain Unbelievable Reward: Random original gene +1] [Gain free attribute point +1, specialization skill point +1] [Note: Your bravery has drawn the attention of the Brutal God, Brutal God favorability +10] ¡°Damn it!¡± Seeing thest prompt, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but burst into swearing, then he sighed helplessly. In this world, Chaos Evil Gods are a bizarre existence. Most of the times, even if you defeat them, they won¡¯t grow to hate or feel antagonistic towards you. Instead, they might appreciate you even more because of that. Take the Brutal God, for instance. It doesn¡¯t care about who wins or loses. It concerns itself only with brave warriors, regardless of their alignments. As long as you show great strength and chivalry, you¡¯ll draw the attention of Brutal God. Once it sets it sights on you, it¡¯ll do everything it can to pull you into its camp. What? You¡¯re a brave and righteous warrior? No problem, falling into darkness can be good. I don¡¯t care about such things. So often, the more you fight the Chaos Evil Gods, the higher their favorability towards you bes. Once it¡¯s high enough, they¡¯ll try their best to pull you into their camp, to let you join them. From some perspective, it¡¯s incredibly annoying. Forget it, there¡¯s no use thinking about it now. Duanmu Huai shook his head, then looked down at the reward in front of him. The best reward this time was naturally the[Original Gene], a special type of permanent gene. There are twenty kinds in total. Each original gene possesses remarkably powerful abilities. These original genes are normally scattered over twentys and can only be obtained by finding a temple and passing a trial. Still, they just gave me one¡­ Hmm, sure enough, risk and reward are directly proportional. ¡°I wonder what original gene I¡¯ll draw.¡± Staring at the interface before him, Duanmu Huai rubbed his hands together. Right now, what he wanted most was the Number Nine Holy Blood Angel Gene. Besides other things, this original gene gives a permanent full-value charm bonus. When Duanmu Huai was a gamer, the first one he got was the Holy Blood Angel Gene. After that, his questing was akin to eating a max level face fruit, everyone liked him. Especially now, when I¡¯ve physically traveled through and my charm is low, only the Holy Blood Angel Gene could save my measly 1 point charm value. Let¡¯s begin! Taking a deep breath, Duanmu Huai reached out and tapped the interface before him. The numbers in front of him quickly started to spin, and then¡­¡­ [Random Original Gene Determined] [Acquired Fifteenth Scorched Original Gene] [Gained Abilities¡±Subspace Affinity¡±¡±Mental Induction¡±¡±Psychic Specialization¡±] [Subspace Affinity: Each level increases the limit/Resistance of Subspace Heat by 10] [Mental Induction: Ability tomunicate through mental induction] [Psychic Specialization: Level of spiritual energy spells power +1] ¡°¡­¡­ eptable.¡± Looking at the description in front of him, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes helplessly. Although it¡¯s not a Holy Blood Angel, it¡¯s¡­ tolerable. In honesty though, besides[Subspace Affinity], the other two skills didn¡¯t seem like they would be very useful. After all, a Soul Walker is essentially a summoner, not a Skywalker who ys with elemental spells¡ªhaving the bonus of Psychic Specialization doesn¡¯t benefit him much. Mental Induction is handy, allowing him tomunicate without distance constraints. But Duanmu Huai doesn¡¯t ess to any other Psychics¡¯ contact information anyway. Forget it; it¡¯s better than getting nothing. At least with [Subspace Affinity]and [Subspace Armor], Duanmu Huai¡¯s limit to sub-space overheating has increased a lot. Now he doesn¡¯t have to worry about the Soul card¡¯s limit not being enough. No matter what, after this battle, the pursuit of the Evil God Cultists could be considered over, and Duanmu Huai set off again with Elisa. However, this time, there was another person joining them. ¡°Eh? Was this youngdy summoned by you, Sir ck Knight?¡± Seeing Ogis standing next to Duanmu Huai ¨C petite figure, sun umbre in one hand, traveling case in the other ¨C Elisa let out an astonished gasp. Honestly, seeing a beautiful young girl suddenly apanying Duanmu Huai was scary enough, but upon realizing that Ogis was summoned by Duanmu Huai, Elisa was even more amazed. ¡°Sir ck Knight, are you a mage?¡± ¡°I dabble.¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t deny it. Every world has psychics, but the term used to refer to psychics varies in different civilizations: priests, clerics, mages, sorcerers, shamans, even superhumans ¨C all who can use supernatural powers can be considered psychics. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Elisa gaped at the giant standing in front of her, towering at two and a half meters, holding a War Hammer, donned in heavy armor¡­ Is he actually a mage?! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on.¡± Duanmu Huai withdrew his Mechanical Sword and swung his War Hammer. After this battle, they should be able to rx for a while. As Duanmu Huai conjectured, afterward, they were no longer besieged by the Evil God Cultists. Perhaps the death of the Bloodthirsty demon intimidated the Evil God Cultists, or perhaps they had other ns. Either way, this swarm of annoying flies no longer appeared before them. With the threat of pursuers gone, Elisa rxed a lot. Throughout their journey, she was tirelessly trying to converse with Ogis, whose responses were like that of a robot. Most of the time, she just held her travel case in one hand, her umbre in the other, and quietly followed Duanmu Huai. From Elisa¡¯s information, Duanmu Huai also learnt some facts about this. ording to Elisa, this world was like an ordinary fantasy world. Besides humans, there were several different races. Humans dominated the central region of the continent and established a nation called the Glorious Empire. However, the Empire was in a precarious situation due to the sudden death of the previous ruler. His heirs have begun to fight for power, leading to the Empire being divided. Meanwhile, the alien races have taken this opportunity to invade the Empire, and the Evil God Cultists are spreading everywhere. The entire Empire is now in Chaos. Duanmu Huai was not surprised by this. After all¡­ he had encountered such situations before. After two or three days of travel, the trio finally saw a city wall not far off. ¡°That¡¯s it, Sir ck Knight!¡± Upon seeing the city wall, Elisa immediately eximed in excitement. ¡°That¡¯s the City of Silver!¡± ¡°The situation doesn¡¯t look good.¡± However, in contrast to Elisa¡¯s excitement, Duanmu Huai¡¯s facial expression darkened. Looking at the ck smoke rising high into the sky in the distance, he murmured to himself. ¡°It seems to have been attacked.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Elisa was greatly surprised. ¡°The City of Silver was attacked?!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know once we get there. Ogis, protect Elisa! I¡¯ll go ahead!¡± After saying this, Duanmu Huai suddenly picked up his pace and charged forward. With the aid of his Power Armor, Duanmu Huai¡¯s speed far surpassed a galloping horse. In just a moment, he crossed the wilderness and arrived at the city gate ¨C where the sturdy wooden gate had been smashed down. Dead bodies of city guards and monstersy scattered everywhere. Typical Alien Race siege, they really have rotten luck. As a veteran yer, Duanmu Huai recognized the situation at once. Clearly, this frontier city had been attacked by the Alien Race. All that was left to ascertain was whether the city had been cleansedpletely or was still resisting¡­ Nevertheless, entering it would reveal everything! Chapter 16 - 11 Barbarians Invasion_1 Chapter 16: Chapter 11 Barbarians Invasion_1 When Duanmu Huai stepped into the city gate, he instantly attracted the attention of the enemy-¨Cof course he did, standing at a towering height of two and a half meters, armored in jet ck Power Armor like he was. In this world, he stood out as brilliantly as a firefly in the night. Anyone who couldn¡¯t see him was blind! ¡°Aaaaargh¡ª¡ª!¡± Soon, monster-like creatures brandishing spears and scimitars came running at Duanmu Huai from all directions, squealing like wild beasts. They looked like depictions of monstrous rats, standing as tall as humans. ¡°Ratmen!¡± Seeing these monsters, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. Ratmen weremon foot soldiers encountered by early-phase yers in the game Star Ocean Online. Although their attacks weren¡¯t anything to write home about, their numbers could be overwhelming. Imagine hundreds or thousands of rats, walking on their hind legs, charging at you¡ªit was far from a beautiful sight. Duanmu didn¡¯t have any patience for them. A swift sh of his cloak caused dozens of puppets to manifest out of nowhere, meeting the Ratmen head-on. Meanwhile, Duahmu Huai lifted his War Hammer and charged full-throttle into the swarm ahead. Although these Ratmen were quite swift, wielding swords and daggers, such weapons were futile against the Power Armor. Perhaps they could kill ordinary soldiers in regr armor, but before Duanmu Huai, d in full Power Armor, their attacks werepletely useless. Their weapons would simply break upon contact with his imprable left. In his hand, the lethal Power Hammer transformed into a hurricane, smashing through the rat creatures, reducing them to pulp. Stride by stride, Duanmu Huai progressed along the road, with the Ratmen either scurrying out from the shadows, rooftops or ruins to assault him. However, all such assaults were futile. They couldn¡¯t even hinder his progress. Each swing of his War Hammer sted out bolts of thunder, decimating the obstinate Ratmen that dared to stand in his way. Meanwhile, behind him, dozens of silent puppets materialized and pounced onto other Ratmen, pinning them down and piercing through their skulls and hearts. A perfect war machine. No wonder the King of that nation waged a war. These puppets had almost zero consumption, but their lethality was immense. Even trading ten to one would be a bloody bargain. Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t running around aimlessly. He was moving while scrutinizing his surroundings, looking for signs of battle. If there was fighting, it meant there was hope. If there was no fighting, it meant the city waspletely overrun and beyond salvation. Fortunately, he heard the sound of shing armamentsing from the distance. Upon hearing it, Duanmu Huai rallied his spirits and rushed towards the noise. Reaching the end of the road, he soon saw a group of soldiers fighting off against the enemy in the square, trying to guard a fortress at the end of it. Apart from Ratmen, there was also a monstrous rat-house troll wreaking havoc on the battlefield. ¡°Hmph!¡± Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai let out a cold snort, charging out from the street and running towards the Mouse Troll before him. The sudden appearance of Duanmu Huai, a colossal ck Giant, made both sides of the fighting forces pause in their tracks, uncertain whose side he was on. However, when Duanmu Huai, wielding the War Hammer, took a powerful swing at the Mouse Troll, his intentions were clear. ¡°Bang!!!¡± The head of the Mouse Troll led a frontal charge against Duanmu Huai. Despite its towering body, over two meters tall, it flipped over before it could eveny its hands on Duanmu Huai, due to a single blow of his hammer, causing brain matter to spatter and putting an end to its breath. Witnessing this scene, the surrounding Ratmen rushed to their fallenrade, only to get reduced to ashes amidst the thunderous blows of Duanmu Huai¡¯s War Hammer. The appearance of Duanmu Huai instantly tipped the scales on the battlefield. The advancing Ratman Army had to turn around to deal with this formidable foe, who had caused them heavy losses. Without the threat of the Mouse Troll, the soldiers were able to regroup their defensive line, repelling the Ratmen¡¯s onught once more. Caught between a rock and a hard ce, the Ratmen hadn¡¯t anticipated anyone attacking from their rear. However, having witnessed a glimmer of hope, the teetering human frontline regained their courage, sessfully keeping the Ratmen at bay. But, it was pretty clear that these monsters were hardly the type to give up easily. As Duanmu Huai swung his War Hammer, sweeping away swathes of Ratmen, suddenly, a Ratman bearing multiple firearms emerged from the back. He raised his weapons, took aim at Duanmu Huai and pulled the trigger. ¡°Bang bang bang¡ª¡ª!¡± The next moment, a volley of bullets shot forth, headed towards Duanmu Huai. The force was so powerful that even the Ratmen, obstructing its path, were cut down in the crossfire. However, this level of attack obviously wasn¡¯t strong enough to break through the Power Armor¡¯s defenses. Duanmu Huai, who had received the attack, showed a glint of brilliance in his eyes. He then gripped the War Hammer tightly as the jetpack on his back ejected a powerful stream of air, blowing the surrounding Ratmen into disarray. Simultaneously, Duanmu Huai leapt up, shooting across the sky like a meteor, then, man and hammer fell from the sky, directly smashing into the camp of the Ratman machine gun squad. ¡°Boom!!!¡± Shining thunder exploded in all directions, sweeping away everything in the vicinity. This time, the Ratmen could no longer hold on. They screamed and turned to run, disappearing into the broken and ruined city in a moment. Just like a bunch of panicked rats¡­ even though they were indeed rats. ¡°A bunch of trash.¡± Standing up from the pile of Ratman corpses, Duanmu Huai nced at the retreating Ratmen, said no more, just walked to one side, found a piece of wreckage to sit on, and immediately his backpack quietly opened. The repairing skull that flew out began to scan Duanmu Huai¡¯s armor up and down, repairing the parts that had been damaged during the previous fight. Meanwhile, as Duanmu Huai rested, the human soldiers behind the defenses were uneasily watching him. Although Duanmu Huai¡¯s appearance had indeed repelled the Ratman attack, they were not sure which side this towering, terrifying giant belonged to. After all, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor, marked with the ring White Skull Head and Bloody Red Cross Badge, didn¡¯t look like something from a good faction no matter how you looked at it. Finally, an elderly knight who looked like amander, along with several guards, walked up to Duanmu Huai, watching him closely. ¡°Hello, Sir Knight, thank you for saving us¡­¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Duanmu Huai waved his hand, saying nothing more. He didn¡¯t intend to chat with these people at the moment. As long as Elisa arrived, he could hand everything over to her. Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, the old knight¡¯s face rxed considerably. Although he didn¡¯t know what this thing was in front of his eyes, at least he couldmunicate. This guy¡¯s armor seemed to show a ferocious air, but themander didn¡¯t mind such small matters. After all, the Barbarians in the Northern Lands would even wear human skulls as nes, byparison, this was nothing. Thinking of this, the old knight took a deep breath, and was just about to say something else, when Elisa¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Sir, Sir Knight! What happened? What¡¯s going on here?¡± At this moment, Elisa was also panting heavily, running from the other side of the street. She was panting, sweating profusely, and behind her, Ogis was still as cid as ever, holding an umbre and a suitcase, following behind. It looked like she was just taking a stroll. ¡°Miss Elisa!?¡± Seeing Elisa¡¯s appearance, the old knight widened his eyes in surprise and shouted out loud. Seeing the knightmander, Elisa also showed an excited smile. ¡°Uncle Kado!!!¡± Apanied by the cries, Elisa rushed over the next moment and hugged the knightmander tightly. After such a long time, this was the first time she had seen someone she knew, and she was beyond excited. On the other hand, the old knight looked flustered, waving his hands hurriedly. ¡°Miss Elisa, I¡¯m very dirty¡­!¡± Kado wasn¡¯t lying, his whole body was covered in the cks blood of the Ratmen, even emitting a foul smell. However, Elisa didn¡¯t mind in the slightest, only holding onto the old knight in front of her tightly. Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai silently nodded his head. It was not until this moment that his task ¡°Escort¡± finally showed aspleted. Chapter 17 - 12 Ratman_1 Chapter 17: Chapter 12 Ratman_1 [Task ¡°Guardian¡± Completed] [Task Evaluation: Quite Good] [You sessfully thwarted the plot of the Evil God Cultist and safely returned the protectee to her homnd] [Rewards: 1500 experience, extra 1000 experience, +1 Attribute Point, +1 Specialization Point, Level increased to 20] [Additional Proficiency Gained] [Additional Proficiency¡ªWinning With Few Against Many: When surrounded, +60% melee damage] [Additional Proficiency¡ªWrath: Every kill grants a 1% critical hit chance and intensity enhancement,sting 5 seconds] [Battle Hammer upgraded to Thunder Warhammer] [Thunder Warhammer (Melee, Two-Handed, Heavy Strike)] [+15% chance of causing killed enemies to explode, inflicting area damage equal to 50% of their life value (stackable)] [+6.9% chance of causing knockback with each attack] Looking at the data in front of him, Duanmu Huai nodded in satisfaction, especially the special effect of the Thunder Warhammer, which is the best skill for defeating monsters. A 50% life value area damage that can stack. Does this mean that if he knocks over a group at once and several are triggered, it results in 150% area damage? Can it be calcted like that? Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai opened the panel again. [Hitting Your Head With a Small Hammer][No.15 Original Gene][Nemesis of Evil] [Profession: Judge (LV20)][Soul Walker Specialization][Subspace Heat¡ª50% Consumption] [Strength: 14][Combat+6][Gctic Warrior Combat Training LV8][Matter Discement][Attack Weak Points][Winning With Few Against Many] [Agility: 4][Shooting+0][Sicaran Enhancement LV1] [Physical Attribute: 12][Resistance+4][Religious Army Siege Rules LV5][Wrath] [Intelligence: 12][Willpower+4][Combat Psychic Training LV5][Soul Resonance (Special Skill)][Prototype Gene Enhancement] [Perception: 8][Alertness+4][Legal Department Assault Tactics Lv3] [Charm: 1 (Locked)][Communication-3][Intimidation LV2] [Soul Cards+8] With this wave of experience, Duanmu Huai has now leveled up to 20. He added specialization points and attribute points to strength, physique, and intelligence as well as their corresponding main skills: Gctic Warrior Combat Training, Religious Army Siege Rules, and Combat Psychic Training. These three skills respectively enhancebat damage, defense, and psychic resistance as well as overheat limit, which are very useful for Duanmu Huai. As for agility and perception, Duanmu Huai does not intend to increase them any further. He does not n on taking the path of the Assassin¡¯s Court. Besides, assassins are inherently fragile. Soul Walkers are already fragile enough, adding another fragile assassin would simplypound the fragility. As for perception, 8 points are currently enough. Duanmu Huai ns to make up for the rest with the detection system of his Power Armor. In other words, make up forck of ability with equipment. As for charm¡­ let¡¯s just forget it. It can¡¯t be increased anyway. ¡°Sir Knight.¡± Just as Duanmu Huai was contemting his next strategy for allocating points, the captain of the knights, Kado, approached him and respectfully saluted him. ¡°Thedy requests your presence.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Without guessing, Duanmu Huai knew that the dy¡± Kado was referring to was likely Elisa¡¯s mother. So, he nodded and stood up, following Kado into the fortress in front of him. The fortress wasn¡¯t just upied by soldiers; there were also many poverty-stricken civilians in shabby clothes. At the moment, they were huddling together nervously, watching this towering giant figure. Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t perturbed. He simply followed Kado through the crowd and then into the hall of the fortress¡ªwell, it wasn¡¯t out of disrespect that they brought him there. Given Duanmu Huai¡¯s height, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to get through the door of the guest room anyway. There, Duanmu Huai saw a woman. She was dressed in luxurious clothes but looked haggard, with red-rimmed eyes. Elisa was standing behind her. The girl no longer looked as disheveled as she did during the journey. In her long, elegant dress, she looked every bit the youngdy she was. When Elisa saw Duanmu Huai, she waved at him with a smile. ¡°Hello, honorable Sir Knight.¡± Now, the woman also lifted her skirt in a courtly manner, respectfully saluting Duanmu Huai. ¡°I am Kristin Defrim, the wife of the Lord of Defrim. I express my heartfelt gratitude for your rescue of my daughter from the clutches of those evil chaos believers.¡± ¡°There is no need for formalities; Chaos is also my enemy.¡± Duanmu Huai waved his hand, signaling the other party not to take it to heart. ¡°Regardless, please allow me to express my gratitude¡­¡± As she spoke, the noblewoman stepped forward, handing over to Duanmu Huai the box she was holding. He reached out to take the box and opened it. It was filled with gold coins, and there were even jewels and essories. It looked quite valuable. After a nce, Duanmu Huai directly pocketed it. It was normal for NPCs to reward for taskpletion, and considering his current penniless status, he wasn¡¯t going to be pretentious about epting it. ¡°So, what¡¯s the current situation here?¡± Duanmu Huai had no inclination for idle chatter with them¡ªin fact, they didn¡¯t seem to have time for it, going by current circumstances. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Kristin¡¯s face darkened, and Kado also sighed. ¡°As you can see, Sir Knight, this city has been invaded by the Ratman¡­have you heard of Ratman?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard a little.¡± As a veteran yer, the cultures and origins of most races in this world were no secret to Duanmu Huai. He naturally knew what a Ratman was. That said, the legacy of the Ratman is quite an interesting tale. Legend has it that a long time ago¡ªa specific timeframe doesn¡¯t matter¡ªa prosperous city wanted to build a high tower to showcase its wealth and glory. At that time, a mysterious man appeared at the city gate. He requested a meeting with the rulers and promised toplete the tower within ten days if he was allowed to ce a small decoration at its top. Upon agreeing to his proposal, the man indeedpleted the tower within the promised time, cing a teal bell at its peak. However, when the man asked for his payment after the tower¡¯spletion, the rulers, iming that they never discussed remuneration, violently dismissed with him from the city. The expelled man then angrily cursed the city¡ªthat after thirteen ringings of the bell from the high tower, the city would be destroyed. That night, the chimes from the high tower reverberated thirteen times, and rats flooded the city like a tide leading to an outbreak of gue. Not only this, but meteors began to fall from the sky, reducing the once-prosperous city to ruins. The evil power contained within these meteors reacted with the rats, causing this group of rats to evolve into Ratman¡ªthis is the origin of the Ratman. Of course, this story contains a fair amount of allegory, and it¡¯s unclear whether it¡¯s true or false, but the Ratmen really are a very evil, cunning, and incredibly brutal alien race. Not only this, these Ratmen have even developed an understanding of technology and its power ¨C like the multi-barreled Gatling gun they used against Duanmu Huai previously. Although it¡¯s powered by steam and uses stones as bullets, it was actually effective! If it weren¡¯t for the Ratmen¡¯s chaotic, deceitful nature and their penchant for infighting, they might have even developed airnes by now! Ratmen fall strictly under the Chaotic Evil Camp. They usually mingle with the Evil God Cultists and act as something of cannon fodder for the Evil God. They are adept at using poisons, spreading gues, and also possess a bit of technological knowledge. For yers, they merely function as pesky underlings, but for the average person, Ratmen are quite fearsome invaders. The only strange thing is, Ratmen should theoretically be followers of the Filthy God, but those who took away Elisa were followers of the Brutal God. Even though the Four Chaos Gods are all trouble, there is rarely any cooperation among them, and they are more often seen sabotaging each other. It is unclear whether the Ratmen¡¯s invasion of the city, taking advantage of the Brutal Believers kidnapping the Lord, was premeditated or just another capricious act of the Chaos Camp. Kado¡¯s exnation also confirmed Duanmu Huai¡¯s suspicion. A few days ago, Elisa and her father disappeared on their way home, which naturally caused others to grow wary and uneasy. Kristin, the Lord¡¯s wife, immediately sent people to search everywhere. However, just as confusion arose in the city due to the Lord¡¯s disappearance, the Ratmen suddenly poured out from the city¡¯s sewer system, initiating an attack on the entire city. Faced with these sudden monsters, the soldiers of the City of Silver fought hard while simultaneously evacuating the popce towards the direction of the Lord¡¯s mansion. But, the Ratmen came ferociously. The City of Silver was decisively caught off guard and suffered considerable losses. It took several days for them to barely stabilize the situation. However, it was evident that the Ratmen had no intention of letting them go. There was another fierce attack yesterday evening. If Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t arrived in time, perhaps the entire city would have beenpletely lost by now. ¡°So, you want my help, correct?¡± Duanmu Huai was no fool. Why else would they say so much to him if they didn¡¯t? Of course, as long as there was a task, Duanmu Huai would not let it pass. He was not lusting after the experience, but rather the mission rating. After all, if the mission had a high rating, the system would randomly grant all kinds of rewards, like opening blind boxes. The individuals ying the game cannot buy cards with real money. They can only gain ¡°blind boxes¡± by diligentlypleting tasks and see if they can draw some good items. yers have no sense of propriety; as long as you provide a task, I can even help you overthrow the opponent, even if the reward is an Iron Sword. Conversely, if you don¡¯t provide a task, no matter how pitiful you sound, what does it have to do with me? ¡°Yes.¡± Compared to Duanmu Huai, Kado is somewhat constrained. After all, he isn¡¯t a yer, nor does he understand a yer¡¯s mentality. He heard about Duanmu Huai from Elisa and is greatly astonished by his abilities. A powerful individual who can single-handedly fight against Evil God Cultists, even tear apart Demons, is highly respected by Kado. ording to logic, such a formidable existence would be among the highest-ranking protectors in the empire. If they were to ask him for help¡­ If Duanmu Huai knew what Kado was thinking, he would certainly scoff. Is he joking? Even as the Marine Admiral, wouldn¡¯t the yer still have to clean the toilets himself? ¡°No problem.¡± However, Duanmu Huai, of course, would not say that out loud. ¡°Fighting against Chaos is my responsibility; any servant of Chaos is my enemy.¡± Kado could not see the subtleties within this. When he heard Duanmu Huai¡¯s reply, he was exuberant, as if a collegiate amateur team had recruited an NBA superstar to assist them. ¡°That¡¯s¡­wonderful!!!¡± Chapter 18 - 13: The Battle to Retake_1 Chapter 18: Chapter 13: The Battle to Retake_1 With Duanmu Huai¡¯s help, Kado immediately implemented a swift and vigorous n. The first thing they needed to do was to reim the city hall. ording to Kado¡¯s intelligence, though most of their armies had been crushed, many civilians and soldiers were still imprisoned in city hall, used by the Ratmen and Evil God Cultists for their sphemous rituals. Therefore, the first thing Kado needed to do was to rescue those people. On one hand, it allowed for an increase in military strength and on the other hand was aimed at sabotaging the evil n of the Ratmen. After Kado exined his n, Duanmu Huai received a task hint from ¡°Rescue¡±, the more people he saved, the better¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t a difficult nor easy task. Because the previous Ratmen¡¯s attack was disastrous, Kado could only manage to get the manpower of a small team. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind as he had his own n. When the night fell, Duanmu Huai, leading the soldiers, arrived on the streets near the city hall. And there, he saw a masked, long-eared Elf draped in a cloak, a longbow in her hands. Well, she looked exactly like those from fantasy games. ¡°So, you are the giant? You are indeed very tall.¡± Looking at Duanmu Huai, the Elf was startled, though she quickly regained herposure and began to brief him. ¡°I¡¯ve figured out the situation with the Ratmen. After being defeated by you, they¡¯ve been cowering inside the city hall, along with the Evil God Cultists. As for the captives, they¡¯ve been kept in the basement by the Ratmen. My n is to sneak in through the nearby underground sewer¡­¡­¡± ¡°You handle that.¡± Duanmu Huai simply waved his hand, interrupting the Elf¡¯s words. ¡°Whatever n you have, go ahead and implement it.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, the Elf¡¯s tone became icy. ¡°Listen, I know you are very capable, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, what do you think, Miss Elf?¡± Duanmu Huai turned around and looked at the Elf. ¡°Do you think I can sneak around?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s giant figure and the apparently heavy ck armor, the Elf scout was speechless. Indeed, with this size, only a blind person wouldn¡¯t be able to see him if he tried to sneak around. ¡°I¡¯ll be responsible for the frontal assault, drawing attention from the Ratmen and Evil God Cultists. You, then, can take the soldiers, sneak in through the route you¡¯ve nned, locate the captives and save them.¡± Duanmu Huai directly gave his reply and then looked at the Elf scout. ¡°No problem with that, right?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to say, yes¡­¡­¡± The Elf scout hesitated for a moment, reluctantly nodded, then she looked at Ogis next to Duanmu Huai, furrowing her eyebrows. ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°She will follow me.¡± Knowing these Evil God Cultists were plotting something sinister inside the city hall, Duanmu Huai brought Ogis along immediately, in case they summoned another Chaotic demon¡­ ¡°Alright, then.¡± The Elf scout didn¡¯t say much. Despite Ogis looking like a damsel out traveling with a suitcase, it was¡­ well, a bit strange in these ruins. ¡°So, I¡¯ll go first. You guys act ordingly. If you encounter anything you can¡¯t handle, find a way to signal me.¡± Having said that, Duanmu Huai straightened up and looked straight ahead. Then, a brilliant red light radiated from his helmet, followed by dazzling light shooting from the shlight on the side of Duanmu Huai¡¯s helmet, illuminating the dark street in front of him. Duanmu Huai then proceeded, gripping his war hammer and striding towards the city hall not far away, with Ogis silently trailing behind him, like a wordless ghost. ¡°Weird, really weird.¡± Watching Duanmu Huai¡¯s retreating figure, the Elf scout humphed, if she hadn¡¯t noticed a limited amount of Chaos Aura from him, she might have mistaken this ck armor knight for someone summoned from the depths of Hell. With that thought, the Elf scout drew back her gaze, looking at the soldiers behind her. ¡°Follow me.¡± As a Star Warrior, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know what n the Elf scout had. His only n was to kick down the door, burst in, and fight till the end. What else could he do? The armor he was wearing wouldn¡¯t even let him cross a wooden bridge without copsing it under his foot. Besides, Judges were direct and straightforward, loyalty was all that mattered. ¡°Boom!!¡± Duanmu Huai gripped the War Hammer, dashed up the steps of the City Hall, and like a human Siege Hammer, he smashed the heavy, tightly-shut wooden doors into smithereens. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± At the next moment, amidst screams, a few Ratmen rushed over, spears in hand, aimed straight at Duanmu Huai¡¯s body. But it was to no avail. For a power armor from the Cosmic Age, an attack from medieval times was utterly useless. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t even bother to block, letting the spears snap upon contact with his armor. At the same time, Duanmu Huai held up his hammer and swung it down forcefully. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The War Hammer smashed into the ground, causing a thunderous explosion that engulfed the surrounding Ratmen. Most of the Ratmen screamed and turned into ashes under the brilliance of the local thunder. Only a few Ratmen¡¯s bodies began to swell and then exploded like grenades, scattering into bright red mes and high-temperature explosions. At the same moment, a few dark green bottles were thrown from behind towards Duanmu Huai¡¯s location. Upon hitting the ground, they turned into a cloud of green poison gas, enveloping Duanmu Huai entirely. This was the poison gas attack that Ratmen were best at. For the Ratmen race to have survived to this day without beingpletely exterminated, they relied on their rodent-like breeding capability, their intelligent brains capable of reverse engineering technology, andstly, their use of poison ¨C which wasn¡¯t much of a new trick for rats anyway. Duanmu Huai waspletely unfazed by the Ratmen¡¯s poison gas attacks. The power armor had a built-in cirction system that rendered standard poison gas attacks useless. Hence, he didn¡¯t care and charged straight out of the poisonous fog, crushing the grenade-throwing Ratmen into minced meat in a matter of moments. Naturally, Duanmu Huai¡¯s intrusion caught the attention of other enemies. Soon, a flood of hundreds of Ratmen came rushing towards him from all directions, weapons raised high. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t require any special techniques to deal with these Ratmen. Who wouldn¡¯t know how to whack a mole? Duanmu Huai hoisted the War Hammer, and swung mightily. Lifted, and swung down again. Each time he hammered down, a sh of lightning would burst, causing explosions in the crowd of Ratmen as though grenades had been thrown into their midst. [Thunder Warhammer (Close Combat, Two-handed, Heavy Hit)] [+15% chance of causing enemies to explode upon being killed, dealing area damage equivalent to 50% of their life value (can be stacked)] Although the chance wasn¡¯t big, the sheer number of Ratmen who faced him boosted its effectiveness. Coupled with the spiritual energy attack of electric burst, the Thunder Warhammer was a force to be reckoned with each time Duanmu Huai swung it. A single swing would result in a wave of carnage, and in just a few moments, the hundreds of Ratmen rushing towards him from all sides had been wiped out. However, Ratmen weren¡¯t the only enemies present. ¡°He-he-he¡­.!!¡± Just as Duanmu Huai was thrashing about, out of the blue, a fat wizard d in a cloak materialised behind him. He held a magic staff in one hand, chanting sphemous spells while he reached out with his other hand,unching a spectral w towards Duanmu Huai! As the wizard made his move, Duanmu Huai¡¯s hulking body shuddered violently, rendering him immobile momentarily. Then, against his will, he was being pulled towards the wizard. However, just when Duanmu Huai reached the wizard¡¯s side, he let out an angry roar and a sh of spiritual energy burst from his body. Spiritual Energy st! The wizard was taken aback, not having expected that the warrior in front of him was also a psychic. Caught off guard, he was knocked back by Duanmu Huai¡¯s spiritual energy st. The energy binding Duanmu Huai copsed instantly, allowing him to leap up and smash his War Hammer down on the corpulent wizard, pulverising him. ¡°Damn wizard¡­¡± Duanmu Huai spat out, Star Warriors had incredibly low magical resistance which was why he chose to boost his resistance. While relying on his power armor, Duanmu Huai could stand against the Ratmen or even the minions of the Brutal God. But against magic and spiritual energy, his power armor was practically useless. That was why Duanmu Huai had asked Ogis to standby, just in case he encountered a mage or a psychic he couldn¡¯t handle. That would be Ogis¡¯ cue to step in. Luckily, it seemed there wasn¡¯t any problem right now. After dealing with the fat wizard, the entire City Hall was in shambles with Ratmen and Evil God Cultist bodies strewn about. Duanmu Huai did not bother about the mess and strode forward. As per the Elf Scout¡¯s report, he located the basement. Next, Duanmu Huai smashed the basement door open with a punch. When he peered inside, he saw a vignt Elf Scout at the ready, bow drawn, arrow nocked, directed at him. ¡°Ho, you guys got here pretty quick.¡± Chapter 19 - 14 - Speed is the Key in War_1 Chapter 19: Chapter 14 ¨C Speed is the Key in War_1 ¡°You actually managed to kill them all¡­¡± Looking at the bodies strewn across the city hall, the elf scout was rather speechless. Her original n was for Duanmu Huai to distract the enemy while she rescued others through the underground sewer, then find a way to help Duanmu Huai retreat. She didn¡¯t anticipate that this ck Knight would be so ruthless, killing all the Ratmen and Evil God Cultists in the city hall. ¡°Why keep them if we can kill them all?¡± Duanmu Huai was very calm. With the average level of the Ratmen being less than ten, they were like cutting grass in front of him. That said, even though the fight was exhrating, the downside was the pitifully low experience ¡ª and with a level difference of ten, Duanmu Huai would only gain one basic experience point for killing a Ratman. Hmm, in this view, if he killed Ratmen for 300 years, he might just level up to LV99¡­ ¡°But it¡¯s alright, we have obtained some information.¡± Upon saying this, the elf scout lowered her voice. ¡°These Ratmen didn¡¯t attack the City of Silver without reason. In fact, they came here in search of a certain Holy Artifact. They aim to spread gue and decay through thend by corrupting this artifact.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ no surprise there.¡± Duanmu Huai responded casually to the elf scout¡¯s report. The behavior of the four Evil God¡¯s disciples weren¡¯t vastly different, but there were traces to follow. The Brutal God¡¯s disciples relish in war, blood, and death; these are the ways they please their deity. The Filthy God¡¯s disciples spread gue and disease wherever they go, showcasing their father god¡¯s ¡°benevolence¡±. The God of Trickery¡¯s disciples love to conspire; backstabbing and manipting conspiracies are their favorites. The God of Lust¡¯s disciples are more focused on indulging in all kinds of perverted, twisted desires and pleasures. ording to the elf scout, the artifact they targeted this time is called the ¡°Water God¡¯s Blessing¡±, its greatest use is to purify water¡ªnaturally, for a human settlement, this in itself is already a powerful use. And the Evil God¡¯s Cultists are attacking the City of Silver in order to obtain the ¡°Water God¡¯s Blessing¡±. They then n to reinvent it into a biological weapon that can contaminate water sources using the power of the Filthy God. When that timees, as long as they throw this artifact into a water source, all the living beings along the entire river will be able to feel the Filthy God¡¯s ¡°fatherly love¡±. ¡°Such a holy artifact should be well-guarded.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The elf scout nodded. ¡°The Empire has deployed high-ranking mages to castyers of protection around the Holy Artifact. Aside from the royal family members, no one can touch it. But no one knows if the power of Filthy Demons is strong enough to break this protection¡­¡± ¡°So, our job is to reim the temple and protect the Holy Artifact?¡± ¡°Yes, I have already sent word to Lord Kado.¡± Hearing the elf scout¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows, considering for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, what about the reinforcements? Do we have any?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s hard to say.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®hard to say¡¯? The City of Silver is an imperial territory, isn¡¯t it only natural that they request support from the Empire when invaded by the Evil God Cultists and the Barbarians, especially with the Lord dead?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but humans have their fair share of beneath-the-surface issues.¡± The elf scout¡¯s tone held a note of dissatisfaction. Duanmu Huai could guess it probably had to do with power struggles¡­ but now was not the time to discuss such things. ¡°Let¡¯s act then. We should take back the temple and secure the Holy Artifact as soon as possible. The troublesome stuff can be discussedter.¡± For Duanmu Huai, the political turmoil of an empire had nothing to do with him. His main purpose ining to this was to find the lost Order Holy Artifact and bring it back to the Core Cabin. As for the other matters, he can see how it goes but won¡¯t involve himself too deeply. After all, Duanmu Huai¡¯s goal was the Sea of Stars, and such a civilization in the medieval period wasn¡¯t worth him spending too much energy on. ¡°Just you alone?¡± ¡°And her.¡± Duanmu Huai gestured to Ogis standing behind him. She hadn¡¯t taken part in the previous battle, staying hidden by his side. It was the same now. She was Duanmu Huai¡¯sst insurance, and he wouldn¡¯t use her unless absolutely necessary. ¡°You really take quick action¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s reply, the Elf Scout sighed and made up her mind. ¡°I wille with you, at least I am very familiar with this city, and I can at least guide you two.¡± ¡°We¡¯re obliged.¡± To the Elf Scout, Duanmu Huai¡¯s actions seemed somewhat reckless and impulsive, but Duanmu Huai knew that what he was doing was simply to protect himself in the face of the crisis that was about to arrive. And this stems from the history of Star Ocean Online. Once upon a time, long, long ago, humans established a great empire that ruled the entire Milky Way, expelling all barbaric alien races. People lived in prosperity, peace, and great glory. This era was known as the ¡°Golden Age.¡± But after that, things took a turn for the worse. The Artificial Intelligence that had served the Golden Ageunched a rebellion under a mysterious electronic virus, almostpletely destroying the Golden Age. Although the Crisis of Mechanized Intelligence eventually ended, the human race was seriously wounded. More disastrously, a terrifying subspace storm emerged at this time, hindering humanity¡¯s ability to explore andmunicate in space. This was fatal to human society. After all, for any civilization, transport routes are essential. During the Golden Age, people used subspace portals to traverse countless light-years to reach others in the Milky Way. They also used the capabilities of subspace for contact. In simple terms, it was like awork of railways betweens, serving both as a connection for movement andmunication. However, after the subspace storm broke out, it was as if these railwayworks werepletely destroyed. Humans lost their ability to contact others, and they could no longer use their warships to travel through subspace to others. Their warships would be lost in the subspace storm for various unknown reasons and disappear without a trace. For this reason, human civilization at that time was on the verge of extinction, even on the edge of destruction. At this time, a mysterious existence stood up. He led humans to resist the final crisis and led them to brilliance again. He was known as the human leader¡ªThe Emperor. After consolidating their power in the Sr System, taking advantage of the subspace storm subsiding, The Emperor led the fleet tounch a great expedition with the aim of recovering the colonials of the Milky Way, which once lost contact with the mother star during the subspace storm. The expedition initially went smoothly. Humans sessfully recovered most of the colonies, but¡­ the good times didn¡¯tst long. Just as the expedition was about to end, another subspace storm suddenly reappeared. Once again, as if history repeated itself, the expedition¡¯s fleet was split apart, without any means of contacting the mother star or returning to The Emperor. However, the subspace storm was just the beginning. After that, a great rebellion urred¡ªthe War Marshal, who was leading the expeditionary forces on behalf of The Emperor,unched a rebellion. Just like the Crisis of Mechanized Intelligence during the Golden Age, humans encountered betrayal once again. Although the rebellion led by Horus was finally suppressed, the Human Empire was also seriously wounded, and The Emperor disappeared without a trace. After that, the Human Empire experienced more splits, wars, and chaos, even attacks from alien races. Humans won and failed again and again. After an unknown number of millennia, someone finally proposed an unthinkable n. The ck Hole Project. ording to these people, all the threats facing the Human Empire were caused by the Evil God of the subspace. However, attempting to eliminate the Evil God of the subspace was basically impossible. As it was, the subspace is the projection of the souls and emotions of all beings in the world, which means unless all the creatures in the world are wiped out, even if the Evil Gods in the subspace are defeated, they will revive. But, the subspace is not invincible. Everything has its nemesis. Subspace can give rise to psychics, but psychics also have their natural enemies. They are the entities known as the ¡°Untouchables.¡± The existence of the Untouchables was birthed from unknown causes. The only known fact is that the Untouchables are the only entities without a projection in the subspace. They are like the ck holes of the subspace. Moreover, when an Untouchable appears near a psychic, they can weaken or even sever the connection and power between the psychic and the subspace. Of course, the Untouchables are therefore hated by the living. They are like soulless beings, their mere existence incites disgust and hatred from the living beings. However, the idea for the ck Hole Project was derived from the Untouchables. In simple terms, these people tried to create arge enough ¡°void¡± in the subspace topletely disrupt the bnce of power there. This would be enough to severely damage the Chaos Evil God, even if they couldn¡¯t kill it. It¡¯s like when a country on Earth, facing imminent destruction, decides to use nuclear weapons against the entire. Die together, if I die, you can¡¯t get away either. A loss of a thousand of one¡¯s own to kill eight hundred enemies is considered a profitable trade. The actions of this group are equivalent to purging the entire universe, and then¡­ the rest is left to the survivors of the future human race. The ck Hole Project was a huge sess. The subspace nearly copsed, and after suffering this blow, the Evil Gods all fell asleep. Without the protection of the gods they believed in, other alien races were also seriously wounded. It can be said that in the end, the Human Empire returned all universe civilizations to the Stone Age with an indiscriminate attack. Everything started from scratch. However, the Evil Gods were naturally not willing to fall into eternal sleep, so they still used all kinds of methods to bewitch their believers, encouraging them to work harder to wake themselves up sooner¡ªat least earlier than others. Upon resurrecting, the yers were in this ¡°Dark Age¡±. What they had to do was to disrupt the Evil Gods¡¯ ns as much as possible, dy their awakening time, and at the same time, enhance their own strength as much as possible to deal with the resurgence of the Evil Gods, or even to permanently remove this threat. Otherwise, if the Evil Gods are allowed to start over, they can only wait for death in despair. Now, what he needed to do was to destroy the ns of the Filthy God! Chapter 20 - 15 The Temple Raid_1 Chapter 20: Chapter 15 The Temple Raid_1 At this moment, it was alreadyte into the night. Relentless showers were drenching the entire city, which was shrouded in darkness, without a single flicker of light. It appeared like a graveyard of the dead. Only a pallid light illuminated the battered street before them. With a War Hammer in his hand, Duanmu Huai walked along the road. The searchlight above his head cast a dazzling white glow, tearing through the darkness and illuminating everything in sight. While keeping an eye on what was ahead, Duanmu Huai nced at the map data that appeared on the helmet in front of him¡ªa reward he obtained after rescuing the captives from the city hall, a Reconnaissance Servo Skull. It could scan the surrounding environment and disy all life responses on the map. Well, it was indeed a good help for Duanmu Huai. The downside was that the Servo Skulls looked too ugly. Upon his initial arrival on the surface where he thwarted the Evil God¡¯s ritual and rescued Elisa, Duanmu Huai acquired a repair Servo Skull, mainly used for Power Armor repairs. Now he has obtained a Reconnaissance Servo Skull, both of which are useful ¡°external plugins¡± for a Judge. All Servo Skulls are made from human skulls. They retain the human cranium and part of the vertebrae and are mechanized into drone-like devices. Aside from anything else, they emanate a strong viinous vibe on the surface. A pale skull floating around the ck Knight would easily be mistaken as some creation of the Undying Spirits by those who do not know the truth¡­ But these things were indeed useful. Servo Skulls are small, not easy to spot, and capable of silent flight. They are simply the best scouting drone units. Even in ces like venttion ducts, they can enter without any obstruction. In fact, because of the help of the Reconnaissance Servo Skull, Duanmu Huai several times preemptively identified ambushing enemies and greeted them with a blow from his Thundering War Hammer as they foolishly charge out. ¡°Wow, this guy is quite something.¡± Watching Duanmu Huai smashing a group of Ratmen into a meaty pulp once again, the Elf Scout muttered under her breath. She did not take action with Duanmu Huai. After all, what the Elf Scout was good at was scouting and exploration. She possessed decent swordsmanship, but it seemed like he did not need her by his side. The Elf Scout had dealt with Ratmen on more than one asion. She knew how formidable these creatures were, but they were like putty in the hands of this Steel Knight, absolutely powerless to fight back. But what about that little girl¡­ The Elf Scout turned her gaze towards Ogis trailing behind her. Duanmu Huai said she was hisst resort and wouldn¡¯t let her take action unless they encounter something troublesome. The Elf Scout just assumed Ogis was a mage¡ªmany mages indeed possess potent spells, but their personal fighting abilities are usually average. That¡¯s why Duanmu Huai has been protecting her. However, what puzzled the Elf Scout was that she could not perceive any signs of life from this young girl, and yet she did not seem like an undead creature such as a vampire¡­ Both these individuals were enigmatic and odd. Upon reaching the temple gate, Duanmu Huai stopped. The grand entrance of the temple before him was sealed, and the exterior was piled with wooden crates and other items as if to deny any entry. ¡°Seems like we can¡¯t go in this way. Should we change routes?¡± The Elf Scout drew closer, asking softly. But after ncing at the map disyed on the panel, Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°No, we don¡¯t need to.¡± With that said, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the War Hammer, bent his body, and strode towards the temple¡¯s entrance, sealed by assorted items. Suddenly, his backpack sted hot white-blue mes, providing a huge propelling force that sent Duanmu Huai hurtling towards the entrance, crashing into it headfirst! ¡°BOOM!!!!!¡± The fragile entrance sealed by crates and sundries could not withstand Duanmu Huai¡¯s onught, disappearing in pieces. The momentum carried Duanmu Huai directly into the temple, as he rapidly scanned the surroundings, absorbing every detail of the temple in an instant. All the temples share a simr structure, a spacious hall in the front for preaching and prayers, and living quarters for the clergy in the back. This one was no exception, except those gathered around the Divine Statue were not devout believers but filthy, pungent Ratmen and Evil God Cultists, seemingly embroiled in some sacrilegious ritual. Duanmu Huai¡¯s intrusion clearly came as a surprise to these Ratmen, but by the time they turned their heads toprehend the situation, Duanmu Huai had already soared across the grand hall tond in front of the wizards who were partaking in the ritual. Their bloated bodies were teeming with gues and toxins¡ªthese wicked wizards were the Filthy God¡¯s most loyal ¡°children.¡± But none of that mattered to Duanmu Huai. ¡°WHOOOOOOSH!¡± The Thunder Hammer swung down, aiming for one of the fat wizards. At the same time, a dark green barrier emerges from the wizard¡¯s side, attempting to block the Thunder Hammer¡¯s assault. Chapter 21 - 15 The Temple Raid_2 Chapter 21: Chapter 15 The Temple Raid_2 However, not all shields can withstand a full-on blow from a Star Warrior. The moment the Thunder Warhammer struck the shield, it began to twist, deform, and then violently explode. Matter Discement! The Thunder Warhammer, which had smashed through the shield, did not slow down and directly hit the fat wizard¡¯s head, smashing it into a bloody pulp. The fat wizard, under the impact of this blow, was sent flying back like a cockroach getting whacked, smacking into the nearby wall and then falling into silence. ¡°Roar Roar Roar!!!¡± As Duanmu Huai killed one fat wizard, other ratmen and Evil God Cultists also surged ahead like a tide, surrounding him the moment hended. Although their strength was not enough to harm Duanmu Huai, their sheer number could hamper Duanmu¡¯s actions for some time. Fortunately, Duanmu Huai was not battling alone. Psychic st! A dazzling blue light exploded from Duanmu Huai¡¯s body, spreading in all directions. Immediately, the ratmen and Evil God Cultists who were gnashing their teeth and rushing at Duanmu Huai were knocked to the ground by the powerful spiritual energy. Then, Duanmu Huai shifted his body, and dozens of Puppet Assassins suddenly appeared from thin air, attacking the enemies who hadn¡¯t had time to get up. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai rushed toward another fat wizard, smashing it into a pulp again. Just as Duanmu Huai turned around, intending to take out thest wizard, suddenly, a sudden change ured. As Duanmu Huai¡¯s Thunder Warhammer was breaking the fat wizard¡¯s shield, the wizard¡¯s body suddenly began to swell, expand, and then grow several meters tall, even taller than Duanmu Huai. Not only that, the wizard¡¯s previously frail body was now enveloped inyers of fat, making him look like a giant pig several meters high. ¡°Thud!!¡± The Thunder Warhammer, which was previously unstoppable, was now hindered. Duanmu Huai¡¯s full-force blow did not shatter it like before. Instead, it felt as if his Warhammer had struck a thick tire, producing no reaction at all. At the same time, a ferocious, gaping mouth suddenly split open in the wizard¡¯s belly, and a giant sword had somehow appeared in his hand, shing directly at Duanmu Huai! ¡°Dammit!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai inwardly cursed, quickly retracting his Warhammer to shield himself. The next moment, the whistling giant sword struck Duanmu Huai squarely, sending him flying! ¡°The gue Apostle?!!¡± The Elf Scout who had arrived at this moment let out a shocked scream. She had not expected such a being here! Damn, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Duanmu Huai stood up, staring at the monster in front of him. [gue Apostle (Elite)] [LV35] This thing is 15 levels higher than me! But luckily, Duanmu Huai was prepared for this kind of situation. As the gue Apostle charged at him, he yed his hidden trump card! ¡°Ogis!!¡± ¡°Swoosh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± With Duanmu Huai¡¯s call, the suitcase beside the silver-haired girl violently burst open, and the huge form of the masked puppet sprang from it,nding in front of Duanmu Huai. With hands crossed, it met the gue Apostle¡¯s giant sword! ¡°Crack¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± This time, the manufactured puppet couldn¡¯t block the gue Apostle¡¯s attack, the giant sword directly pierced the puppet¡¯s body, reducing it to pieces on the ground. Meanwhile, Ogis raised her hands, and shimmering threads silently emerged from all around, tightly entwining the gue Apostle¡¯s body. However, aspared to the previous Bloodthirsty demon, it seems that the gue Apostle was not very sensitive to this kind of attack. Although his movements were temporarily fixed by the threads, the gue Apostle didn¡¯t care and continued to snarl, lunging at Duanmu Huai. Damn, that¡¯s why I hate viruses! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai cursed silently. Among the Four Great Evil Gods, the Filthy God¡¯s followers were the most disgusting. Not just their actions, but they themselves were also revolting. Just like the gue Apostle in front of him, though it looks like a single entity from the surface, in reality, its body is more like a mashing of some viral elements. Unless its core is hurt, these creatures won¡¯t die that easily. Ogis¡¯s attack, ifid on other Evil God Cultists, would have chopped them into seven or eight parts already. Only these sludge-like creatures could withstand Ogis¡¯s attack. Helpless, resistance differs, to deal with this kind of thing, the best way would be to use Necromancy Spells or Elemental Spells. Unfortunately, both Duanmu Huai and Ogis rely on physical attacks, and dealing with this disgusting thing is a bit of a stretch. But that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t fight. The bound gue Apostle never gave up attacking, opening the giant mouth in its abdomen and spewing out a stream of poisonous mucus at Duanmu Huai. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t dodge these germs and toxins, instead, he stepped forward, thrusting his Steel Warhammer directly into the Apostle¡¯s mouth. Chapter 22 - 15 The Temple Raid_3 Chapter 22: Chapter 15 The Temple Raid_3 Right after that, lightning and thunder echoed. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah!!¡± The dazzling thunder swiftly engulfed the gue Apostle¡¯s body, causing it to shudder and emit a painful wail. Seizing this opportunity, Duanmu Huai let go of his Thunder Warhammer, reached out to pull the Chainsaw Sword from his back, leaped high into the air, and forcefully swung the Chainsaw Sword at the gue Apostle!! ¡°Buzz¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The furiously spinning Chainsaw Sword cleaved through the gue Apostle¡¯s head and continued downward. The feeling was not like cutting through muscle or bone at all, but rather like cutting into a sponge. It wasn¡¯t until it reached the chest that the Chainsaw Sword suddenly came to a halt. Found it!! Feeling the sensation transmitted from the Chainsaw Sword, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes narrowed, his muscles bulged, and an immense strength once more erupted, pushing the Chainsaw Sword downwards. The next moment, the Chainsaw Sword cleaved through the gue Apostle¡¯s core, followed by the sight of the gue Apostle¡¯s body inting like a balloon and then ¡°pop,¡± exploding into pieces. The fierce st wave rushed over, causing even Duanmu Huai, d in his Power Armor, to retreat several steps backward. Anticipating the danger, the Elf Scout had already pulled Ogis away from the church ¡ª she didn¡¯t possess Duanmu Huai¡¯s skills, and should she get caught in the st of the gue Apostle¡¯s self-detonation, even if she didn¡¯t die, she would still be severely injured. ¡°This damn thing¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai, covered in the gue Apostle¡¯s blood and flesh, was quite displeased. If he didn¡¯t have this fully enclosed Power Armor, dealing with this kind of creature would have been intolerable. He had fought them before; it was a group battle, and in the end, the gue Apostle¡¯s self-explosion wiped out all their melee fighters, leaving only a few healers and damage dealers alive. Looks like magic is needed after all¡­ Looking at the destroyed corpse in front of him, Duanmu Huai shook his head. gue Apostles¡¯ physical resistance was quite high, and both he and Ogis were physical attackers ¡ª it seemed they needed to look elsewhere for a magical Soul Card. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you managed to kill a gue Apostle.¡± At this point, the Elf Scout entered, astonished by the hall in front of her. To be honest, if she hadn¡¯t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn¡¯t have believed anyone could singlehandedly take down these powerful minions of the Evil God¡­ No, he wasn¡¯t fighting alone. With this thought, the Elf Scout nced at Ogis next to her. The puppet girl maintained her usual expressionless demeanor, but the Elf Scout knew that she had just used some sort of thread to restrain the gue Apostle¡¯s movements ¡ª it seemed the knight was right; this girl was indeed full of surprises. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve cleared all the monsters here.¡± Duanmu Huai put down his Chainsaw Sword and scanned the room. ¡°Where is that Holy Artifact?¡± ¡°I know.¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the Elf Scout¡¯s face brightened. She quickly came to the Divine Statue deep in the hall. After murmuring a few words simr to a spell, the contaminated Divine Statue glowed softly. Slowly, its originally closed hands opened to reveal a pearl about the size of an apple, radiating a white light. The Elf Scout sighed with relief. ¡°Phew¡­ Good, it¡¯s safe¡­¡± Before she finished her sentence, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Chainsaw Sword was already at her throat. ¡°For a scout, you sure do know a lot.¡± As he stared at the Elf Scout in front of him, Duanmu Huai spoke coldly. Chapter 23 - 16 Spy_1 Chapter 23: Chapter 16 Spy_1 In fact, on the way to the temple, Duanmu Huai had doubts about the elf scout. As a scout, she seemed to know too much. Of course, as a scout specializing in information gathering, knowing some secrets was not unusual. However, when she opened the seal, Duanmu Huai knew that the identity of this elf scout was questionable. The reason is simple, everyone knows that bank vaults are filled with arge amount of valuable items and cash. Those with some understanding even know which direction the vault door opens to. But not everyone can have a key to the vault. After watching the elf scout utter a few spell words and opening the seal, Duanmu Huai knew something was wrong. If the seal was so easy to open, then were the followers of the Filthy God wasting their time here ying with bonfires? ¡°Alright, tell me your true identity, Elf.¡± Duanmu Huai held the Chainsaw Sword tightly, his gaze cold as he stared at the elf. He felt extremely calm at the moment. As a yer, Duanmu Huai had experienced too many simr situations before. For instance, they would painstakingly escort an NPC to a designated location, only to have the NPC transform into the final boss. Or they would bring the NPC to a specific location with great difficulty, only for the NPC to suddenly decide to destroy the world. Or, after going through great troubles to save an NPC, the NPC would reveal their true colors as soon as they were rescued, spreading a virus or gue to the entire world. Honestly, after going through so much, the yers had be numb. No matter how dramatically the plot unfolded, they would eventually grow ustomed to it. Therefore, in theter stage, when an NPC suddenly transformed into a boss, the yers would usually just silently draw their weapons and start fighting. They couldn¡¯t even bothered to act shocked, let alone maintain any interest in doing so. There was even a slight sense of excitement. After all, an additional boss meant one more chance to open a treasure chest! Because of this, the current Duanmu Huai was extremely calm. Even if this elf scout was a spy for the God of Trickery or the God of Lust, he was prepared to handle it calmly, having already weathered too many storms. No matter how dramatically the situation might develop, it was hard for Duanmu Huai to feel anything at this point. ¡°I am indeed a scout, Sir Knight.¡± Feeling the cold de on her neck, the elf swallowed, her voice trembling. She had seen this sword cleave the gue Apostle in half. She didn¡¯t think that she could withstand a simr attack. ¡°I am also a royal spy.¡± ¡°Exin, what¡¯s going on.¡± Duanmu Huai did not put down the Chainsaw Sword in his hand. This elf scout was clearly moreplicated than she appeared. He wanted to know who she truly was. ¡°I didn¡¯t deceive you, Sir Knight.¡± The elf hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to reveal everything. After listening to the elf¡¯s ount, Duanmu Huai finally understood what was going on. At the root of it all, it was a political mess. Elisa had mentioned before that the death of the ruling emperor had plunged the entire empire into a power struggle. The elf scout provided more detailed information because she was a royal spy ¨C a spy who only answered to the emperor. ording to the elf scout, the emperor¡¯s sudden death was suspicious. He had fallen ill and died during the mobilization of his army for an expedition against alien races. Huh? Why does that sound familiar? Anyway, after the emperor¡¯s death, the expeditionary army suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat back to the imperial city. His heirs began secretly fighting for the throne. Of course, these matters were too distant; let¡¯s talk about the current situation. That is, why the elf scout appeared in the City of Silver. The reason was simple; the lord of this ce was a loyal royalist. During the great expedition, he provided most of his regr army to the emperor. This was one of the reasons why the City of Silver was currently vulnerable to attacks by ratmen and Evil God Cultists. After all, although this ce was on the border, it was not adjacent to other countries and surrounded only by wastnds and deserts. Nobody had ever expected that the Evil God Cultists and Ratmen would dare toy siege to the city. This Holy Artifact, known as the ¡°Water God¡¯s Blessing¡±, was bestowed by the emperor upon the lord as a reward for his loyalty. By rights, the Holy Artifact usually emerges only within the territories of the imperial heirs. Thus, the presence of this Holy Artifact here was akin to a safeguard against political threats and troubles. Of course, the emperor was not stupid. After giving away such a precious item, he dispatched a royal spy ¨C the elf scout ¨C to hide in this territory and keep an eye on the Holy Artifact, to prevent any mishap. As expected, a mishap urred. The reason she told Duanmu Huai all this wasrgely because the emperor had died. These royal spies, who were directly under the emperor, became rootless. Without any ce to go, they lost contact with their superiors. Although ording to imperial tradition, the reigning emperor should inform his sessor of the spies¡¯ existence before his death and hand over the leadership, this rule wasn¡¯t adhered to¡­ because the emperor died suddenly. However, there was still one problem to be addressed. Chapter 24 - 16: Secret Agent_2 Chapter 24: Chapter 16: Secret Agent_2 ¡°You once said that the holy artifact is guarded by the imperial mages, adorned with dozens of seals, and can only be held by those with royal blood,¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The elf scout nodded, and then she stood up, reaching out to touch the white pearl. However, before her fingers even touched the pearl, she was thrown back as if hit by something, hitting the wall hard. No wonder those fat wizards were having such a difficult time. It seems the imperial mages truly are skilled. Duanmu Huai nced at the elf scout struggling to get up, narrowed his eyes and nodded, and then started to ponder. ¡°¡­your aim is surely not just the holy artifact.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Sir Knight.¡± Although the elf scout seemed calm, the next words from Duanmu Huai made her falter. ¡°Elisa, she¡¯s one of your protection targets too, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s of royal lineage, correct? And could potentially even inherit the Empire?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± The elf scout didn¡¯t answer, but often, silence is confirmation. I knew it. Eyeing the still stiff elf scout, Duanmu Huai gave a slight harrumph. He hadn¡¯t anticipated this at first, but after listening to the elf scout¡¯s exnation and considering his own gaming experience, it wasn¡¯t hard for Duanmu Huai to reach this conclusion. Firstly, the intensity of the pursuit of Elisa by the Evil God Cultist serves as the best evidence. Demons ordinarily live in the subspace. However, they are incapable of influencing the real world through it. They can only deceive psychics, making them use various sphemous rituals to blur the boundary between reality and subspace, enabling them to enter the physical world. In this circumstance, every Chaotic Demon that enters the real world can be considered a highly precious and cherished ¡°rare breed¡±. Still, in the pursuit of Elisa, the followers of the Brutal God even dispatched a high-level demon, the Bloodthirsty demon! Although it isn¡¯t at the level of the Lord of Demons or a Great Demon, the Bloodthirsty demon is considered to be a very rare high-level demon in the early stages. For a mere Lord¡¯s daughter, is it really worth it? So, there is only one answer: she isn¡¯t simply a Lord¡¯s daughter. Otherwise, there is no way she could survive when the Lord had been killed. However, after listening to the exnation of the elf scout, Duanmu Huai immediately connected all the clues. It¡¯s clear that Elisa might not be the daughter of the Lord¡¯s couple, but the Emperor¡¯s kin. For some reason, the Emperor hid her identity, entrusted her upbringing to a couple of Lords, and as for the holy artifact, it deepened Duanmu Huai¡¯s suspicion ¨C ording to the elf scout, this object could only be touched and taken by those of royal lineage, so it is usually found in royal territories. But this is the bordend here. Would the Empire go to such lengths to send a royal member here to retrieve the holy artifact? In other words, from a different perspective, as long as Elisa is a royal member, doesn¡¯t this territory be a royal territory? In this way, it¡¯s reasonable for the Emperor to ce the holy artifact here. Although the elf scout didn¡¯t answer Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, judging from her reaction, his guess was mostly correct ¨C after all, Duanmu Huai had too much experience with simr plotlines. Of course, it could also be possible that the elf scout is a cunning, crafty actor ying a trick on him. Regardless, neither has anything to do with him. After all, as soon as the holy artifact appeared, Duanmu Huai scanned it, but there were no reactions from the system¡­It was somewhat disappointing. ¡°Nevermind, these matters have nothing to do with me.¡± Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment and then put the matter aside. ¡°There is onest thing I need to ask you.¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°Do you know of any haunted ces nearby?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t nning to get involved in any Imperial wars. His target was only the Chaos Evil God and the Evil God Cultist. The internal disputes of a medieval-level civilization held no interest for him. Even though Duanmu Huai was sure that this was a main plotline, enhancing his own power was of the utmost importance at the moment. Currently on this, followers of the Brutal God and the Filthy God exist. While dealing with the Brutal God was manageable, when it came to the Filthy God who yed with viruses, Duanmu Huai did not have specific resources to counter them. So, what he needs to do now is to explore as many ruins and relics as possible, using ¡°Soul Awakening¡± to collect Soul Cards ¨C preferably power against the Filthy God¡¯s virus-infected followers. Luckily, perhaps it was because they were frightened by Duanmu Huai¡¯s ughter in the temple, the Ratmen and the cultists never showed their faces again. Captain Kado took the opportunity to strengthen the defense in the castle with his soldiers until reinforcements arrived. Only then, could they breathe a sigh of relief. The leader of the reinforcements seemed to be an old acquaintance of Sir Kado. Their first encounter went smoothly, and thanks to Kado¡¯s introduction, Duanmu Huai greeted him in return ¨C which was reciprocated with quite a bit of courtesy. Duanmu Huai had to admit, he felt like he fitted in with this world rather well now. In the world before he crossed over, he was easily mistaken as a criminal by passerby whenever he went out. But, in a world where might makes right, his body frame and appearance were much more epted. After all, ording to traditional gaming storylines, when generals of a reinforcement army learn that the protagonist single-handedly defeated an entire Ratman Army, disrupted the Evil God¡¯s ritual, and even eradicated gue apostles, they would assume exaggeration. After all, the majority of protagonists are regr people, usually, they aren¡¯t considered to have any special abilities. But Duanmu Huai was different, just he standing in front of you, his majestic 2.5 meters tall Judgment Court Power Armor and his fierce face, make it more believable that he defeated the Ratman Army alone. If someone imed that he eradicated an Evil God, people would probably believe that too. It goes to show that sometimes, such looks can be advantageous, at least, avoiding many conflict-driving misunderstandings. No one would dare to mess with someone who looks so formidable, right? Humans are still visual creatures after all. After the reinforcements arrived, Duanmu Huai bid farewell to Elisa and left The City of Silver. Even though Elisa was reluctant to let him go, Duanmu Huai woulde back¡­ After all, for yers, finishing the side quests before advancing on the main quests hasn¡¯t done any harm, right? Chapter 25 - 17 Falling Moon Forest_1 Chapter 25: Chapter 17 Falling Moon Forest_1 Under the grim white moonlight, the forest was dead silent. Duanmu Huai gripped his War Hammer, striding through the dark forest. The heamp illuminated the shadowy path, clearly revealing the entangled vines and crumbling pirs before him. This was the ce. Duanmu Huai stared at the pirs, his gaze suddenly intense. The Elf Scout, being well-versed in gathering information, had provided Duanmu Huai with several reported haunted locations around the City of Silver. Despite being unclear about Duanmu Huai¡¯s intentions, she had been more resourceful than Elisa. Which included this Falling Moon Forest. ording to the Elf Scout, the forest once belonged to an evil Necromancer. The necromancer was ultimately exterminated by soldiers, and rumors of haunting began to circte in the forest. And it was not just rumors. Mercenaries, traders, patrols, all reported hearing eerie wails and screams from the forest. Some even imed to see lights and hear music deep in the forest. The Lord had once sent people to investigate, but there was no response. After that, this ce was abandoned. Duanmu Huai was here not just out of curiosity or for a simple side mission. He was here to find power to defeat the God of Filth. Among the Chaos Evil Gods, the God of Filth was actually the most difficult one to deal with¡ªeven though all the Chaos Evil Gods were tricky, but in Duanmu Huai¡¯s ranking of trickiness, the God of Filth at least would rank second. The reason lies in its very nature. Usually, most people who see viruses and gues being spread assume the God of Filth is a symbol of death and destruction. However, that¡¯s not the case. Although the God of Filth does not possess the enormous power of the Brutal God or the deceptive magic of the God of Trickery, it excels in manipting invisible viruses in an unparalleled manner. There are even rumors that all viruses in the world, as trivial as a cold or as severe as a gue, are the masterpieces of the God of Filth. Not only that, the God of Filth is exceptionally ¡°loving¡±. Unlike other Evil God Cultists who have to pass various tests and even endure a baptism of blood and fire to be epted, the God of Filth epts all believers unconditionally¡ªbe it beggars or emperors, noblemen or warriors. The God of Filth would extend its rotten, stinking arms, embracing these pitiful lives, offering them equal love. For its followers, spreading viruses isn¡¯t an evil act. Instead, they believe that infecting others with diseases and gues is simply one way to bring them into their familial, ss-and-race-free abode. Even those who die from the gues aren¡¯t forsaken. Their dposing bodies give birth to new life, contributing to the cycle of life on this world. Life, endlessly budding. Thus, among the yers, the God of Filth was jokingly referred to as the ¡°Loving Father¡±, the ¡°God of Life and Hope¡± (Dog-headed). Strictly speaking, from the perspective of the viruses, the God of Filth indeed seems like a kind father. It¡¯s just that¡ªits values are radically different from those of ordinary people. It¡¯s like keeping pets. While most people prefer cats and dogs, some enjoy raising maggots. The problem arises when they insist that raising maggots is the right thing and demand everyone else do the same. Therefore, the ¡°God of Life¡±, the ¡°God of Filth¡±, is hard to handle using ordinary methods. Even divine arts and the Holy Light don¡¯t work particrly well on its followers. Regardless of how disgusting they may appear, with rotting bodies, pus-filled boils, they¡¯re still vibrant, living beings¡ªjust like maggots, flies and mosquitoes. The Holy Light can¡¯t possibly work on them. So, there are only two effective methods topletely eradicate the servants and army of the God of Filth. The first one is to burn them all. Just set them on fire, and all¡¯s well. After eliminating the gue Apostle, Duanmu Huai had once asked the Elf Scout to build a fire to sterilize his Power Armor. He had stayed in the roaring mes until he was sure all the viruses were killed. The other option is the use of the power of Undeath. The power of the undead works on the soul level, quenching the me of life, turning everything into a lifeless void. Even viruses and bacteria aren¡¯t exceptions. No form of life can survive in the face of such a profound force of death. It could be said that death is the best weapon against the God of Filth and its followers. However ugly or filthy, they¡¯re still vibrant lives¡ªand the me of life can never evade the gust of death. Of course, dealing with the undead isn¡¯t easy. Controlling the undead and the Vampire Card Group is a dangerous task, as physical attacks have no effect on them. At the very least, weapons with elemental attacks or magic are required. Without those, one would simply be throwing oneself away. Duanmu Huai himself only knew Psychic st, an ability rted to one¡¯s spiritual energy. Fortunately, his Thunder Warhammer came with elemental lighting damage, and the Puppet Card Group was considered part of his magical abilities. Using Puppets to deal with the undead wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Chapter 26 - 17 Falling Moon Forest_2 Chapter 26: Chapter 17 Falling Moon Forest_2 However, it¡¯s uncertain whether the entity here is an undead or a vampire. In some ways, vampires are harder to deal with than the undead, but they¡¯re not without their benefits ¨C if a yer bes a vampire, they are basically immune to the Filthy God¡¯s virus. In fact, in the game, quite a few yers deliberately let vampires bite them before attacking the world of the Filthy God, transforming themselves into undead creatures to resist the attack of the Filthy God¡¯s virus. If worstes to worst, they could always revert to their original state after the fight. Unfortunately, such benefits do not exist in reality. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t doubt the uracy of the information from the Elf Scout. The reason was simple. When the Elf Scout introduced this ce, Duanmu Huai triggered the mission of ¡°Investigating the Falling Moon Forest¡±. Given that there is a mission, it suggests that something indeed exists here. With this in mind, Duanmu Huai advanced once again, with Ogis shadowing him silently as ever. This puppet girl hadn¡¯t spoken a word since she was summoned. She felt like a robot to Duanmu Huai. Well, in a sense, she is indeed a robot. After passing through the copsed stone columns, Duanmu Huai soon saw a dpidated mansion. It was a four-story stone building, seemingly struck by arge fire, leaving the whole mansion charred, with rubble scattered all over. The surroundings were eerily quiet, not a single bird chirp, insect hum, or even a whisper of the wind could be heard, as if all sound in the world waspletely blocked off. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anything around here.¡± Duanmu Huai came to the entrance, peering inside. The mansion was deste, with most of the walls copsed. It looked like an almost skeletal, decaying corpse. Even from the outside, one could easily see the ruined rooms inside, covered by vines and grasses. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± However, at that moment, Duanmu Huai caught the faint sound of sobbing. He furrowed his brow, scanning the surroundings before turning to Ogis. ¡°Ogis, do you hear any sound?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, Ogis shook her head. Duanmu Huai then raised his head to listen again. The sobbing sound was barely discernible, making one wonder if it was just a hallucination. However, Duanmu Huai knew very well that this was not an illusion. Looks like we¡¯ve found the right ce. A smile tugged at the corner of Duanmu Huai¡¯s mouth, and he lifted his right hand. Activate ¨C Soul Resonance! The next instant, the scene before Duanmu Huai changed drastically. The gloomy, ruined mansion was suddenly transformed into a brightly lit building. Glimmering lights emerged from the windows, illuminating the entire mansion. The courtyard, originally covered in wild grass, was nowpletely different. Not far away stood a gaunt man, silently staring at a tombstone near him. Even when Duanmu Huai and Ogis approached, the man remained oblivious ¨C which was normal, since he was simply a residual image in this space. Just like the Puppeteer Master in the dollhouse earlier, Duanmu Huai could see him, but couldn¡¯t interact with him. What the man did next, however, left Duanmu Huai astonished. The man suddenly lifted an iron axe beside him, and with all his might, smashed it onto the tombstone! ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± The man swung his arms frantically, smashing the tomb into rubble. He then opened the coffin inside and desperately clutched the girl lying within. ¡°My daughter, you won¡¯t die, I won¡¯t let you die just like that!¡± With these words, the man turned around holding the corpse of the girl, and entered the mansion. Watching this, Duanmu Huai followed the man into the mansion curiously. Yet, the moment he pushed the door and entered, the scene before him changed once more. In the living room before Duanmu Huai, a beautiful girl with purple hair curled up in the man¡¯s arms, looking at a picture book by the zing firece. She looked almost exactly like the corpse the man had just dug from the tomb. Yet, there was now arge object on her head that looked like a bolt. As for the man, he gently told his daughter the story from the picture book. ¡°¡­In the end, the monster, in pursuit of a being just like himself, was condemned to roam restlessly¡­¡± ¡°That seems¡­like a very sad story¡­¡± After listening to the man¡¯s narration, the girl wore a sad expression. But the man gave her aforting smile, and reached out to pat her head. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s quite impressive that you understand this. I won¡¯t let you be sad. I will make you a wless being¡­¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Hearing her father¡¯s words, the girl nodded happily. ¡°Father, could you read me another story?¡± ¡°Of course, but it¡¯s alreadyte. Good kids should go to bed.¡± ¡°Okay, Father, good night.¡± The young girl stood up and turned away, leaving the man behind. He watched her retreating figure with a small smile on his face. Not until she disappeared from sight did he finally let out a sigh, promptly threw aside the picture book in his hands, and tightly clutched his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not supposed to be like this!!¡± The man had lost all of his former gentleness and tranquility, instead, he seemed like a trapped wild beast, hugging his head and growling softly. ¡°She¡¯s not my daughter! Not¡­!! She¡¯s just a brand new soul¡­!! I know, I fully understand this¡­!! Damn¡­!! Damn¡­!!¡± Curling up into a ball, whimpering in a low voice, gradually, the man¡¯s figure disappeared again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Seeing all this, Duanmu Huai squinted his eyes in thought. That¡¯s when a voice suddenly came from his side. ¡°Master, I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Ogis?¡± Hearing Ogis¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai turned his head to look at her. It was the first time this Puppeteer girl asked him a question. ¡°Why did that gentleman say she¡¯s not his daughter? From my observation, there¡¯s no difference in their appearance, physique, and other aspects. Except for decorative differences, I believe these two are the same person.¡± Ogis calmly expounded her views. Apparently, she was genuinely confused about this. ¡°Indeed, if it¡¯s just the exterior, there is no difference. But¡­ humans don¡¯t just look at the exterior, but the soul.¡± ¡°Soul?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s reply, Ogis tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Yes, the soul, personality, those emotional and intangible things are the foundations of connecting feelings between two parties.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand as you continue watching.¡± For Ogis¡¯s confusion, Duanmu Huai did not borate. He just gently patted her on the head and left the living room. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± At that moment, suddenly, the tightly shut door was knocked forcefully. Simultaneously, the purple-haired girl in her nightdress came down from the stairs, looking anxiously at the front door. ¡°Father, what happened?¡± ¡°Good girl, quickly go hide!¡± The man lost his previous calm and, looking ghostly white, urged the girl to hide in the underground cer, once done, he turned to the door, opening it. ¡°Crash!¡± The next moment, the door was savagely swung open. Following that, dozens of fully armed soldiers rushed in. ¡°We¡¯ve finally found you, you evil Necromancer!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Enough of your nonsense!¡± The man tried to protest, but the leader of the soldiers interrupted him. ¡°We received a tip-off that you were seen with your daughter who should be dead! You evil wizard!¡± Upon hearing this, the man¡¯s face changed drastically, while the leadership soldier forcefully waved his hand. ¡°On mymand, immediately search the entire house and find that living dead!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do this! Stop!!¡± Seeing this unfolding before him, the man rushed forward to try and stop them. However, in the next moment, the lead soldier swiftly brandished his longsword, and ran it through the man¡¯s body. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In the next moment, the man fell to the ground with a heavy thud, and the entire mansion started to tremble! Chapter 27 - 18 Out of Control _1 Chapter 27: Chapter 18 Out of Control _1 ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!¡± With a bellow that sounded like an evil spirit from the depths of hell, the mansion began to shake violently. Wallpaper peeled off, the surroundings were falling apart. At the same time, the solid floor shattered abruptly, and armed skeletal soldiers began to crawl out, encircling Duanmu Huai and Ogis. ¡°Stop, Do not hurt my father aaaaaaaaaa!¡± As the roar echoed, the task prompt before Duanmu Huai changed once again. [Investigation of Falling Moon Forest Phase Onepleted] [Trigger mission Rage of The Soul] [Mission Objective: Eliminate the origin of the rage] [The angry spirit vents its darkness and hatred. Pass through the forbiddennd of the dead, find the source of the curse, and destroy it!] ¡°Why am I not surprised at all¡­¡± Duanmu Huai gripped his Thunder Warhammer tightly whileining silently to himself. Then, he charged at the ghostly soldiers ahead. To Duanmu Huai, the ghostly soldiers in front of him were no tougher than Ratmen. He held his war hammer firmly in both hands and swung it around like a windmill, smashing the skeleton ghosts to bits wherever it struck. Although ghostly soldiers were emotionless and didn¡¯t fear death, once smashed to pieces, they posed no threat at all. ¡°Boom!¡± A skeleton soldier blocking Duanmu Huai¡¯s path, holding a sword and shield, was sent flying by the Thunder Warhammer like a tossed aside action figure. As the scattered bones began to wiggle and started reassembling, his power armor boot stepped on them, crushing them to pieces. Ogis following behind Duanmu Huai began to move as well. She extended her hands. Countless sharp puppet threads crisscrossed in the air, slicing the skeleton soldiers into neat pieces, sharp as a saw cutting bone. She maye in handy when I need to cut up a big bone for soup next time. Duanmu Huai thought irrelevantly as he fought his way out of the hall through the army of the dead. He remembered that the man had once told his daughter to hide in the basement at the brink of death. So, the root of all these problems must be in the basement. ¡°Clickety-Clickety-Click!!!¡± However, as Duanmu Huai rushed to the corridor, apanied by the urgent sound of hoofbeats, a ghost knight riding a war horse and holding ance, rushed towards Duanmu Huai from the other end of the corridor. Thetter also turned around hastily, raising his war hammer and striking down at the knight! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The electric-sh Thunder Warhammer struck the horse¡¯s head, sttering it into a bloody mess. Nevertheless, despite losing its head, the warhorse did not stop and continued charging towards Duanmu Huai. Meanwhile, the knight riding the horse thrust hisnce like a bolt of lightning towards Duanmu Huai¡¯s chest. The chilling cold air hit him face-on, and even though Duanmu Huai was in his Power Armor, he could feel a frigid chill sweeping across his body, as if the strength in his body was ebbing away with the cold wind. ¡°Damn!¡± Sensing this, Duanmu Huai silently cursed. This was the trouble with undead creatures. Even though his Power Armor could withstand bullets from rifles or even machine guns, against these undead, it was as good as being naked, offering no defense at all. But luckily, Duanmu Huai was prepared. Psychic st! Just as the Ghost Knight¡¯snce was about to pierce Duanmu Huai¡¯s chest, a radiant burst of spiritual energy erupted from Duanmu Huai¡¯s body, hurling the Ghost Knight and his headless war horse through the air. Seizing this moment of imbnce, Duanmu Huai rushed forward and hammered down with his War Hammer again! ¡°Bang!!!¡± Under the strike of the Thunder Warhammer, the Ghost Knight shattered and disappeared like a rubber ball, but very quickly, arge group of ghosts emerged from the corridor. They floated in the air, arms outstretched, and lunged toward Duanmu Huai. ¡°Such a hassle!¡± Currently, Duanmu Huai only had this Thunder Warhammer to deal with the undead. His Power Armor waspletely ineffective against the soul attacks of the undead. If it was a Ratman or an Evil God Cultist, Duanmu Huai would have been able to withstand their attacks through his heavy armor, but these undead were a different story. In their eyes, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor was as good as non-existent. This was the major problem when melee fighters faced against Mages. At least Duanmu Huai had yet to find a solution, the doll types he had previously drawn, including Ogis, were all physical attacks and not resistant to spiritual energy. With this thought in mind, Duanmu Huai frowned. Then he surged forward again, and while the ghosts were surrounding him, Duanmu Huai unleashed another Psychic st to push them back. Thereafter, his Flight Pack suddenly boosted his speed. In the next moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s afterimage cut through the corridor filled with ghosts to reach the end. Then, he gripped the War Hammer tightly and mmed it hard against the ground! ¡°Boom!!!¡± With one stroke from Duanmu Huai¡¯s hammer, the floor instantly exploded, revealing a pitch-ck hole. Without any hesitation, Duanmu Huai jumped into it ¡ª¡ªhe was in a hurry to end the battle and had no time to find the entrance to the basement. But it didn¡¯t matter to Duanmu Huai, if he couldn¡¯t find the door¡­ smashing it open was just as good. There were originally no doors in this world, but after smashing enough of them, a door would appear. ¡°Huff¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Just as Duanmu Huainded, a gust of wind suddenly sounded. Almost instinctively, Duanmu Huai turned around and raised his war hammer. Next, as a violent impact resounded, a powerful force met him head-on, causing the Power Armor-d Duanmu Huai to involuntarily sway. But this did give him a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the enemy had a physical form. If it were a full-fledged evil spirit, it would certainly be difficult to defeat. ¡°You¡­ you dare to hurt Father!!!¡± On confronting Duanmu Huai was the purple-haired girl from before. Holding a steel wrench taller than herself, she red at Duanmu Huai viciously. She was bathed in a bloody red aura and looked very much like an evil spirit. ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you!!¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯m not your enemy, little girl!!¡± ¡°Get out of here!!!¡± Although Duanmu Huai attempted to calm the girl, she was evidently caught in a frenzy. She charged at Duanmu Huai again, brandishing the wrench that was almost asrge as a Power Axe. No choice. Seeing the girl charging at him aggressively, Duanmu Huai shook his head and raised his War Hammer. If only his Charm value was high, he could try to reason with her. But with his current Charm value of 1¡­ He could only convince her through reasoning. Chapter 28 - 19: World that Judges by Appearance_1 Chapter 28: Chapter 19: World that Judges by Appearance_1 Dealing with this young girl was not dangerous for Duanmu Huai, but it was a hassle. ¡°Listen to me¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯te closer!¡± ¡°I am not your enemy¡­¡­.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯te closer! My father told me not to talk to strangers, stay away!¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡­..¡± At the sight of the purple-haired young girl across from him, Duanmu Huai was nearly speechless. At first, Duanmu Huai thought he was in for a fierce battle, but when the fight actuallymenced, he realized that this girl¡¯sbat power was not that strong, about on par with his own. This came as a relief to Duanmu Huai. Thankfully, this girl was not a strong fighter, if it had been Ogis, just one punch would probably have had him begging her not to kill him. That¡¯s the strength that could tear apart a bloodthirsty demon with bare hands. His present 20th level Judge couldn¡¯t withstand it at all. But soon, Duanmu Huai regretted it. He would rather fight with her. Perhaps due to witnessing her father¡¯s murder, the girl had descended into a crazed state of hysteria. Regardless of what Duanmu Huai said, she would simply refuse to listen, nearly driving him to despair. With no other option, Duanmu Huai decided to use force! With that thought, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth, lunged again towards the girl, this time wielding his War Hammer and struck powerfully at her. His hammer knocked the wrench from the girl¡¯s hand and without waiting for her to react, Duanmu stretched out hisrge hand, capturing her delicate wrist and pinned her against the wall. The girl¡¯s wrist was exceptionally slender and fragile, one of Duanmu¡¯s hands was enough to grasp itpletely. The girl fell into a state of fear, writhing and struggling desperately. Duanmu sighed, extended his free hand, removed his helmet, and stared at the girl. ¡°Look at me properly!¡± ¡°Eh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s roar, the girl froze in fear, then instinctively raised her head to look at him. Then¡­¡­her head tilted sideways, and she lost consciousness. Simultaneously, the surroundingnd began to shake again, as if an earthquake had hit. The entire mansion copsed, and boundless darkness devoured Duanmu Huai instantly. When he opened his eyes again, the mansion was gone. It was reced by ruins overgrown with vines and wild grass. The morning sunlight beaming down through the trees illuminated the detritus in front of Duanmu Huai. ¡± ¡­..Haah¡­¡­¡± Despairingly, he let out a sigh, quietly picked up his helmet, and put it on. It was a failure. Even though it had been a failure, Duanmu Huai did not leave. This ce was akin to a dungeon; it was a recurring world. That meant he could re-enter the mansion tonight and re-iterate what he had seen till he found a solution, damn it, how would he solve it! Duanmu Huai had a decent guess about what had happened. A father lost his beloved daughter and wanted to resurrect her, but his resurrected daughter wasn¡¯t the one he knew; she was a new being. Nevertheless, he touched the forbidden area of resurrection and was eventually exterminated. The girl who had witnessed her father¡¯s murder went into a frenzy. As the Elf Scout told the story in full, does it mean the good had defeated the evil in the end? So how should the situation be diffused¡­.. Even though this was the Novice, Duanmu Huai had not experienced the Empire¡¯s narrative. He was routed towards the far Eastern Zhen Dan territory initially because initial areas were assigned depending on server location. He had merely heard about some quite famous events from the Empire¡¯s narrative but did not participate. In the case of fragmented dungeons like this, he was utterly clueless. ¡°I do not understand, Master.¡± As Duanmu Huai was pondering how to break the deadlock, Ogis suddenly spoke. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°That gentleman.¡± Ogis took a moment to gather her thoughts, and then spoke in a low voice. ¡°I do not understand why he acted so contradictorily. I can see that the gentleman showed love for his daughter, but at the same time, he harbored intense hatred for her. But if he hated her so, why would he risk his life to protect her?¡± ¡°Humans are just contradictory like that.¡± Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders and began to speak. ¡°I can guess why. On one side, he was indeed heartbroken because the one he resurrected was not his daughter. On the other side, his daughter had indeed been resurrected.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand what you mean, Master.¡± Ogis furrowed her brow, thought for a moment, and still shook her head. ¡°For humans, there are two ways to recognize oneself. One is appearance, the other is soul.¡± While speaking, Duanmu Huai pointed at Ogis. ¡°Look, just like the name Ogis, it represents your existence. It¡¯s a name unique to you. When I call out ¡®Ogis¡¯, I¡¯m referring to you, the doll girl with silver hair in twin-tails, dressed in a beautiful dress, cute-looking, reticent but full of curiosity. The first part describes your appearance, thetter your personality and inner being. If one day, your soul was reced by someone else, and you became outgoing instead of reticent, then to me, you wouldn¡¯t be you anymore¡­..at least not the you that I know.¡± ¡°But am I not still me?¡± ¡°Self-awareness and others¡¯ perceptions often do not align.¡± It seemed just like when ying a game everyone thought they were a hot-tempered Sichuan girl, never expecting that inside was a huge guy who picks his feet. As Duanmu Huai spoke, he stood up, intending to search again in the ruins of this western mansion, to see if there were any clues left behind. ¡°Hence, humans are indeedplex.¡± Upon hearing this, Ogis remained silent, unsure if she understood or not¡­ But for Duanmu Huai, all he could say was this much. ¡°By the way.¡± At this point, something came to Duanmu Huai¡¯s mind. He turned around, removed his helmet and looked at Ogis. ¡°Ogis, what do you think of my appearance?¡± Ogis had seen Duanmu Huai without his helmet more than once, but she never reacted which intrigued Duanmu Huai. This time, Ogis quickly responded. ¡°I quite like your appearance, master.¡± ¡°Oh? Really?¡± The puppet girl is usually quiet, but Duanmu Huai believes she would not lie. He felt a little happy hearing this response, so there are people who like my style. ¡°Yes, I currently cannot distinguish humans well. Your appearance is very distinct, I like it very much.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Ogis¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai silently put on his helmet and turned his back to her. Well, thank you. After being slightly betrayed by Ogis, Duanmu Huai quicklyposed himself and resumed his search for clues. He first revisited the graveyard he had seen in his soul¡¯s memory ¡ª¡ª well, it was smashed into pieces already, even the tombstone was pulverized, there¡¯s no way of knowing who was buried there. Helpless, Duanmu Huai had to return to the ruins of the western mansion to see if he could find anything useful. Yet, during his search, Duanmu Huai was filled with doubts. Simply because the man¡¯s death was too¡­ mundane. If someone not in the know saw the previous scene, they might think that the soldiers were too aggressive, but Duanmu Huai knew that if the man was truly a necromancer then the soldiers¡¯ approach was absolutely correct. However, the problem lies here. A proper necromancer, no matter how much he specialized, wouldn¡¯t die so unimpressively. Did he fake his death? Doesn¡¯t seem so¡­.. Assuming what Duanmu Huai saw before was the truth, then the man resuscitating his dead daughter could definitely be considered a standard operation for a necromancer ¡ª¡ª but¡­ there were slight discrepancies. As a veteran gamer, Duanmu Huai is very familiar with undying spirits and necromancers, along with necromancers¡¯ various methods. Simply put, if a necromancer wants to resurrect the dead, there are usually only two options. One is to use forbidden necromancy to imprison the soul of the dead in their body, creating an illusion of resurrection. The other is to only resurrect the body, turning it into a zombie or a puppet-like thing without self-consciousness. But the purple-haired girl was neither. She had no previous memory, nor was she a puppet without a self. Of course, it¡¯s also possible that the necromancer made a deal with the Chaos Evil God, who deceived him in some way ¡ª¡ª but Duanmu Huai ruled this out too, because when the purple-haired girl went berserk, he didn¡¯t sense any power or aura from the Chaos Evil God. Thest, baffling conclusion is that, the man¡­ somehow created a brand new soul in the body of the deceased? That¡¯s not impossible, because at the end when Duanmu Huai subdued the girl, he also noticed, the bandage on her neck, the seam-like marks on her body and chest, and the bolt on her head that looked like it pierced through her skull. These elements easily made Duanmu Huai think of a famous character from his world. Frankenstein. This story is quite well-known. Dr. Victor used the bodies of the dead and created a new life, and awakened it. Of course, the story ended tragically, but what¡¯s important is that if you consider what happened here along with Frankenstein¡¯s story, all the questions here seem to find their answers. First of all, the man was not a necromancer, he might be some sort of schr or scientist, who revived his daughter using a method simr to Frankenstein. Of course, outsiders wouldn¡¯t care about these details, once they see the man revived his dead daughter, they would only think he either sold his soul to an evil god or sumbed to the dark and turned into a necromancer. This could also exin why the man seemed so weak, because he might have been a helpless schr, naturally he didn¡¯t have the power of a necromancer. Secondly, the soul inside the purple-haired girl¡¯s body, a newly born soul, to Duanmu Huai¡¯s knowledge, neither magic nor evil gods could create a brand new soul out of thin air, the only possibility lies in Frankenstein¡¯s story. Unfortunately, this doesn¡¯t help his current investigation at all. Duanmu Huai practically turned the western mansion upside down but still found nothing useful. He didn¡¯t even know the name of the purple-haired girl ¡ª¡ª well, if he knew her name, perhapsmunication would be a bit smoother. Or maybe¡­ who knows? As the night falls, Duanmu Huai had to give up hope of finding clues among the tangle of wild nts and vines. Time had pretty much wiped out all remaining traces here. Currently, it seemed like he could only return to that world again to look for clues. Chapter 29 - 20: Change the Method_1 Chapter 29: Chapter 20: Change the Method_1 Everything began once again. As before, Duanmu Huai and Ogis entered the world of memory, once again witnessing the man¡¯s heart-wrenching sorrow over his daughter and his joy after her resurrection. Then, it was that moment again. ¡°Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump!!¡± The urgent knocking sounded, soldiers broke down the door and stormed into the mansion, shing with the man once again. Then one of the soldiers drew his longsword, thrusting it towards the man¡­¡­ ¡°Boom!!¡± However, at that moment, an iron hammer appeared out of nowhere, sending the soldier flying. Following this, Duanmu Huai shouldered his war hammer and stepped forward, standing between the man and the soldiers. ¡°Who are you?¡± At this point, both the man and the soldiers finally noticed Duanmu Huai. In fact, Duanmu Huai had been standing there the whole time, but each side had been oblivious to him. It wasn¡¯t until Duanmu Huai decided to intervene that they suddenly ¡°saw¡± him appear. ¡°Are you an aplice of that necromancer?¡± The soldiers¡¯ faces drastically changed as they spotted Duanmu Huai, hastily retreating, while Duanmu Huai sneered, raising his war hammer. ¡°Leave this to me, sir. I¡¯ll annihte these bothersome pests!¡± A wave of flunky aura to the final boss came rushing forward. ¡°Ah¡­ Oh¡­ This¡­¡± Seeing the suddenly appeared Duanmu Huai, the man was taken by surprise, unsure of what to say. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t engage in further conversation, instead, he swung his war hammer forward, sending the soldiers blocking the entrance flying. He then strode out of the mansion where tens of fully-armed warriors were waiting, staring at him with fearful amazement. ¡°Come on,ds.¡± Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on his war hammer, and stared down at the soldiers. ¡°Let me have a little fun with you!¡± A full viin vibe. ¡°Charge! eradicate these filthy evil beings!!¡± Immediately, the soldiers rushed at Duanmu Huai, engaging him inbat. As for these soldiers, they presented no difficulty to Duanmu Huai. After all, these soldiers were not like the elusive ghosts; his power armor could entirely withstand their attacks. Hence Duanmu Huai did not hold back at all but instead bore their aggression and retaliated. Initially, Duanmu Huai¡¯sbat proceeded smoothly?. However, as the battle continued, he felt that something was amiss. Duanmu Huai could clearly remember there being only thirty to forty soldiers when he first stepped out of the mansion. However, he had killed over four hundred soldiers since the fight began, and yet they seemed to be endlessly spawning. Could this be some sort of bug? If this had happened in a game, Duanmu Huai would have reported to the GM immediately. This endless monster respawning is clearly faulty! Which part of the software is problematic? Or is there a error in the dungeon? Shall we continue like this? Eventually, Duanmu Huai decided to persist and see who wouldst.? But as he continued to fight¡­ An dawn came, he was kicked out of the dungeon again. ¡°This is strange¡­ what exactly is wrong?¡± As he nibbled on the hard jerky, Duanmu Huai stared at the ruins in front of him, perplexed. He had bought these rations before he left the City of Silver. Their taste wasn¡¯t the best, but they served their purpose of filling his stomach. Initially, Duanmu Huai was confident in his ability to solve the puzzle of the dungeon space based on his experience. It was unexpected that he would fail twice in a row¡­ There must be some clues that I have missed. Having experienced simr dungeon scenarios many times in the game, Duanmu Huai was certain that he must have overlooked something amidst what he had previously observed. So, what could it be? Wait, could he have gotten it all wrong? At this thought, Duanmu Huai seemed to have arrived at something crucial that he had missed. That is¡­ who exactly is the core consciousness that this space is modeled after? Each fragment of space drifting in subspace is solidified by the potent will and sentiment of an entity. For instance, in the puppet house that Duanmu Huai previously visited, it was the emotions of the Puppeteer Master that solidified that house. The old saying goes, ¡°It takes the one who tied the bell to untie it.¡± The aim of any space infiltration ultimately boils down to resolving the core issue. So, who is the core of this mansion? At the beginning, Duanmu Huai presumed that the core space was formed by the purple-haired girl. However, upon giving it thorough thought, it didn¡¯t seem right. Although it was true that the purple-haired girl witnessed her father being murdered, it didn¡¯t necessarily imply that she was the core consciousness of this space. It was also probable that the man was notpletely dead at that time and saw something right before his demise. Especially considering that they also saw the scene where the man was walking back to the mansion carrying his daughter¡¯s corpse, it was evident at that time the purple-haired girl was not yet revived. Could it be then, that the one who formed the core consciousness was the man? But if that were the case, why did his previous rescue mission glitch? For that man, having someone help him fend off the pursuers while he escapes with his daughter would be a good option, wouldn¡¯t it? Or does the girl, like in Frankenstein, wish for apanion just like herself? It seems unlikely, though. If that were the case, it would surely have been hinted at in the memories they previously viewed. Chapter 30 - 20: Change the Method_2 Chapter 30: Chapter 20: Change the Method_2 Damn, if I had the same charm-value in real life as in the game, I could have gotten more information out of him. Unfortunately, with my current charm-value of 1, I just can¡¯t seem to pull it off¡­ Although it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t keep trying and failing, every failed attempt brings my mission score down. If this continues, I might not even get the basic reward¡­ Wait!!! Thinking about it, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eye sparkled, remembering the previous question from Ogis. Why did that man both love and hate his daughter? At that time, Duanmu Huai exined his take on it to Ogis, but, on reflection, could it be that the ¡°passcode¡± was actually concealed within this contradiction? Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t think his understanding was incorrect, but he couldn¡¯t figure out how to solve this puzzle. After all, one¡¯s heart is hidden behind their stomach, so even if the man had mixed feelings towards his resurrected daughter, how to solve this problem¡­ Perhaps there was no answer for the man himself. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Duanmu Huai let out a sigh. Usually when he encountered such situations in the game, he quite often relied on high charm-value to push through. As long as his charm was high enough, jobs of this nature were usually quite simple; he could convince the other person to let go of his fixation or even outright persuade him to agree with his ideas. Long story short, a high charm-value yielded more powerful persuasion, making it easier to discover hints andplete missions. It¡¯s like ying an RPG game. If you¡¯re a warrior, the best you can do is kick down doors, navigate mazes and take the monsters head-on. If you¡¯re a rogue, you sneak into the maze through the back door and directly reach the end. But now¡­ Nevermind, Duanmu Huai is just like that hapless warrior. Moreover, his charm-value is like a drag. There¡¯s no other way but to try again. On the third night, Duanmu Huai and Ogis once again entered that world. This time, as the man was smashing a grave to pull out his daughter¡¯s body, Duanmu Huai blocked his path. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The man held his daughter¡¯s corpse and didn¡¯t even look at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Maybe you will regret it?¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, I¡¯ll regret it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Alright, you said it yourself. Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders, moved away, and watched the man holding his daughter¡¯s corpse enter the mansion again. He followed him in with a helpless sigh. In his opinion, he will probably fail the mission again this time. If all else fails, he¡¯ll have to find another soul shard. With a sigh, Duanmu Huai pushed open the mansion door. However, to his surprise, he didn¡¯t find himself in the foyer or hallway as before. Instead, he was in a dark corridor that seemed to have no end in sight. Oh? A change? Upon seeing this, Duanmu Huai perked up a bit. Change is good, even though it is uncertain whether it¡¯s good or bad. It implies there¡¯s still a chance! ¡°Be careful.¡± Duanmu Huai cautioned Ogis in a low voice before stepping forward. The door closed slowly behind them, plunging the entire corridor into a deathly silent darkness. But soon, a torch on the wall edge ignited abruptly, lighting up the path ahead. Moving ahead, Duanmu Huai saw a portrait next to the torch. It depicted the man and an unfamiliar woman ¡ª judging from their intimate posture, they were likely a couple. Simultaneously, the man¡¯s voice echoed again. ¡°At that time¡­ I never thought that I would marry a woman like this¡­¡± As his ramblings continued, torches lit up one by one, illuminating the path in front. Portraits appeared on the walls, chronicling the moments with his wife: their meeting, wedding, her passing away due to childbirth, and his deep love for their daughter. He vowed to histe wife to take care of their daughter, but soon, their young daughter fell into grave illness and eventually passed away amidst his desperate cries. Still, the man didn¡¯t give up. Leveraging his knowledge, he made every possible attempt to resurrect his daughter. In the end¡­ he both seeded and failed. ¡°My daughter has never called me father. Who is she truly?¡± The man¡¯s voice grew louder and more despairing. ¡°I just wanted my daughter toe back. But why did I create a new soul? Is it not true that human memories are stored in the brain? Then, when I resurrected this body, should she not have regained her original memories?¡± So that¡¯s what it was¡­ Hearing the man¡¯s wails, Duanmu Huai secretly nodded. Clearly, this man was a schr. From what he described, the man probably employed a method simr to creating Frankenstein to revive his daughter. His thought process was fairly sound: human memories indeed reside in the brain, so theoretically when the body is rejuvenated, along with the brain starting to function again, the memories should return¡­ Well, after all, it¡¯s just a theory. In such a world, scientific theories may not necessarily hold. ¡°She is not my daughter, but I love her. I want her to be my daughter ¡ª the most perfect of creatures. This is my final sce to her¡­¡± At the same time, Duanmu Huai and Ogis reached the end of the corridor. Extending his hand, he pushed open the door at the end of the corridor. The sight that met their eyes was a disheartened man dressed in a white coat seated on a chair, behind whom on a surgeon¡¯s table, a purple-haired girl was lying serenely. Then, the man looked up at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Do you think I was wrong?¡± ¡°Honestly¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Duanmu Huai helplessly spread his hands. ¡°All I can say is, either way, your daughter has been revived again, whether this is what you wanted¡­¡± Duanmu Huai shrugged and didn¡¯t finish, and the man hung his head again. ¡°You¡¯re right. Is this what I wanted? I¡¯m not sure. On one hand, as a father, I feel I have failed because I wasn¡¯t able to bring my daughter back to life. But on the other hand, as a schr, I seeded because I created a brand new soul. This is an aplishment even god hasn¡¯t achieved!!!¡± So that¡¯s it, it¡¯s thebination of guilt as a father and exhration as a schr, no wonder he¡¯s in this state. ¡°Then, there¡¯s only one thing I need to do next.¡± As he spoke, the man stood up and faced Duanmu Huai. At the same time, a gigantic Skeleton Ghost appeared behind him. ¡°Come on, show me your strength!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai felt a sense of calm. He reached out to grab his war hammer, his gaze fixed on the man. FInally, things are back on the track I¡¯m best at! Chapter 31 - 21 Return to the City_1 Chapter 31: Chapter 21 Return to the City_1 Dealing with the man himself was not troublesome at all. Once his health bar was revealed, Duanmu Huai immediately rushed up with Ogis and easily took him down. Afterward, they returned to the real world. But looking at the system prompt in front of him at this moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s mood was far from uplifting. [Task ¡°Angry Soul¡±pleted] [Task evaluation: Barely passable] [Although you were not his first choice, thebat power you disyed barely won his approval] [Triggered follow-up task ¡°Sleeping Girl¡±] [Soul Cards +5] Damn it¡­ Duanmu Huai really wanted to curse. Although he had indeed failed two instances in a row, and the system evaluation wouldn¡¯t be high, but what¡¯s with this heavy tone of disapproval? Besides, you lousy system, who are you to despise me? Only in the end did Duanmu Huai finally realize what the man wanted to do. Speaking frankly, he was tormented by the guilt of being a father and the pride of being a schr, suffering immensely, asking for relief. By chance, Duanmu Huai arrived, so this wretched fellow dumped his burden and went to eternal sleep in that world with his daughter, leaving all his troubles to Duanmu Huai! What kind of person is this? You pursue your peace of mind and just throw the trouble on me and run away? A real moral degradation¡­ Right now, Duanmu Huai only regretted that he didn¡¯t smash the man¡¯s head into pieces when he dealt with the BOSS earlier. Also, the name of the task ¡°Angry Soul¡±, misled Duanmu Huai and made him think that it was the purple-haired girl who was angry because of her father being killed. But in fact, ¡°Angry Soul¡± referred to the man¡¯s anger at his own twisted and weak will ¡ª in other words, he was furious at his own ipetence? I should¡¯ve smashed you to death just now¡­ Wait, it seems like I did just that. Oh well, talking to a dead person is pointless. Duanmu Huai silently crossed out the task and started looking at the Soul Cards in his hand. Because the task¡¯s evaluation was low this time, he only got five insurances cards. [Ghost Mansion (Bronze)] [Consumption: 1] [Whenever your servant (except the resentful Spirit) is destroyed, summon a Resentful Spirit to the battlefield] [Ghost (Bronze)] [Consumption: 2] [Attack: 2] [Defense: 2] [Critical Hit] [Undying Resentment (Bronze)] [Consumption: 2] [Deals 3 damage to a chosen enemy] [Undead System (2): Changes 3 points of damage to 5] [Shortcut to Death (Bronze)] [Consumption: 2] [Gives one¡¯s servant a (Critical Hit) effect] [Anserjo (??)] [Consumption: 3] [Attack: 2] [Defense: 2] [Sealed (Cannot be used)] Five insurance cards, thest one couldn¡¯t even be used, fine, it was expected, it was expected. Undead-system cards have a special feature known as the (Undead Technique) design. It has many special effects that require enough Death cards in the graveyard to activate. For example, the [Undying Resentment] card, which means when there are two death cards in the graveyard, you can activate Undead Techniques to raise the original 3 points of damage to 5. Of course, after activating the Undead Technique, the respective amount from the graveyard would be reduced by 2. And the Death cards in the graveyard naturallye from the cards destroyed in battle. Luckily, Duanmu Huai was not short of Death cards since he could summon puppets indefinitely, and each puppet destroyed was equivalent to +1 in the graveyard. As a result, Duanmu Huai had nearly a hundred Death cards in his graveyard, far too many to use. But now with the Undead System cards in hand, Duanmu Huai could create a positive cycle ¡ª¡ªby using puppets to stack the graveyard, then killing enemies using [Undying Resentment]. If he could get more powerful Undead cardster, the cycle of puppet-stacking would be even stronger! Not only that, but Duanmu Huai¡¯s biggest gain this time was the Bronze card [Shortcut to Death]. The reason was simple. It would give his servant a Critical Hit effect! Critical Hit! The Undead System¡¯s Critical Hit was a rule-ss killing curse, unless the opponent had a special ability such as (unaffected by special effect) and could only be knocked down frontally, otherwise it would basically mean certain death. This meant that if Duanmu Huai encountered a high-ranking demon like the Bloodthirsty Demon again, he wouldn¡¯t even need to risk dispatching Ogis. Instead, he could simply summon a puppet, apply the ¡°Shortcut to Death¡± critical effect to it, and let the puppet touch the Bloodthirsty Demon, who would immediately drop dead. However, Duanmu Huai had no ns to use this card on himself or on Ogis because critical effects were permanent, only disappearing upon death. Therefore, to be safe, Duanmu Huai nned to use this card in conjunction with a puppet. This way, the cost-effectiveness was rtively high, there was no need to worry about consuming thermal energy, and more importantly, he could use and discard the puppets without qualms. Moreover, with this cardbined with ¡°Ghost¡± and ¡°Resentful Spirit,¡± it would be much easier to deal with the followers and minions of the Filthy God. As for the ¡°Sleeping Girl¡± mission, Duanmu Huai currently had no way toplete it. The mission required him to visit at least five Soul Fragment Worlds, and he had no clue where to start, so he could only take his time. Anyway, the attack power of that card wasn¡¯t very high. After taking a look at it, Duanmu Huai understood why the purple-haired girl was able to exchange blows with him evenly. The card¡¯s ability level of 2 in both attack and defense was only on par with his own. Although it was a core card, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t see what was so impressive about it. Anyway, he decided to set it aside for now. After obtaining six Soul Cards, Duanmu Huai left the Falling Moon Forest and returned to The City of Silver. The Elf Scout had given him several pieces of intelligence, but apart from the Falling Moon Forest, Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t triggered any missions. Hence, he didn¡¯t waste any time. Since there were no missions triggered, most of them were probably just rumors. Upon returning to The City of Silver, the city was still in a shabby state. The streets were practically devoid of pedestrians, only soldiers were guarding the city walls. The city gates, originally damaged, were finally repaired. This was no surprise as Duanmu Huai had heard from the Elf Scout before leaving that due to the attacks of the Ratman and Evil God Cultists, most of the residents had fled the city in panic. After greeting the castle guards, Duanmu Huai entered the castle. However, to Duanmu Huai¡¯s surprise, when he arrived at the castle hall, he did not see Elisa and her mother, nor Captain Kado, but rather themander of the reinforcements who hade previously. What was his name again? Nevermind, it didn¡¯t matter what his name was. At this moment, the man was confidently seated in the lord¡¯s position, leisurely watching Duanmu Huai. ¡°Ah, what a surprise, Sir ck Knight. I didn¡¯t expect you to return.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just here to see Elisa. Where is she?¡± Duanmu Huai looked around the room and asked softly in a low voice. Upon hearing his question, a self-satisfied smile spread across the man¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, rest assured; Miss Elisa and her mother are both safe¡­ On the contrary, you¡­ perhaps you should consider your situation.¡± As he spoke, the man snapped his fingers. The next moment, arge group of fully-armed Brutal Believers rushed out from all directions, bearing long swords and shields, and surrounded Duanmu Huai. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Duanmu Huai nced around and asked coldly, to which the man responded with a slight smile. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve just reached an agreement with some people who wished to keep you here¡­ Ahhhhhh!!!!¡± However, before the man could finish his sentence, Duanmu Huai swung his War Hammer and interrupted him with a ¡°bang¡± that broke his legs. ¡°Attack, attack!!¡± Upon seeing the man being attacked, someone quickly shouted. The Brutal Believers raised their crossbows aiming at Duanmu Huai¡¯s helmet. But in the next moment, the soldiers¡¯ vision was abruptly split in two as if cut by an invisible de. Following that, all the fully-armed soldiers in the hall wielding shields and swords were cleaved into scattered chunks of flesh, littering the floor. Only then did Ogis lower her hands, with a fleeting glow on the puppet threads on her fingertips. Duanmu Huai was indifferent to these trivial matters. He strode forward to approach the self-appointed lord. ¡°You actually dared to trade with the Evil God, betray order, and be a pawn of Chaos!¡± ¡°You, don¡¯te any closer!!¡± Seeing the towering warrior in ck armor approach, the man whose legs were broken was now pale with fear. He tried desperately to struggle, but he couldn¡¯t move at all. ¡°I am the lord appointed by the Emperor himself. If you kill me, it is equal to being an enemy of the Empire¡­ Ahhhhhhh!!!¡± Before the man could finish his sentence, Duanmu Huai stepped on his hand, instantly crushing the man¡¯s right hand. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°¡­You¡­doing this is to challenge His Majesty the Emperor¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai reached out to grab the War Hammer that had broken the man¡¯s legs, and lifted it high overhead. ¡°Betraying order, siding with the Chaos agents must die no matter if he¡¯s an Emperor or King. The minions of Chaos must be eradicated!¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai¡¯s War Hammer smashed down with force! ¡°Bang!!!¡± Blood mixed with brain matter sttered on the wall. The man¡¯s body jumped up like a fish out of water, then fell heavily to the ground, no longer showing any sign of reaction. ¡°Hmph.¡± Duanmu Huai retracted his War Hammer without sparing another nce at the fool¡¯s corpse. He didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen. It seemed that reality was indeed not a game¡­ ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so fast¡­ I thought I could make it in time.¡± Just as Duanmu Huai was thinking, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him. Turning around, he saw the Elf Scout supporting a badly wounded Kado and waving at him. Behind her were the flustered Elisa and her mother. ¡°But luckily, it seems I¡¯m not too slow, am I?¡± Chapter 32 - 22 Unexpected Joy_1 Chapter 32: Chapter 22 Unexpected Joy_1 ording to the Elf Scout, not long after he left The City of Silver, that man showed his true colors and took control of the city, iming to have the Emperor¡¯s decree ¡ª which naturally left everyone confounded. As was widely known, the previous Emperor had suddenly died on his journey, so who was this so-called new Emperor? Helplessly, they were outpaced in skill. Moreover, The City of Silver had already been depleted of troops after a ratman attack, and along with the death of the city¡¯s Lord, all that was left were widows and orphans. Although Captain Kado refused to submit, he was eventually overpowered by the situation and they were all locked up in prison. ¡°I was originally nning to find a way to notify you and thene up with a n, but you moved faster than I had anticipated.¡± The Elf Scout looked at the body beneath Duanmu Huai¡¯s feet, speechless. ¡°Any servant of Chaos only has one path, death.¡± Duanmu Huai responded without a care, and the Elf Scout just shook his head. ¡°Forget it, this is not the ce for talk. Let¡¯s find somewhere else.¡± Soon, the group left the hall and found a secluded spot. Here, Duanmu Huai was updated on the recent developments by the Elf Scout. To put it simply, the current state of the Empire was in utter chaos. Firstly, the Imperial Emperor had suddenly died whilst on a expedition, and before his body even arrived back at the Royal City, the Great Crown Prince couldn¡¯t wait to dere himself as the new Emperor of the Empire, demanding that his other siblings submit to him. Even though the Empire practiced primogeniture, everyone knew that¡­ indeed, something like this simply couldn¡¯t be true. Of course, bing Emperor wasn¡¯t that simple for the Great Crown Prince, as ording to the Imperial tradition, only a royal offspring that had gathered all four Holy Artifacts would be able to ascend as the new Emperor. These four Holy Artifacts are: the Hammer of the Fire God, the Water God¡¯s Gift, the Wind God¡¯s Scepter, and the Earth God¡¯s Wrath. The function of the Water God¡¯s Gift is to purify and obtain water sources, the Hammer of the Fire God is used to forge indestructible weapons and armor, the Wind God¡¯s Scepter can control the climatic changes of an area, and the Earth God¡¯s Wrath can alter the topography. ording to the Royal family¡¯s tradition, only one who is in possession of all four Holy Artifacts can be the next Emperor. After which, when he fathers an heir, he will divide these Holy Artifacts among his offspring, starting the next round of contention. Now, the Great Crown Prince was demanding his siblings hand over the other three Holy Artifacts. The Great Crown Prince himself possessed the Hammer of the Fire God, while the Second Prince held the Wind God¡¯s Scepter, and the Third Prince possessed the Earth God¡¯s Wrath. The Water God¡¯s Gift was the only one without an owner and had been secretly stored in The City of Silver¡ª Well, Duanmu Huai could more or less guess who the potential holder was. Considering the demand of the Great Crown Prince, the remaining two naturally refused and consequently, a civil war broke out within the Empire. The Great Crown Prince possessed the Hammer of the Fire God, which conferred significant advantages. His soldiers, d in unyielding armor and wielding potent weapons, dealt blow after blow to the two other Princes¡¯ forces. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Upon hearing of the Emperor¡¯s death, the expedition army, already defeated, was further enraged by news of the Great Crown Prince usurping the throne. A faction among them expressed their intention to storm the Royal City and strangle the traitorous son who had plotted for power even before his father¡¯s body had cooled. However, another faction argued that a country cannot be without a ruler for even a single day. The Great Crown Prince was the eldest son and naturally the rightful heir. Especially during this critical period, with the Empire under the scrutiny of foreign enemies and the expedition having failed, unity should be the priority. Everyone should support the Great Crown Prince¡¯s ascension to the throne for the sake of the Empire! However, the other side clearly did not agree with this view. For them, their loyalty was to the Emperor, not to the Empire. The Emperor¡¯s death and the plotting for power were just the beginning of the problem! So¡­ the expeditionary forces split into two factions and then began to fight. But that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Apanied by the chaos of the Three Emperors¡¯ War (all three princes imed to be the Emperor), the already unstable environment within the empire grew increasingly turbulent. And the alien races who had been under attack were not exactly saints. They counterattacked at the news of the empire¡¯s internal strife and eagerly took advantage of the opportunity. On top of that, other powerful lords within the Empire, who had never given up their ambitions, came out of nowhere and publicly dered that they were not subjected to the Empire¡¯s rule anymore¡­ So, in short, the Empire was now in chaos and the Great Crown Prince¡¯s throne was far from stable. He had no choice but to send his faithful subordinates to other territories, with the mission of ¡°recapturing¡± them as much as possible. The City of Silver was also unlucky enough to be targeted for this reason. To make matters worse, it was also under attack by the Evil God Cultists, with its Lord being killed ¡ª¡ª for the Great Crown Prince, this ce was the absolute perfect unimed territory. However, much to his surprise, Duanmu Huai killed the subordinate he sent to take over, with a single blow of his hammer. ¡°In my opinion, you should gather your valuables and then hide in a secluded forest where no one is around. You cane out after their fights have calmed down.¡± After the Elf Scout¡¯s analysis of the current situation, Duanmu Huai decisively gave his own advice. In his view, the City of Silver was essentially doomed. The citizens were practically gone and the defending soldiers were heavily wounded from previous Corrupted Believers and Ratmen¡¯s joint attack. As far as Elisa was concerned, even though she was highly likely to be the Emperor¡¯s fourth heir, it ended there. With her personality, one could hardly expect her to be a queen. So¡­ Running and saving your lives is most important now. The world is vast. Where can¡¯t you go? Even if the Empire is in chaos, aren¡¯t there other countries on this? Even if you rule out the territories of elves and dwarfs, there are still many other nations, right? Everyone felt helpless about Duanmu Huai¡¯s suggestion, but they had to admit that it was the only solution for now. The City of Silver itself was deste and extremely remote. To be honest, staying here and resisting till death wasn¡¯t a good choice either. If this were a web novel, Duanmu Huai should have stayed to im the city, dered himself as king, then used his power to absorb refugees and continue to conquer the Empire¡­ But Duanmu Huai thought otherwise. As a Judge, his priorities were to eliminate Chaos and search for Holy Artifacts, not to y lord and master. Besides, even if he did want to y, he would prefer a ce with higher civilization standards than the medieval ones. Although they made a decision, Duanmu Huai disagreed with the Elf Scout on another matter. That was whether or not to take the ¡°Gift of the Water God¡±. Duanmu Huai thought it would be useless to take it and might even bring disaster to others. He preferred to leave it here and let those princes fight for it. But the Elf Scout insisted that this was a royal holy artifact and couldn¡¯t fall into the hands of greedy people. Therefore, she thought they should take the gift and leave the Empire, then find a secret corner to seal itpletely¡­ Of course, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t think this was a good idea. Haven¡¯t there been many fantasy RPG scenarios where a protagonist lives in a peaceful vige and then one day, the vige is destroyed by arge army because it hides a big secret? Wasn¡¯t it ridiculous? From this, it is clear, there is no such thing as a secret that can be kept forever. Especially when ites to these royal symbols, basically something everyone wants, expecting them not to track it is simply too difficult. The two argued for a long time, and in the end, both sides took a step back ¨C Elisa was allowed to leave with the holy artifact, but before she left the country, she would have to hand over the hot potato, to avoid courting disaster. After all, the primary function of the Water God¡¯s gift is to purify water, turning any liquid into pure water¡­ For an ordinary person, this artifact really isn¡¯t that significant. Eventually, the escape n was settled this way, and the only thing left to do was to remove the seal and take the Water God¡¯s gift. So, in the evening that day, Duanmu Huai and the others returned to the temple. The temple was still filled with a gut-wrenching stench. Although the bodies of the Ratmen and the Corrupted Believers had beenpletely incinerated, the spatters of dark red blood on the walls and the yellow and green things of unknown color all mixed together were still enough to make people want to vomit. The Elf Scout came to the divine statue again, chanted the spell again, and unlocked the seal. Then, the gigantic pearl once again appeared before everyone. Looking at the pearl in front of her, Elisa hesitated for a moment before walking up and slowly extending her hand. As expected, she didn¡¯t get blown away against the holy artifact like the Elf Scout did. On the contrary, the moment Elisa grasped the pearl, the gigantic pearl shed, and its previously dull surface began to emit a faint glow. And at the same time¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡­Huh?¡± Looking at the system prompt that suddenly popped up, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. He looked at the system information and then at the pearl held by Elisa¡­ Could this be happening? For Duanmu Huai, this certainly was a surprise. Remember, he had scanned this pearl before, and the system didn¡¯t respond at all. But now that Elisa held it, his system responded? Could it be that the seal had blocked the fluctuations of the whole holy artifact, so he couldn¡¯t sense it before, and now that Elisa had removed the seal, he could sense it? Was there such a thing? ¡°¡­Sir Knight? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai staring at her in silence, Elisa looked somewhat bewildered. Duanmu Huai, however, was silent for a moment, and then turned to look at Elisa. ¡°Elisa, why don¡¯t we strike a deal? Give this to me, and I will ensure your safe departure from the empire.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± At this, both Elisa and her mother were startled, and the Elf Scout furrowed his brows. ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡± ¡°Just what I said.¡± Duanmu Huai turned his head to look at the Elf Scout. ¡°I came here to find certain things, and this is one of them.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t mention it before.¡± The Elf Scout remembered that Duanmu Huai had checked out the Water God¡¯s gift with him, but he didn¡¯t say anything at the time. ¡°I didn¡¯t know this was what I was looking for until Elisa took it and the seal was lifted. That¡¯s when I felt its presence¡­¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai turned again to look at Elisa. But to his surprise, Elisa didn¡¯t wait for him to say anything else, she extended her hand and handed the pearl to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Please take it, Sir Knight.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Elisa gave an embarrassed smile. ¡°Sir Knight has saved me many times, and¡­ this thing doesn¡¯t really do me any good. If Sir Knight came for it, then please take it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Looking at Elisa, Duanmu Huai nodded and reached out to take the ¡°Gift of the Water God.¡± ¡°I promise, I will safely escort you out.¡± Chapter 33 - 23 Core Upgrade_1 Chapter 33: Chapter 23 Core Upgrade_1 For Duanmu Huai, this was indeed an unexpected joy. Although he had guessed that since he had been teleported to Elisa¡¯s side, it suggested that following her should involve main missions and Holy Artifact clues. However, he did not expect that he would obtain the first Holy Artifact so soon. After obtaining the Holy Artifact, Duanmu Huai temporarily separated from Elisa and others and came to the top of the castle. He then initialized the system. Soon, a system prompt appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. [Holy Artifact signal detected, do you want to activate the teleportation beacon?] ¡°Activate.¡± Following Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, six Skull Heads quietly appeared under his feet, then a beam of light emerged, and the next moment, Duanmu Huai returned to the Core Cabin that originally floated in space. Ogis was also looking around him, obviously curious about this magical ce. The Core Cabin was no different from when Duanmu Huai left. Except for a terminal and a hibernation pod, it was still bare. Duanmu Huai walked to the terminal, extended his hand, and ced the ¡°Gift of the Water God¡± on the tform above the terminal. Soon, the terminal automatically lit up, and lines of information appeared. [Holy Artifact signal detected] [Holy Artifact retrieved] At the same time, Duanmu Huai saw the white pearl shatter, disintegrate, and turn into light dust, disappearing without a trace. [Building Points +1] [Construction function initiated] With the system information, Duanmu Huai saw the terminal expand again and rows of information appeared. [Core Cabin (Completed)][Reactor (Not Unlocked)][Enhancement Room (Not Unlocked)] [Tribunal Library (Not Unlocked)][Strategic Command Room (Not Unlocked)] [Power System (Not Unlocked)][Defense Module (Not Unlocked)][Weapon Module (Not Unlocked)] [Extinction Order (Not Unlocked)][Void Barrack (Not Unlocked)][Void Dockyard (Not Unlocked)] [Special Building (Not Unlocked)] ¡°Very good.¡± Looking at the building blueprints in front of him, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help rubbing his hands with excitement. These are the basicponents of a Judge¡¯s space fortress. The [Core Cabin] doesn¡¯t need much exnation, it is the ce where Duanmu Huai had previously woken up. The [Strategic Command Room] is mainly used for an intuitive scanning and detection of the entire map. The [Power Reactor] is the basicponent that provides energy for the fortress. The name [Enhancement Room] is somewhat misleading, at first nce it seems to be used for the yer to strengthen themselves, but that¡¯s not the case. In fact, the [Enhancement Room] is used to manufacture Mecha Servants. The so-called Mecha Servant is a product of ancient Imperial tech, in simple terms, it involves cloning a person, then merging them with machinery, transforming them into a mechanical bio-human. These Mecha Servants don¡¯t have self-awareness and can perform simple tasks through inbuilt program logic. Of course, if yers find it troublesome, they can also directly capture some criminals and put them into the brainwashing device for transformation. Speaking of which, there were yers who caught a group of beauties to make Mecha Servants, to see if they could do whatever they wanted¡­ Unfortunately, a game is still just a game, as for what would happen in reality¡­ That¡¯s arguable. However, those who have such thoughts have basically been corrupted by the God of Lust and have been loyallybeled on the Tribunal¡¯s list. The [Tribunal Library] is arge library, but it¡¯s not just a simple library, it is also an analytical reformation device. yers can give the [Tribunal Library] the items they obtained from adventures in other worlds for analysis, thereby acquiring skills, magic, or knowledge from that world to modify their fortress. The [Defense Module] is the defensive shield of the fortress space station, the [Weapon Module] is used to build various defense weapons, nothing too special. Next is the [Extinction Order]¡­ yes, as the name implies, the [Extinction Order] is a decree to exterminate a, which is essentially a powerful weapon to destroy the. If a Judge confirms that the chaos corruption of a is beyond redemption, he can use his authority to sign an extinction order, and then one shot ¡ª the entire will bepletely blown to ashes. The [Void Barrack] is where Judges train their own troops, and the [Void Dockyard] is mainly used to manufacture warships. The former has no use for Duanmu Huai, becauseter Soul Walkers be a one-man army¡­ In fact, it¡¯s the same now. If Duanmu Huai wants to, he canpletely pave his entrance with hundreds of puppets. The attack power is just a bit low. [Special Building] is an additional enhancement module, if a yer¡¯s main mission evaluation is high enough after the adventure on a, or if the¡¯s reputation is high enough, they may receive additional building module rewards and can build some buildings with special abilities. But this is still too far away for Duanmu Huai now. The order in which these buildings are unlocked is also a matter of consideration. Within ¡°Star Ocean Online¡±, there are multiple civilization routes. One is the default Judge Empire technology route, where yers don¡¯t have to make tough decisions, simply click and everything¡¯s set. However, there are also other civilization routes that have developed over time after the ¡°ck Hole Project¡±, scattered throughout the Milky Way. These include magic civilizations, technology civilizations, and mixed civilizations. Generally, only new yers naively choose the default Imperial technology route. Granted, the Imperial technology route is pretty powerful and helpful in the beginning, but once you think about it, you¡¯ll realize that the mighty Empire fell apart under the Subspace Chaos Evil God. So won¡¯t ticking on this path again simply be a rerun of its defeat? On the other hand, searching for technologies from other civilizations then incorporating their best aspects is a better choice. So, Duanmu Huai did not immediately unlock the ¡°Power Reactor¡±. If unlocked now, it would automatically construct an ¡°Imperial Techno Core ¨C sma Reactor¡± due to the current enforced Imperial technology tree. Though this would allow the fortress¡¯s weapon systems to charge up and provide an early spatial firepower advantage,ter on, yers would find that different power systems require corresponding modules. In other words, once a yer builds a ¡°sma Reactor¡±, modules acquired from adventuring on others might not even be usable, and the yer would be forced to stick to the default Imperial technology route. A ssic case of gaining a sesame seed but losing a watermelon. Well¡­¡­.. Duanmu Huai even suspects that the game makers designed it this way on purpose. After all, it is indeed tempting to be able to perform space-based strikes in the early game¡­¡­.. But they¡¯dter realize how big of a price they¡¯d paid for it. After all, constructing a module only costs 1 construction point. But disassembling it requires 10¡­¡­.. Well, they¡¯re definitely doing it on purpose. ¡°Unlock the Strategic Command Room.¡± Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment, deciding to build the ¡°Strategic Command Room¡± first. Right now, he didn¡¯t need weapons for space-based strikes. Although the ¡°Tribunal Library¡± is also very important, for now, opening the map is the priority. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!¡± As Duanmu Huai¡¯s words fell, the entire Core Cabin suddenly shed a white light. Soon after, the Core Cabin began to tremble. After a moment, everything returned to silence. Simultaneously, Duanmu Huai found that at the end of the Core Cabin where the wall should have been, a heavy gate had appeared. He walked over, and the gate quickly rose, revealing arge cabin. It didn¡¯t look like the core of a space station, but more like a part of a cathedral, given the splendid decor and architecture around. The floor-to-ceiling windows nearly ten meters high were decorated with extravagantce. Gorgeous patterns were drawn on the curved dome. A red g hung high on the wall. Through the windows, one could clearly see a deep-blue and the starry sky. Starlight from the window shone in, casting dazzling, golden light on the two-headed eagle symbol. Were it not for the holographic projection console in the middle, it would appear more like a church hall, rather than a part of a space station or warship. Well, not surprising. After all, yers haveined that Imperial warships and space stations are just cathedrals with an engine attached¡­ But anyway, for the current Duanmu Huai, this was enough. He walked over to the holographic projection console and reached out. Quickly, under Duanmu Huai¡¯s operation, the full view of the below waspletely revealed. Well, time to get going. When Duanmu Huai and Ogis returned to The City of Silver through the teleportation beacon, everyone else had already been waiting for them for a while. ¡°Where on earth did you go?¡± The Elf Scout asked, sounding a little annoyed. ¡°We couldn¡¯t find you anywhere. We thought you ran off with the Holy Artifact.¡± ¡°I was just doing some preparation,¡± Duanmu Huai replied briefly, before looking at the rest of the group. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°We also did some preparation and are ready to set off.¡± The Elf Scout replied with an edge in his voice. ¡°But nning the route is a bit troublesome, especially since we¡¯re not quite sure about the situation outside¡­¡­¡± ¡°No need to worry about that.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai spread out his right hand. Soon, with a sh of light, a projection of a appeared before him. ¡°Huh?!¡± Seeing this, everyone¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Chapter 34 - 24 Strategic Shift_1 Chapter 34: Chapter 24 Strategic Shift_1 Under the holographic projection, a blue appeared in front of everyone. To them, this scene was so dreamy that it was beyond imagination. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Elisa¡¯s mother covered her mouth with both hands, staring in astonishment at the before her, while Kado and the elf scout were just as dumbfounded. Elisa, however, was rtively calm ¡ª after all, she already knew that Duanmu Huai had abilities simr to a mage, so it was not surprising that he could do something like this. Instead, she curiously approached and looked at the holographic projection in front of Duanmu Huai. ¡°Sir Knight, what is this?¡± ¡°This is the map of this world.¡± ¡°Huh? Do we live on a sphere? Then where do we live??¡± Hearing Elisa¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai quickly stretched his hand out and tapped on the holographic projection, then quickly erged it. Subsequently, the entire City of Silver and its surrounding area appeared in front of everyone. ¡°Wow, is this the City of Silver? So, it¡¯s like this??¡± At this time, other people also gathered around, curiously staring at the holographic projection in front of them. This scene was truly iprehensible, as they had never seen such a sight before. ¡°Ah, this is our castle! And the guards patrolling on the city wall! Even at night, I can see it so clearly¡­..¡± Elisa was now like a child with a new toy, eagerly peering around, then she stretched her hand out in confusion, pointing to the edge of the map. ¡°Huh? What are those dense shadows over there?¡± ¡°Hmm? Let me see¡­¡­¡± Hearing Elisa¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai noticed that there was a group of moving shadows in the lower left corner of the map outside the City of Silver. He also stretched his hand out and tapped there. The view then erged again, and everyone saw a swarm of Ratmen and Corrupted Believers elerating toward the City of Silver¡­ ¡°Enemy raid!¡± At the same time, the bells representing the alert sounded outside. After these days, there were not many people left in the City of Silver. Apart from a group of old soldiers who followed Captain Kado, the other residents had left the City of Silver earlier to flee elsewhere, and the servants in the castle had all been dismissed. At this point, the total number of people in the City of Silver was less than a hundred. The opposing Ratmen Army had at least hundreds, if not thousands, which naturally could not be resisted in any way. Fortunately, everyone was already prepared to flee. At this moment, they hastily packed their belongings and boarded the carriages. ¡°Sir Knight, what will you do?¡± Elisa looked at Duanmu Huai and asked anxiously. No wonder she was nervous. After all, Duanmu Huai¡¯s armor was so heavy it might weigh several tons. If he were to ride a horse, he would tly crush the horse to death. And if he were to sit in a carriage, the carriage would copse as soon as he got in. ¡°I will cover the rear to make sure these guys won¡¯te after us.¡± Duanmu Huai quickly gave his answer, then looked at Ogis. ¡°Ogis, you go with them and make sure they are safe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Ogis didn¡¯t say anything, she just nodded slightly. ¡°I will take thedy and the youngdy to ckwood River. I have a secret hideout there which should be safe.¡± The elf scout was already sitting in the carriage and then said to Duanmu Huai. ¡°I marked its specific location on the map. With that strange device of yours, it should be easy to find.¡± ¡°I see, you all withdraw first, Sir Kado as well.¡± ¡°Alright, you too, take care.¡± After a brief conversation between the two sides, the Elf Scout issued a rebuke, driving the carriage to leave at high speed under the guard of Sir Kado and his soldiers, while Duanmu Huai took a quick nce at their retreating figures then withdrew his gaze, returning to the castle. Now, it waste at night. The originally bright moonlight was covered by clouds that had appeared at some unknown time, leaving the entire city in pitch ckness. Standing on the balcony of the castle, one could see nothing beyond the light from the torches of the castle. Duanmu Huai simply stood there, staring at thend before him shrouded in darkness ¨C until red life signals appeared in his field of vision. They¡¯ve finally arrived. Gazing at the Ratmen and Corrupted Believers steadily approaching The City of Silver, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes were cold. He stood up and reached out his hand, a card appearing at his fingertips, then quietly disappeared. Subsequently, a peculiar mansion radiating a ghostly blue light emerged, vaguely visible behind Duanmu Huai. He then flicked his right hand down. In an instant, almost a hundred puppets quietly surfaced, neatly arranged like soldiers. They lifted their weapons and pounced on their enemies like Panthers in the night. As this happened, the army of Ratmen and Corrupted Believers had broken through the city gates and returned to the city once more. The silence of the city had clearly disoriented these filthy creatures used to constant turmoil. They had expected another delightful ritual to spread the ¡°love¡± of the Filthy God to the masses. However, the city before them felt more like a graveyard rather than the joyous dance hall they expected. While these invaders were at a loss about what to do, countless puppets fell from the sky, charging straight into the ranks of the Corrupted Believers and Ratmen. The sudden appearance of the Puppet Army caught the Corrupted Believers and Ratmen off guard, but at the same time, they found their enemy. Though the sharp des of the puppets were deadly, it was hard for their physical attacks to make a dent on the bloated, disease-infested Corrupted Believers as before. And with a defence as low as 1 point, the puppets were no match for the Ratmen and Corrupted Believers. Almost instantaneously after their charge, the puppets were smashed into pieces, their attack seemingly having no effect other than causing a slight undtion in the Filthy Army. This was, however, just the beginning. While the puppets were being smashed into pieces, the sinister mansion behind Duanmu Huai, shining with the light of ethereal mes, started to stir. Then, its windows and doors opened abruptly, as if haunted, unleashing an invisible cold wind that swept past Duanmu Huai and sped towards the front. Soon after, the Ratmen and Corrupted Believers noticed a change. While they were crushing the suddenly appearing puppets, a multitude of white-robed spectral spirits radiating a mortuary chill emerged. They opened their mouths, letting out a mournful wail of death that sent shivers down the spines of all living creatures. These spirits then pounced on the Filthy Army like a pack of starving wolves. This was the power of the card ¡°Ghost Mansion¡± that Duanmu Huai had obtained from the Soul Shard! ¡°Ghost Mansion (Bronze)¡± ¡°Cost: 1¡± ¡°Whenever one of your servants (excluding resentful spirits) is destroyed, summon a resentful spirit onto the battlefield.¡± From the sky, the army of spirits erupting everywhere resembled a white lotus in full bloom, which was a beautiful sight. But for the Ratmen and Corrupted Believers, such a pure embodiment of death was their natural enemy. They started desperately running in all directions. The diseases and toxic substances carried by the followers of the Filthy God were entirely useless against the resentful spirits, and they couldn¡¯t even attack the spirits¡¯ bodies. While every attack of the spirits weakened their vital spirits bit by bit. Although the offensive strength of the spirits was not particrly high, their advantagey in their spiritual forms, immune to ordinary physical attacks and only vulnerable to elemental and magic damage. Unfortunately for the followers of the Filthy God, theycked prowess in this aspect as well. Soon, Corrupted Believers and Ratmen fell to the ground, touched by the ¡°caress¡± of the undead. Theyy there, cold and rigid, their hearts no longer beating, and even the viruses dwelling on their bodies withered and died under the gust of death. This was why Duanmu Huai chose the Undead Card Deck. Nothing could withstand the power of death. Not even viruses, parasites, and bacteria were exceptions. Every ¡°fire of life¡± would be extinguished amidst the wails of resentful spirits. The only regret was that, as proven by the blood and tears of countless yers, this deck could only be potent against high-level demons. Great Demons and Chaos Evil Gods were immune to these undead spells and effects, their magic resistance making them impervious. To deal with them, there seemed to be no other way than a head-on confrontation. Of course, if there existed any divine artifact in this world capable of killing anything and everything, it might be of use¡­ Unfortunately, no such item or card existed in the game. For Duanmu Huai, however, this was already enough. Looking at the enemy forces, already reeling amidst the army of spirits, Duanmu Huai nodded in satisfaction. Then he turned around and left ¨C after all, there was no point in him staying there any longer. Chapter 35 - 25 Rainy Night_1 Chapter 35: Chapter 25 Rainy Night_1 (I didn¡¯t think that the limits of fan value would affect this chapter before, but I¡¯ve changed it.) ¡°Boom boom boom!!!¡± The storm was pouring down, amidst echoing thunder and lightning, the world was in total darkness. On the narrow path, a carriage was galloping onwards. Thenterns hanging outside the carriage were almost useless in such conditions, barely shedding light on the road ahead, only allowing a dim view of a small area. The soldiers who were supposed to protect the carriage had basically scattered and escaped, only Sir Kado was still riding his horse along with them. An elf scout sat in the driver¡¯s seat, his hands tightly gripping the reins ¡ª¡ª if it wasn¡¯t for the elf¡¯s keen senses and night vision ability, the carriage might have fallen off a cliff long ago. Inside the carriage, Elisa and her mother looked pale. With the carriage swaying left and right, the howling wind outside, thunder and lightning, and the downpour, there was hardly anything to feel at ease about. Elisa¡¯s mother held her hands together, muttering prayers to some deity, while Elisa clenched her fists, anxiously looking out the window. On the contrary, Miss Ogis seemed quite calm. She sat opposite Elisa and her mother, cing her suitcase on herp with a book on top ¡ª¡ª it was a fairy tale book that Miss Ogis had taken from the castle library before leaving. Even under the dim light of the oilmp, she was engrossed in reading. ¡°Buzz¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± However, at that moment, everyone suddenly heard a strange sounding from the storm. The sound was initially very faint, almost making people doubt their hearing. But soon, the sound grew louder and louder, like swarms of mosquitoes rushing at them. And now, the screaming of the Elf Scout also rang from outside the carriage. ¡°Watch out, it¡¯s rotflies!!!¡± Simultaneously, a dark shadow descended from the sky. These were monsters the size of a person, with two pairs of wings, resembling erged flies and bugsbined. They lunged from the storm, aiming straight at the carriage. Facing the attack of the rotfly swarm, everyone was instantly tense. The aged knight held the reins with one hand, drew his longsword with the other, and furiously shed at the swooping rotflies, instantly cutting a lunging rotfly in half. On the other side, the elf was gripping the reins tightly, swaying the carriage left and right, trying to escape the pursuit of the swarm of rotflies. Rotflies may not be very strong, but inrge groups, they can be very troublesome. If they can¡¯t get away, their party might be buried here! ¡°Lord Kado, get on the carriage quickly!¡± Hearing the elf¡¯s shout, the aged knight didn¡¯t hesitate, drove his horse close to the carriage, then lept into the front of the carriage. Almost at the same time, several rotflies shot down, knocking the knight¡¯s warhorse to the ground and ruthlessly tearing at its flesh, turning it into a corpse. The strong smell of blood seemed to further provoke the ferocity of the rotflies, and they sped up once again, almost surrounding the carriage. The old knight swung his longsword, forcing back all the rotflies that tried to approach. Despite this, many rotflies began to attack the carriage, their ws and sharp mandibles tearing and pounding at the carriage. At this point, Elisa and her mother, inside the carriage, were shivering and huddled together. ¡°Really¡­ what a nuisance!¡± After once again managing to shake off the rotflies with the carriage, the Elf Scout couldn¡¯t help but start toin. ¡°Hey, you there, wasn¡¯t the ck Knight supposed to protect us? Hurry up and help us, or else we¡¯re all going to die!!¡± Though the elf scout didn¡¯t know much about Ogis¡¯s abilities, she had seen Ogis deal with a gue Apostle in the past and knew that the silent girl possessed considerable power. If she didn¡¯t lend a hand soon, everyone might die! ¡°Miss Ogis!¡± Hearing the elf scout¡¯s scream, Elisa also hurriedly looked at Ogis, who was still flipping her book. ¡°Please help us, if this continues, we will all die!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± In response to Elisa¡¯s request, Ogis just raised her head, stared at her, and then nodded slightly. The next moment, a miracle happened. The swarm of rotflies surrounding the carriage suddenly shattered, each rotfly as if cut by the invisible de, split into countless pieces. In the blink of an eye, the once mighty rotfly armypletely dissipated, vanishing into the storm and the dark night. For a while, it was quiet again, with only the sound of horse hooves and the creaking of the carriage mixed with the storm. The elf scout and the old knight who had narrowly escaped also breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew¡­ it seems that the ck Knight is quite reliable. I thought¡­ ¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± However, before the Elf Scout could finish speaking, a monstrous figure suddenly fell from the sky,nding right in front of their carriage. It was a three-meter tall behemoth, body swollen and covered with mutated engorged muscles and veins, two terrifyinglyrge ws protruding from its hands. Its jaws wide open, a long tongue slithered out like a restless viper. ¡°Chaos Spawn!!!¡± Upon seeing the creature, both the Elf Scout and the elderly knight turned deathly pale. This terrifying creature¡ª so monstrous in appearance that even they had only ever heard rumours of its existence. Simply put, when a follower of the Evil God is unable to withstand the chaos wrought upon them by their deity, their body and mind crumble, transforming into a vicious monster devoid of self-awareness. Armed with tremendous strength andpletely reckless in battle, these creatures are feared by all; every fighter¡¯s worst nightmare. And now, one was standing directly in front of their speeding carriage ¨C about to crash into it! ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡­..!!!¡± The Elf Scout gritted her teeth and yanked the reins, struggling to slow the horses, but it was toote. The Chaos Spawn, howling, was already lunging at them! As this horrifying creature was about topletely crush their carriage, the Chaos Spawn¡¯s gigantic form suddenly trembled in midair and came to aplete halt. Then, a dazzling bolt of lightning cut through the drizzle, thundering straight towards the Chaos Spawn!!! ¡°Boom!!!!!¡± The Thunder Warhammer impacted directly with the Chaos Spawn¡¯s chest, sending it hurtling away. At the same time, Duanmu Huai descended from the sky like a divine soldier. His chainsaw sword in his hand roared with a sound rivaling that of thunder, and he shed at the Chaos Spawn. But the Chaos Spawn was a formidable adversary. Duanmu Huai had barely gotten close when its w suddenly extended, whipping towards Duanmu Huai like a longsh. In response to the Chaos Spawn¡¯s attack, Duanmu Huai could only retreat after retracting his sword, but he still wasn¡¯t fast enough. The Chaos Spawn¡¯s whip-like attack struck him, knocking him back several steps. Ah, tackling such a creature head-on was a mistake indeed. My bad. Looking at the ¡°LV30¡± above the Chaos Spawn¡¯s head, Duanmu Huai quietly set aside his initial n of storming in to fight it, but had another idea. Apanying this change of tactics, a card appeared once again before Duanmu Huai, morphing into a frail spirit in a tattered ck dress. Its elongated, skeletal arms raised menacingly, the spirit shrieked and lunged at the Chaos Spawn. The Chaos Spawn, refusing to be outdone, mbered to its feet and took a swipe at the menacing spirit. The spirit let out a cry midair and then vanished, while the Chaos Spawn stilled abruptly, afterward toppling over, lifeless. ¡°Ghost (Bronze)¡± ¡°Cost:2¡± ¡°Attack:2¡± ¡°Defense:2¡± ¡°Critical Hit¡± In terms ofbat prowess, the Ghost was not particrly powerful. However, its ¡°Critical Hit¡± ability posed a significant threat on the battlefield. Especially for creatures like the Chaos Spawn,pletely devoid of strategic thinking, facing an ability that could kill with just a touch¡ª ¡°Critical Hit¡±¡ª it was bound for only one fate: death. After dispatching the Chaos Spawn, Duanmu Huai caught up with the Elf Scout and the others. Seeing he was unharmed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, trouble was inevitably on its way. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to outrun them at this rate.¡± The Elf Scoutmented bitterly, pointing at their map. Initially, she had nned to retreat to her base, but it seemed impossible now. ¡°Clearly, the Filthy God¡¯s army has invaded this area. Leaving without attracting their attention is highly unlikely.¡± ¡°The number advantage makes it really troublesome,¡± Duanmu Huai concurred. They were terribly outnumbered, and if the followers of the Filthy God were hell-bent on capturing them, they were no match for those followers ¡ª as he had mentioned before, the Filthy God has no scruples when ites to attracting followers. There are no requirements or bottom lines. If it wished, the God could convert the entire poption of a territory into followers. Just the thought of it induced a headache. However, not all hope was lost. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s walk a path they wouldn¡¯t dare to follow.¡± ¡°Where could that be?¡± ¡°Of course there is.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai gazed at the map before him. ¡°For instance¡­ a ce where no life would dare enter.¡± Chapter 36 - 26 Land of Dead Silence_1 Chapter 36: Chapter 26 Land of Dead Silence_1 ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.¡± Driving the carriage along a deste, isted path, the Elf Scout¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness. Currently, they were moving through a barren wilderness. Everywhere they looked, there seemed to be no trace of life. The forest in the distance had long since wilted, and where once there had been farnd, now there remained only dreary, barren soil. This was the Land of Dead Silence. Long ago, it was the fiefdom of a noble. At that time, the Earl was facing a crisis of session. He had only one daughter and no sons, and his brother had a covetous eye on his title andnd. Then, a handsome young man approached the Earl, iming that he was a noble from a distant kingdom, hoping to marry the Earl¡¯s daughter. Perhaps adhering to the principle of ¡°better an ally than a servant at home,¡± the old Earl agreed to the young man¡¯s request. As a result, the man married the Earl¡¯s daughter, and smoothly inherited the title of Earl. The old Earl passed away soon thereafter. However, truth be told, the young man was not a noble, but a vampire. After that, the other members of the Earl¡¯s family either ¡°idently¡± died or disappeared, or became the vampire¡¯s minions. Soon, the vampire seized control of thend and became a formidable and horrifying figure. At the time, the empire was in civil unrest. It was simply a rey of current history, the emperor died, and everyone vied to be the next emperor. Three princes decided to dere themselves kings, thus history didn¡¯t change much. Seizing this opportunity, the vampire finally bared his fangs. On a dark and windy night, he killed all the people in his territory and turned them all into his undead minions, forming an undead army, andunched an attack on the empire. Faced with the onught of the vampire legion, the infighting empire had finally temporarily set aside their differences to face themon enemy. After all, they merely wanted to be emperor, not the ve of a vampire. Under the premise of a united front, the empire began to resist the vampire¡¯s assault. That vampire was indeed powerful, with the help of a magical ring, he was immune to any harm. Whether he was beheaded or had his heart exploded, the vampire could revive himself and counterattack in a short time¡ªit seemed he had mastered the art of resurrection despite losing all blood. Thus, the vampire army made a relentless advance, until they reached the gates of the Imperial City. However, life often has a way of surprising us. Just as the vampire was about to seize the royal city, his magical ring mysteriously disappeared. Loss of his means of resurrection greatly frustrated the vampire, so he ordered another attack on the royal city. However, this time, he wasn¡¯t sessful and was utterly defeated by the empire, done for. With the principalmander killed, the vampire army immediately copsed and disintegrated. The empire that had seized the opportunity to counterattack crushed them utterly. After this war, the civil unrest in the empire also came to an end, and the prince who had contributed the most and was most powerful in the vampire war was elected as the next emperor. To end the war within the empire, a vampire from a far-offnd voluntarily delivered his head as a gift, truly a disy of self-sacrifice. After that, this territory became cursed as the Land of Dead Silence. Initially, there were daring nobles foolish enough to attempt to im thisnd. But after several nobles met grisly ends here, the rest respectfully kept their distance. Ever since, this ce has been a domain of death. It¡¯s said that the undead turned by the vampire still roam thisnd, savagely killing anyone who dares to invade their territory. Hmm¡­ judging from the scene before us, it¡¯s not seeming like a baseless rumor. It should be noted that undead beings and vampires are actually different races. Even in Soul Cards, undead and vampires are separate. The resentful spirits and ghosts that Duanmu Huai had summoned previously were all undead, while vampires were categorized as undead creatures. Simply put, vampires appear more like a ¡°life form that does not die naturally,¡± since they need to drink blood to maintain and enhance themselves which is an act of survival. Therefore, when encountering the Filthy God, vampires aren¡¯t resistant to all poisons like the undead. They only have a higher resistance. Conversely, when dealing with the undead, the followers of the Filthy God are somewhat helpless¡ªviruses and diseases cannot infect bones and ghosts. In the same way, because of their hatred for life, the undead consistently and ferociously attack any living being that dares to step into their territory. Indeed, even though the followers of Filthy God are bloated, their skin covered in pus-filled pustules, their bodies emitting a rotten smell that induces vomit, and parasites wriggling inside them like mice swimming delightfully in cheese, they are still considered ¡°alive¡± and ¡°living entities.¡± This was why Duanmu Huai chose this route. If the Corrupted Believers nned to continue relying on their human sea tactics to hunt them, they would have to risk entering this territory and battle the undead here. After all, they are not proficient in stealthy infiltrations, and without sufficient numbers, they wouldn¡¯t pose a threat to Duanmu Huai and hispanions. Chapter 37 - 26 Land of Dead Silence_2 Chapter 37: Chapter 26 Land of Dead Silence_2 Compared to that, Duanmu Huai and his group were fewer in number and smaller in target size, allowing them to slip by undetected if they were both lucky and careful. Under the satellite scan of the strategicmand room, Duanmu Huai¡¯s current movement was as clear as an open map; showing which ces were riskier and which were safer. Consequently, under his leadership, the journey was fairly smooth. However¡­¡­¡­ ¡°I really can¡¯t get used to this ce.¡± Sitting in the carriage and observing the surroundings, the Elf Scout grumbled discontentedly. Everything here carried a hint of deathly stillness, even the air seemedden with bone-chilling ice crystals. When inhaled, one could feel their entire body shivering. Even the two horses drawing the carriage seemed listless, as they could only nibble on the withered wild grass by the roadside¡­ ¡°Alright, rather thanining, we better think about how we can get out of here as soon as possible.¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t really mind. After all, this ce was just like that. He briefly checked the map, and Sir Kado and the Elf Scout leaned in. To be honest, everything outside was already in quite a mess. All three princes had crowned themselves kings, initiating Imperial Civil War 2.0. Unfortunately, there was no vampire to present a head and unite them once again. The City of Silver had indeed fallen, the entire territory was now a yground for the virus, pestilence and the Corrupted Believers. Adding to this, it was also spreading to the surrounding areas. Massive waves of refugees flooded into neighboring territories, which were primarily encountering the impact of the civil war. The route proposed by the Elf Scout was to traverse through the now deste Wesen Territory and cross the southern Gray Mountains to reach Bartoni- a rtively small but peaceful country. At least in Bartoni, people could live in peace. Well, as long as you weren¡¯t a farmer. Unsurprisingly, no country in this world was perfect, Bartoni had its problems as well. However,pared to the current imperial internal strife and the brutal and corrupt believers enjoying within the imperial territory, Bartoni seemed like a fine choice. In other words, they had no better choice. If they were not headed to Bartoni, they either had to cross the Ogre Kingdom to go far away to Zhen Dan, or head south across the desert to the Arabds¡­ Compared to these, getting to Bartoni by crossing the Gray Mountains didn¡¯t seem too bad, as long as they didn¡¯t provoke the Dwarves, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. It¡¯s way better than crossing the Ogre Kingdom or risking their lives in the desert. ¡°Let¡¯s continue ahead, at least for now, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anyone ahead.¡± In this Land of Dead Silence, the most dangerous ces are not the wild and deserted areas, but the viges, towns and even castles. Due to the brutal Vampire Lord¡¯s reign, almost all the people in this territory ¨C from farmers to nobles were killed and turned into undead creatures. Therefore, there were high chances of encountering undead creatures in the ces where they lived. For these reasons, the group spent their journey in the wilderness, skirting human settlements. Otherwise, they might be part of a scene out of Silent Hill, Evil Spirit Castle or some other horrifying game scenario. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t really care about all this. After all, he had another task at hand from the Sleeping Beauty task- to collect five Undead shards. But considering that there were many others with him, Duanmu Huai decided not to take that risk. If anything went awry, it would only create trouble. It would be better toplete the primary task first and thene back for the Undead shards. Everyone grumbled for a bit, and then they continued on their way. The Elf Scout was driving the carriage while the old knight sat at the front. Duanmu Huai followed behind them with his War Hammer in hand. Initially, the Elf Scout purposely slowed the carriage down so that Duanmu Huai could keep up. It was onlyter that she realized that despite his heavy armor, Duanmu Huai¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t at allcking. Even though he was walking, he was able to keep up with the carriage¡¯s speed¡­ The weather in the Land of Dead Silence was perpetually gloomy and murky. The sky was covered by thick, dark clouds, the sunlight was almostpletely blocked, and a cold wind howled across the wilderness, bringing with it eerie, mournful whispers as if from resentful spirits. The horses pulling the carriage didn¡¯tst long and died with piteous neighs. Duanmu Huai volunteered to pull the carriage himself when he couldn¡¯t find any alternatives. The two horses were dissected and processed into dry food by the Elf Scout and the old knight- food was scarce in this ce, and the food they had brought from the castle was almost gone. However, when it turned dark, a peculiar object appeared before them. ¡°If my eyes aren¡¯t ying tricks on me, then it seems like there¡¯s an inn?¡± Seeing the building by the road, Duanmu Huai let out a dryment, and the Elf Scout nodded in agreement. ¡°And the door¡¯s open too.¡± Yes, as the Elf Scout pointed out, not only was the door open, but the building was also in full light, looking just like a bustling roadside inn¡­ well, that would have been the case had it not been in the deste Land of Dead Silence. It waspletely out of the ordinary. Chapter 38 - 26: Land of Dead Silence_3 Chapter 38: Chapter 26: Land of Dead Silence_3 ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Of course, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t foolish enough to fall for such a trick. He had heard countless ghost stories just like this one and so, he took hold of the carriage and moved on. At the same time, Duanmu Huai nced at the task that now stood before him. [Triggered task ¡°Midnight Inn¡±] [Task Objective: Escape the predicament] [Why does this unmanned inn appear in the wilderness at midnight?] If it was just Duanmu Huai here, he would undoubtedly venture into the inn. However, considering that he has the elderly and vulnerable behind him, he decided to ignore it for the time being. As they moved on¡­ ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not surprised at all.¡± Looking at the inn that had appeared before them yet again, Duanmu Huai remained unruffled. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Even the Elf Scout was speechless. Elisa and the others were curiously looking out the window, and it was no wonder why they remained so calm. After all, since entering the Land of Dead Silence, they had experienced ghosts, screams, cries¡­ They had seen so much, they were now numb to it. ¡°We don¡¯t have a priest or bishop to exorcise the evil.¡± Old Knight Karol stroked his beard and said with a bitter smile. Duanmu Huai, however, waved his hand. ¡°Let me try something.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai turned towards the inn and took a deep breath. Then¡­ ¡°Inonsensicalnonsense¡­!!¡± After hurling a barrage of profanities at the inn, Duanmu Huai once again hauled the carriage onward. The others stared in stunned silence at Duanmu Huai¡¯s crude words. ¡°What do you mean by this?¡± The Elf Scout watched Duanmu Huai in confusion and asked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a custom from my hometown ¨C when you encounter a ghost, you swear at it. Ghosts are scared of evil people, so as long as you appear fierce and terrifying, then the ghost will run away on its own.¡± ¡°There¡¯s such a saying?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s exnation, everyone was speechless. However¡­ the reality demonstrated that superstitions were just that ¨C superstitions. ¡°Turns out it¡¯s useless.¡± The same road, the same inn, at the same location. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in this curse. You¡¯re looking for trouble.¡± Furious, Duanmu Huai took off his helmet and strode towards the inn. ¡°Let¡¯s see what kind of ghost this damned thing is up to!¡± However, just as Duanmu Huai reached out, intending to pull open the door of the inn, suddenly, an anomaly urred. The inn before him suddenly began to distort and change its form. Then, with a piercing scream, the inn transformed into countless white resentful spirits, disappearing into the darkness of the night, leaving no trace behind. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± The bleak cold wind howled. People watched in shock as the once bustling wilderness was now devoid of any presence,pletely at a loss to what happened. Duanmu Huai simply looked at the system notification in front of him, his face expressionless. [You used intimidation on the Ghost Inn] [The Ghost Inn tried to resist¡­ resistance failed] [The Ghost Inn has entered a state of panic] [The Ghost Inn disappeared] [Task ¡°Midnight Inn¡±pleted] [Task assessment: Unbelievable] [He who ovees others without fighting is the best warrior] [Earned 1000 experience points, an additional 700 experience points, elevated to level 21, extra Soul Cards+2] [Intimidation leveled up to LV3][Progress of ¡°Sleeping Girl¡±+1] [Ghost Dog of the Inn (Bronze)] [Cost: 1] [Attack: 1] [Defense: 1] [Crit Hit][(Entrance Song): Draw one card when triggered] [Poltergeist (Silver)] [Cost: 3] [Summon 2 Resentful Spirits to the field][(Spirit st Enhance: 4): Effect ¨C ¡®When this servant leaves, transform it into the effect of being destroyed¡¯] What the hell, they¡¯re just messing with me! Duanmu Huai¡¯s face remained expressionless as he put his helmet back on and returned to the carriage. Currently, the Elf Scout looked over at him with a mischievous grin. ¡°You know, you might as well not wear that helmet. That way, no ghost would dare toe near us.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai silently gave the Elf Scout the middle finger. Aside from muttering under his breath, there was nothing else he wanted to say right now. Chapter 39 - 27 Gray Mountains_1 Chapter 39- 27 Gray Mountains_1 Though Duanmu Huai was quite irked, it turned out that his face could indeed ward off evil spirits. After their episode, the group encountered no more such sinister events, and even the former frequent wails of ghostly women hadpletely disappeared. So when they had sessfully traversed the Land of Dead Silence and stood at the foot of the Gray Mountains, all, except Duanmu Huai, wore rxed grins on their faces. After all, they were halfway to achieving their goal by this point. "Alright, what''s the next move?" Duanmu Huai put his helmet back on and turned to the Elf Scout. While his Core Cabin could now function as a satellite map, they still needed local information to find their way. Besides, as a Royal Spy, it was expected of the Elf Scout to not disappoint. Feeling the intense gaze of Duanmu Huai, the Elf Scout suppressed his grin, looked at the map in front of him, and began to think. "We have two options. We could head straight south, crossing the Gray Mountains, or we could take the dwarfs'' tunnel through the mountain. But the Vampire Count once attacked the dwarfs. The dwarfs joined forces with the Imperial soldiers to repel the Vampire Count''s army at the time." "How do the dwarfs feel about the Empire?" "Just so-so. They can''t really say it''s good or bad. The dwarfs and the Empire do have some trade going on, but they are not keen on dealing with external affairs." "What do you think? If we ask the dwarfs for permission to pass through Bartoni, will they agree?" "Hard to say. I don''t have any rtionship with those dwarfs and they are quite stubborn sometimes. Simply thinking about bribing them with money will not be an easy task." "Bang!!" After discussing for a while, they decided to try their luck at the Graystone Mountain Road. Although crossing the mountains was also a feasible option, the danger was too great for Elisa and her mother, Kristin, both of whom were ordinary people. Moreover, their supplies had been nearly depleted on their journey and the carriage had fallen into disrepair and couldn''t be used. Therefore, they nned to first purchase supplies from the dwarfs, along with a new carriage to resume their journey. Thus, under the guidance of the Elf Scout, they abandoned their dpidated carriage and began to proceed towards the Gray Mountains. However, as they entered the Graystone mountain path, suddenly, a gunshot echoed. "Bang!!" Duanmu Huai came to a halt. In front of him, a stone had been shattered by the gunshot. He lifted his eyes to see several dwarfs with firearms peeking out on either side of the path and aiming their guns at him and the others. "Hey, big fe, who are you? What are you doing in the Gray Mountains?!" Soon after, a dwarf shouted at them. Instead of responding, Duanmu Huai gestured to the knight, who nodded, stepped forward, and shouted back at the dwarfs. "We are refugees, escaping the chaos of war. We are no threats, we just hope to pass through the Gray Mountains to get to Bartoni!" After hearing the knight''s words, the dwarfs held a brief discussion. The dwarf who had shouted earlier then addressed them again. "Fine,e over here, but no funny business. Especially you, big fe! If you try anything funny, I''ll smash your brains in!" Upon hearing the dwarfs'' response, everyone heaved a sigh of relief and proceeded to walk forward. Soon enough, a massive stone wall and iron gate came into view at a narrow part of the mountain path. Well, it was a known fact that the dwarfs are excellent builders in this fantasy world and this ce was no different. "Creak...¡­" Soon, the iron gate opened. Under the leadership of Duanmu Huai, the party entered. Arge group of dwarfs, armed with heavy axes and firearms, approached and encircled them. The dwarf who had spoken earlier emerged from the crowd, furrowed his brows, and carefully observed everyone before asking. "You all are refugees? Did an internal war break out in the Empire again?" Ah, the word "again" was indeed very status quo. "Yes, brave dwarf warriors." The knight nodded and said. "As you can see, I am a knight serving these two beautifuldies. We are here simply to escape the destructive chaos and threat. Therefore, we havee a long way, hoping to pass through thisnd...¡­" "Hmm...¡­ How about this big guy?" After hearing the knight''s words, the dwarf nodded but kept a watchful eye on Duanmu Huai. I''m just a hired warrior responsible for their safety on the way," Duanmu Huai said, spreading his hands out in a harmless gesture. "I don''t think so...Take off your helmet!" At this moment, the dwarf''s voice suddenly elevated. Simultaneously, the dwarfs behind him raised their firearms, holding the fuse and aiming at Duanmu Huai, who sighed in resignation and took off his helmet. "¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!" Upon seeing Duanmu Huai''s face, the dwarfs were taken aback and quickly retreated a few steps. The leading dwarf gripped his giant axe tightly and stared at Duanmu carefully. "You''re not an orc, are you?" "How do you figure I''m an orc?" Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes in exasperation. "At least I''m human!" "A human as tall as you, it''s a first for me¡­Take off your armor!" "Sorry, that''s not possible." Upon hearing the dwarf''s request, Duanmu Huai''s face hardened. "I''m a warrior, warriors nevery down their weapons. If you push any further, don''t me me for not being polite!" "What? You want to fight us?" The dwarf''s eyes erged with anger as he red at Duanmu Huai who gripped his war hammer tightly. "You can try," he said. "......¡­" The atmosphere suddenly tensed up. Elisa and Kristin nervously cowered behind the old knight, observing the fierce dwarfs surrounding them. The Elf simply wrapped himself in his cloak and hid in the shadow silently. Even though Ogis showed no sign of action on the surface, the fingers of her right hand hanging beside her was trembling slightly ¨C a streak of luminescent thread shed and then disappeared into the darkness. "Wait here!" After a standoff, the dwarf finally left them. As he walked away, everyone let out a sigh of relief- just now they had truly thought that Duanmu Huai was about to start a fight with the dwarfs. After a while, the dwarf returned. "You can pass through the Gray Mountains, but there is a condition!" While saying this, the dwarf pointed at Duanmu Huai. "We''ve got a task for you toplete. If you do well, you can pass. If not, then get lost!" "No problem." Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai felt immediately relieved. After all, isn''t this how it always goes in yer plotlines? Chapter 40 - 28: Underground Ruins_1 Chapter 40: Chapter 28: Underground Ruins_1 Duanmu Huai was not surprised by the dwarf¡¯s request. In fact, many of the long-term tasks that yers have experienced have simr plotlines. ept Task A to take person A to person B, but person B is not there, then ept Task B to find person B, and when you find person B, they can¡¯t go back. If you want them to go back, you mustplete Task C which person B gave you. But in order toplete Task C, you have to do the pre-task D¡­Ah, the blood pressure is going up all of a sudden. Of course, for yers, most of these tasks can often be simplified to ¡°who to kill,¡± ¡°where to kill,¡± and ¡°how many to kill.¡± And now it¡¯s the same for Duanmu Huai. ¡°We¡¯ve recently dug up an ancient ruin underground!¡± Where to kill is no longer a problem. ¡°But what we didn¡¯t expect is that there¡¯s a bunch of damned ratmen in there! We have no clue where they came from, but they¡¯ve quietly set up their camp right under our noses!¡± The question of whom to kill has also been answered. ¡°We n topletely eliminate these vermin! But we¡¯re currently understaffed, so if you¡¯re willing to help, we can make an exception and let you travel to Bartoni!¡± The question of how many to kill has been solved. [Activate Time-Limited Task ¡°Disinfection¡±] [Task Objective: Destroy the Ratmen Camp] [The Ratmen camp under the Grey Mountains is a significant threat to the dwarves. Completely eliminate it to prevent future problems!] ¡°Alright, no problem.¡± Seeing the task information that jumped out, Duanmu Huai gave a decisive answer. ¡°I must tell you first, it¡¯s not like I¡­ What did you say?¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s attitude really surprised the dwarf. He originally thought he would have to do lots of persuading, but Duanmu Huai agreed very readily. ¡°Are you sure? This isn¡¯t an easy task, I need to make that clear. Those ratmen are no easy foes¡­¡± ¡°But only by doing this, you will let us cross the Gray Mountains and go to Bartoni, right?¡± Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t be bothered with beating around the bush and pointed out the key directly. ¡°Or can you make another condition?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s retort, the dwarf also pondered for a while, then pped his thigh vigorously. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then, tall guy, don¡¯t let me down!¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t want to make a fuss, and the dwarf was pretty straightforward with his temper, so the two sides quickly reached a consensus ¨C Elisa and the others could rest in the dwarf fortress first, while Duanmu Huai would take Ogis to help the dwarves attack the ratmen¡¯s camp underground. Duanmu Huai trusted the dwarves¡¯ credibility. Although they could be hot-tempered and stubborn as rocks, they also kept their promises and never went back on their word. Therefore, Duanmu Huai readily agreed to join them in eliminating the ratmen. If it were any other race, he might have to consider whether they had any ulterior motives. ¡°Please be very careful, Sir Knight.¡± Before Duanmu Huai and Ogis set off, Elisa and Kristin looked at them uneasily, offering their blessings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a small group of ratmen. It can be dealt with.¡± Duanmu Huai seemed very calm. After reassuring Elisa, he looked at Old Knight Karol and the elf scout. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you. Although I think there shouldn¡¯t be any danger in the dwarf¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°Leave it to us, and we can also take this opportunity to buy some supplies.¡± The elf scout gave a cheery reply, and Old Knight Karol also nodded in agreement. After that, Duanmu Huai went off again to meet with the dwarves. ¡°Big guy, you¡¯re right on time!!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai again, the leading dwarf was delighted. He waved at Duanmu Huai with a heartyugh and behind him were fully armed dwarf warriors d in heavy armor. Clearly, dwarves were efficient and meticulous in their tasks. Duanmu Huai¡¯s arrival aroused amotion among the dwarf warriors. They even mistook Duanmu Huai for a green orc in armor¡­ Well, Duanmu Huai could only pretend he didn¡¯t hear that. After the two parties met, they set off together towards the underground ruins through the tunnel. Fortunately, although Duanmu Huai was tall, the tunnel the dwarves had dug was also quite high; it was not a narrow tunnel, thus, it did not pose much of a problem for Duanmu Huai. He followed behind the dwarves along the excavated tunnel for what felt like a long time before the world before him suddenly widened. What appeared in front of Duanmu Huai was an enormous, deep cavern, about the size of several football fieldsbined. Scattered within were various architectural ruins. Furthermore, under the glowing green light, Duanmu Huai could clearly see ratmen happily rummaging through the ruins. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t pay much attention to these ratmen. On the contrary, he was immediately drawn to the unique style of the ruins as soon as he entered. Hmm? This style is ¡­¡­ ¡°Big guy, do you see them?¡± However, before Duanmu Huai could examine the ruins in detail, the dwarf¡¯s voice rang out again, bringing him back to the present. He lowered his head to look at the dwarf next to his foot¡ªhe was the lord of the ce, Brock Stone Trough. ¡°Well, what¡¯s your n?¡± ¡°We hope you can go up first and attract the attention of these ratmen. Then, we¡¯ll strike them by surprise!¡± As Brock spoke, he stared at Duanmu Huai with beady eyes and Duanmu Huai nodded his head without hesitation. ¡°No problem, leave it to me. Just follow my lead.¡± Although Brock¡¯s n somewhat involved subjecting Duanmu Huai to the brunt of the attack, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind. This was his style of fighting, after all. Plus, with his towering stature and the power armor he wore, why would he skulk around shooting in secret instead of leading the charge? Setting aside whether the visuals were fitting, his shooting skills¡­ weren¡¯t exactly great. Actually, among the initial equipment avable for yers, besides the power hammer and chainsaw sword, there were also long-range weapons like the bomb gun for selection. But Duanmu Huai had never chosen them. For some unknown reason, his shooting skills were extremely poor; he belonged to the category of yers who took ages to aim in FPS games but still couldn¡¯t hit the target. This was one reason why Duanmu Huai had chosen the melee berserker style in the game. Now, the only thing he could use was the grenadeuncher that came with the power armor. asionally, he would throw sonic grenades to control the field¡ªthese things had a wide range of effect and could do damage whether they hit the target or not. Another reason was¡­ shooting weapons didn¡¯t do much harm to Chaotic Demons. ording to the game, Chaotic Demons were the product of the condensation of the most primitive emotions and soul power of living beings. As the ancient fears deep within the soul, only weapons like swords and sabres could inflict damage on them; firearms didn¡¯t do as much damage. At the time, yers had raised a huge fuss about this setting. If they followed this setting, wouldn¡¯t my bows, arrows, slingshots, and spears all deal high damage too? Or if I used a bone club, wouldn¡¯t its damage soar through the roof? After all, the attack power of a bone club was equivalent to a spaceship, wasn¡¯t it? ¡ª¡ª¡ª The person who said this must have watched too many space exploration films. Although yers had manyints and criticisms, they eventually resigned themselves and equipped themselves with melee weapons¡­ after all, many times, melee weapons were quite useful. Especially when out of ammunition. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m going up first!¡± As his words fell, Duanmu Huai leapt into the air. At the same time, the jet pack on his back once again shot out a powerful gust of air. In the next moment, Duanmu Huai streaked across the sky like a meteor, crashing directly into the ratmen¡¯s camp!! ¡°Squeak squeak squeak!!!¡± The sudden attack sent the ratmen¡¯s camp into utter chaos. Those who were previously happily rummaging through the ruins instantly sprung up, like rats who had their tails stepped on. They squealed and charged towards Duanmu Huai. Seeing this, Brock also raised his battle-axe high and issued amand. ¡°Attack!!!¡± Chapter 41 - 29 Battling Ratman_1 Chapter 41: Chapter 29 Battling Ratman_1 ¡°Boom!¡± Duanmu Huai descended from the sky,nding heavily on the ground, crushing several unlucky ratmen under his feet. But he didn¡¯t pay attention to these small details. In the next moment, ratmen from all sides swarmed towards him. At the same time, countless puppets also descended from the sky, pouncing towards the ratman army. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t expect these puppets to be able to wipe out the entire ratman army. Even though puppets could be summoned infinitely, their attack power was too low. This time, he was working with the dwarfs, so he couldn¡¯t take out the Ghost Mansion. After all, the undead were a nuisance in the eyes of most creatures. They were just passing by here, one problem is better than two. Moreover, they were only ratmen, not the first time he had fought! ¡°Thud!¡± Duanmu Huai, with his war hammer held high, struck forcefully. Lightning shed, frying arge pile of rats. He then strode forward amidst the chaos caused by the puppet army¡¯s attack on the ratmen. Seizing the moment, he aimed straight for the heart of the ratman camp. This time, there were no Corrupted Believers, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t have to worry about being infected with any virus! ¡°Kill!¡± Just as the ratmen were panicking due to Duanmu Huai¡¯s assault, Brock led the dwarfs charging over. It was as if a hammer had crashed into the chaotic ratman camp. By the time the ratmen realized the dwarfs¡¯ attack and turned around in panic to defend, the dwarfs had charged forward, roaring and raising their axes, ready to sh these burrow-digging rodents into minced meat. Dwarfs and ratmen were mortal enemies. On one hand, ratmen belonged to the Chaos Camp, naturally ipatible with the order-loving dwarfs. On the other hand, both races liked to dig underground. Here in this simr territory, it was ipatible for them to sleepfortably. It was impossible not to fight now that they had met! Soon, the dwarf army charged into the ratman camp and began to fight. Dwarf warriors wearing heavy armor, wielding battle axes and shields, charged to the front. Behind them were Thunder gunners and artillerymen with guns and cannons. The dwarfs were one of the most technologically advanced races on this, who could even make mechanical equipment like helicopters. Guns were no problem for them. However, their opponents were not primitives; the ratman technology was equally shocking. ¡°Ratatat!¡± The ratmen held steam Gatling guns and shot a relentless stream of bullets towards the advancing dwarfs, attempting to halt their attack. Meanwhile, the cloaked Death Running Rats, armed with double-edged weapons, weaved through the shadows of the ruins like ghosts, trying to bypass the front row of the dwarf army and reach the dwarf gunners and artillerymen who were raining down firepower in the back. For a time, both sides were embroiled in a chaotic melee. Up front, Duanmu Huai came face to face with his own adversary. ¡°Roar!¡± A tall mouse troll opened its arms and pounced straight at Duanmu Huai. Its body looked like a well-built triangr muscle ratman, only bigger in size and not much smaller than Duanmu Huai in his power armor. In its hands, a il crashed against Duanmu Huai¡¯s. Of course, a mere mouse troll would not pose a challenge to Duanmu Huai ¡ª¡ª as long as there was only one. If there were a bunch of them, it would be quite troublesome. Just like now. ¡°Ha!¡± Duanmu Huai resisted the mouse troll¡¯s attack, then swung his hammer over its head, knocking it to the ground. At the same time, another mouse troll pounced. Facing its attack, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t hesitate to take a step back while crushing the head of the previous mouse troll with his foot. ¡°Hiss!¡± Just then, a ratman carrying a methrowerer quietly crept up from behind, aimed at Duanmu Huai¡¯s back, and pressed the trigger. ¡°Whoosh!¡± Enveloped in the green me that erupted from the methrower, Duanmu Huai and the mouse troll were engulfed. The crazed ratman lifted the methrower high, recklessly spraying fire in front of him ¡ª until a steel giant hand reached out and grabbed his head. ¡°Squeak!¡± Before the ratman could struggle, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip, instantly crushing the ratman¡¯s head into pieces. He shook his left hand, throwing the charred mouse troll, whose neck he had grasped tightly, to the side. ¡°Rumble, rumble, rumble!¡± But the attack of the ratmen didn¡¯t stop. While Duanmu Huai was tossing away the mouse troll¡¯s corpse, a huge mechanical creation rushed over from the front. It looked like a giant wrecking ball made of scrap metal, the speeding rotating chainsaw in its middle gap spinning fiercely, trying to rip everything into pieces. This is the war machine of the Ratmen ¡ª the Destruction Skin-peeler! ¡°Hmph!¡± Upon seeing this machine, Duanmu Huai snorts coldly and steps forward. His Battle Armor res up with a bright red me again, and then he tightens his grip on the War Hammer, mming it forcefully onto the side of the Destruction Skin-peeler! ¡°Thud!!¡± The Thunder Warhammer smashes directly onto the armor panel of the spinning top, instantly sending the war machine that the Ratmen take pride in flying away. Therge spinning top battle vehicle whirls in the air, then drops directly into the Ratman Army, exploding on impact and instantly turning into a burning mound of scrap metal. Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s charge, control of the battlefield can well be said to have been takenpletely by the dwarves. Despite the Ratmen adopting a strategy of overwhelming numbers, taking advantage of their propensity for breeding prolifically, in front of the dwarves who are steadfast andposed, the Ratmen are like waves crashing upon a dam, unable to make a ssh. However, not everything is smooth sailing. ¡°Whizz!!¡± Just as Duanmu Huai is wielding his War Hammer again, turning a bunch of rats into a gooey mess, suddenly, a sh of cold light streaks by in the dark, and in the next moment Duanmu Huai feels several sharp des being flung towards him. He hurriedly raises his War Hammer to block his chest, but the opponent¡¯s speed far exceeds his expectations. He hears several light sounds of clinking, then sees a dark shadow suddenly sh by,nding on the ruins not far away. It is a Ratman entirely cloaked in a hooded cape, holding a glowing green de in each hand, with another dagger wrapped around his tail¡­¡­ You bastard, do you think you¡¯re Zoro? ying with a three-sword style? Just as Duanmu Huai is muttering curses inwardly, he sees the Ratman assassin vanish once again, rapidly disappearing from his sight. The speed was so astonishing that Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t react in time, only feeling his armor vibrating. He could see the durability of his Power Armor being decreased on his system disy but he couldn¡¯t see his opponent at all. Damn, how annoying, I especially hate these agile ones¡­¡­ With an agility of merely 4, Duanmu Huai detests these type of enemies ¨C swift and fast. However, luckily he came prepared. Ogis! Just as the Ratman Assassin vanished again and was about tounch another attack on him, Duanmu Huai silently calls upon Ogis, who had been hidden by his side all this time. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the puppet girl hiding in the shadows holds up her right hand towards him. ¡°Whizz!¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± As this happens, the Ratman assassin suddenly appears from thin air, rolling and trying to retreat, as if evading some kind of invisible threat. However, just as it rolls into existence, Duanmu Huai had already turned around, raising his War Hammer and smashing it forcefully down onto the Ratman assassin! This is the moment he¡¯s been waiting for!! ¡°Thud!!!¡± The Ratman assassin, for once, is unable to evade Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack in time and gets directly smashed by his hammer. But clearly, this assassin is not easy to deal with. The moment Duanmu Huai¡¯s hammer hits, the Ratman raises all three curved knives in front of it and skillfully uses the force of Duanmu Huai¡¯s blow to retreat and fly backwards. Although it hasn¡¯t spoken, looking at the crafty shifty-eyed expression, Duanmu Huai can already guess its catchphrase. Ha ha ha, you¡¯ve fallen into my trap! This is my escape route! However, it¡¯s such a pity that this is the end of the line for this guy. The Ratman assassin that had shot out did not escape unscathed. On the contrary, its body suddenly disintegrated in mid-air, splitting open, as if sliced by invisible des. It turned into several chunks of shattered flesh and limbs, which then fell onto the ground. ¡°Idiot.¡± Looking at the broken remains of the Ratman on the ground, Duanmu Huai snorts coldly. He knew that the opponent was quick and he might not be able to take him down directly. Therefore, he had Ogis set up a trap in the vicinity made of puppet wires beforehand. The enemy just had to run into it, then death was the only way out! Now it seems that this n was quite sessful. Chapter 42 - 30 Difficult Choice_1 Chapter 42: Chapter 30 Difficult Choice_1 Not long after, the ratmen were once again driven out of the ruins by the dwarves. The dwarves used explosives to copse the tunnel dug by the ratmen, effectively sealing off the area ¨C exterminating all ratmen was an impossible feat. The dwarves, who had battled with the ratmen for hundreds of years, knew all too well that these rats had nearly tunneled under the entire continent. Unless the world was destroyed,pletely eradicating them was nothing more than a pipe dream. But, for them, this was enough. ¡°Good job, big guy!!¡± Brock, armed with an axe drenched in ratman gore, pat Duanmu Huai on the leg. The dwarves were already not that tall, and with Duanmu Huai standing at a towering 2.5 meters, Brock looked like a small dog in front of Duanmu Huai, so small he couldn¡¯t even hit Duanmu Huai¡¯s knee when he jumped. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you had it in ya!¡± Brock was genuinely ted. Initially, he had only hoped that Duanmu Huai would help them alleviate some pressure. After all, Duanmu, d in heavy armor and wielding a War Hammer, was not someone that could easily be dealt with. As long as he could attract the ratman¡¯s attention, it would make things a bit smoother for the dwarves. But Brock did not expect Duanmu Huai to charge to the front line, withstand the ratman¡¯s fiercest attack, and firmly capture their attention. This enabled the dwarves to stretch their legs, as one might say. Duanmu Huai yed an essential role in their effortless repelling of the ratman army. Not to mention¡­¡­ ¡°You even killed the hero of these disgusting rats!¡± ¡°Hero?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. During the battle, he received a system notification about getting 1500 experience points, but he was too busy battling to check it. Now, hearing what Brock said, he was lost. Meanwhile, Brock burst into heartyughter, beckoned over, and a dwarf with a ratman¡¯s head in his hand came over. ¡°This is the one! Death Master Sines! I can¡¯t believe it died in your hands, hahahaha!!!¡± While speaking, Brock couldn¡¯t help butugh again. Death Master Sines was a powerful Ratman Assassin whom Brock had faced several times, but always to no avail. The reason was simple ¨C the strength of this Ratman Assassin was so robust that even the dwarf¡¯s armor was no match for his three poisonous des. However, this time, this Ratman Assassin was killed by Duanmu Huai, leaving Brock feeling as if he had just taken a big swig of fiery liquor. Now that Sines was dead, those disgusting rats nestled beneath the Gray Mountains could finally get lost! ¡°I can¡¯t take the credit. It was Ogis who killed the rat.¡± Hearing Brock¡¯s introduction, Duanmu Huai finally understood why that rat was so resilient. Even though he was a flexible assassin, a hero unit probably exceeds level 35. My current level is only 21. Even with the strength of a Thunder Warhammer, I do not possess the ability to kill it in one hit. Fortunately, with Ogis providing support on the sidelines, an unexpected problem was eliminated. Ratmen not only like to use poison, but they¡¯re also ustomed to assassination. Duanmu Huai doesn¡¯t look forward to being continuously monitored by a master assassin. Now that it¡¯s dead, he¡¯s relieved. ¡°Indeed, the credit goes to both of you, and I will inform the Supreme King! He will surely be pleased!¡± Seeing Brock¡¯s reaction, it was evident that he harbored deep resentment against this master assassin¡­ Hm, Duanmu remembered that the dwarven Supreme King had a small notebook which was exclusively used to jot down names of enemies. Once an enemy had been eliminated, his name was crossed off. He wondered if this master assassin was one of the names listed in the Supreme King¡¯s notebook. ¡°From now on, you are a friend of the dwarves! We are always generous to our friends! What do you want? Just say it!!¡± Listening to Brock¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes lit up, and then he began to stare at Brock. ¡°Mr. Brock.¡± ¡°Just call me Brock! We fought ratmen together, which makes us brothers! Cut the formalities!¡± ¡°Alright then, Brock¡­ What are¡­ your ns for these ruins?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Brock paused for a moment, observing his surroundings and nodded. ¡°We n to. We also need to inspect the things left behind by the ratmen and clear them out.¡± ¡°Can I have a look inside the ruins and find something interesting?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Brock was somewhat surprised by Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, but after giving it some thought, he nodded in agreement. ¡°No problem! Take whatever you fancy, we dwarves are never stingy!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± On hearing Brock¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai breathed a sigh of relief. The reason he made such a request was not because of his obsession with archaeology, but because he was able to recognize something that the dwarves, unfamiliar with the current state of affairs, couldn¡¯t ¨C the ruins they were standing on were likely from the Ancient Saints! The so-called Ancient Saints, on this, were the creators from ancient times, said to have created races such as humans, elves, dwarves and so on. The fact was indeed so, the Ancient Saints were not creators but advanced civilizations from outer space. Their looks were rumored to be simr to frogs. They held unimaginable technological strength and magic power and stood at the pinnacle of mastery over both demon beasts and theoretical physics. When the Ancient Saints came to this world, it was to create beings that could resist the Subspace Demons and Chaos, hence races like the elves and dwarves were created. However, something went awry, the portals created by the Ancient Saints in this world copsed and Chaos began to flood in. The Ancient Saints abandoned this experimental field, and they ran away without even bothering to pack, their speed no slower than a mistress caught in bed by a husband. After that, Chaos invaded the world inrge numbers and the entire was in grave danger. However, the remaining races of this world managed to reverse the situation and sealed off the entire Subspace using the ¡°Great Vortex¡±, saving the. These were historical facts discovered by yers in theirter archaeological efforts. After this, the Ancient Saints never appeared again. Even though the game updated several times, yers never found any traces of the Ancient Saints again. At the time, rumors among yers were that these guys might be hiding in some obscure part of the universe or that the Subspace Evil God wiped them all out. Or, more simply, the developers dug up a hole and forgot to fill it. In any case, even though the Ancient Saints had abandoned the world, many of their technological relics remained in the world¡¯s ruins, including an entire technological evolution tree! After all, the Ancient Saints had been fighting Chaos for who knows how many years and had a vast amount of experience dealing with them. Their technology significantly helped in the fight against Subspace Evil Gods and Chaos invasions. Their power level was generally ranked as T1 ss by yers on the leaderboard, with a few technologies even able to reach T0 ss. The best way to get these technologies was to find technological relics of the Ancient Saints in the ruins, then take them to the Tribunal Library for analysis and then construction. Duanmu Huai indeed knew of some ces where Ancient Saint artifacts definitely existed before he crossed over; however, these ces were all contested byrge guilds at the time. As a lone yer, he couldn¡¯t afford or use them. All the ces Duanmu Huai knew were on Zhen Dan¡¯s side. He wasn¡¯t sure whether there were any technological relics in the Ancient Saint ruins in these Gray Mountains. But¡­ wouldn¡¯t he know if he just looked for it? Having gotten Brock¡¯s permission, Duanmu Huai let go of his worries and started to wander around the ruins. He was quite familiar with Ancient Saint ruins since they generally had simryouts. It was like a modern person traveling to a fallout wastnd ¨C a simple nce would tell you the function of each building. But before that ¡­ Duanmu Huai opened the system and quickly settled this mission. [Time Limit Mission ¡°Disinfect¡± Completed!] [Mission Evaluation: Outstanding] [yer receives 3000 experience, additional 2000 experience, level increased to LV22, Attribute Points +1, Specialization Points +1] [Received Additional Specialty (Persistent Chase)] [Persistent Chase: +5% Critical Hit chance, +15% Critical Hit intensity when attacking debuffed enemies] Well¡­ It¡¯s a bitplicated. After adding attribute points to Strength and upgrading the level of Star Warrior¡¯s battle training, and looking at the effect of this additional skill, Duanmu Huai was a bit conflicted. In fact, he could use this skill right now, the simple principle is to¡ª-take off the helmet, and then fight the enemy, his LV2¡­ no, now LV3 Intimidation is enough to add DEBUFF to the opponent, and then continue to use [Persistent Chase] effect. But¡­ Does he want to show his face? Whether to choose face or strength became a real dilemma for Duanmu Huai. Chapter 43 - 31 Picking Up Trash_1 Chapter 43: Chapter 31 Picking Up Trash_1 In the end, Duanmu Huai decided to ignore this skill as if he had never seen it. In doing this, he figured he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about not knowing anything about it. Most worriese from knowing too much, right? After shrugging off the anxiety, Duanmu Huai began rummaging through the ruins to find something useful. As an experienced yer, he knew the Ancient Saints¡¯ relics like the back of his hand. After a simple exploration, Duanmu Huai confirmed that these ruins used to be an administrative office of the Ancient Saints¡ªa ce simr to a government agency. But¡­ well, this was great news! Although ording to conventional logic, ces like secret bases or military research institutes are the kinds of ces where you can find the most advanced technology. But yers know better. The Ancient Saints, certainly not fools, must have been afraid that Chaos would discover their secrets. So, they destroyed all their confidential materials and equipment when they evacuated. Unless you¡¯re lucky, you won¡¯t find any useful materials by searching there. However, government facilities are a different story. While they certainly won¡¯t have any secret Ancient Saint weapons or technology blueprints, they are stocked full of stable, mass-production-capable, andmon technological products. Furthermore, these types of locations are more likely to have leftover Ancient Saint technology intact. This is like when a city is invaded by aliens; if the government can¡¯t hold out and has to run, they¡¯ll definitely destroy the secretive weapons inbs and military bases first. But who would care about the stuff in police stations or food agencies, right? For Ancient Saints, these things might be negligible, and they wouldn¡¯t mind ditching them. But for future generations, even a w machine designed by the Ancient Saints¡¯ technology would be groundbreaking! Among the ranking of yers, four elements in the Ancient Saints¡¯ technology tree are top-tier T0 level technologies: energy, biological modification, space travel, and shields. The Ancient Saints battled Chaos for a long time, so their tech tree is highly resistant to Chaos. The Ancient Saints are particrly skilled in gic modification. Take a look at all the species on this, from elves to dwarves, lizardmen to ogres, and humans to goblins; all of them were created by the Ancient Saints. On the contrary, the Ancient Saints¡¯ firepower wasn¡¯t top-tier. Well, that actually made sense. If the Ancient Saints¡¯ weapons were top-tier, then they wouldn¡¯t be the ones running from Chaos. Instead, they would be beating Chaos to a pulp. What Duanmu Huai wanted most was the Ancient Saint¡¯s energy core technology. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be able to manage the most advanced tech, simr to nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, where you wouldn¡¯t usually see their power systems. But in this era, forget nuclear power; there weren¡¯t even steam engines. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t expect a top military secret-level power system, but at least some kind of internalbustion engine should exist, right? Police cars don¡¯t use nuclear power, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t run, right? There¡¯s always a reward for hard work; after a tireless search, Duanmu Huai eventually found a piece of debris that looked like a ttened shipping container. Although it was crushed t by a boulder, simr to an empty can of soda, he identified it as a transportation container utilized by the Ancient Saints! There you are! Looking at the wreckage buried under the rubble, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Let me see¡­ no radiation leakage, the values are within the normal range¡­ perfect!¡± Upon seeing the values detected on the Power Armor screen, Duanmu Huai clenched his fist in excitement. No radiation leak meant it was highly likely that the core power system of this container was intact! But ¡­ this container was mostly buried under rubble, posing a bit of a problem. Fortunately, Duanmu Huai had help. ¡°Ogis, help me cut these stones and remove them.¡± Duanmu Huaimanded, pointing at the rubble covering the container. Ogis nodded in acknowledgement and reached out, slicing up the enormous stones and dragging them aside with her thread. Duanmu Huai, protected by his Power Armor, went straight in and started digging out the remaining pieces. Soon, he located the vehicle¡¯s cockpit. It was a disaster inside ¨C even a shattered skeleton was buried under the earth. It seemed like one unfortunate frogman didn¡¯t escape in time and met its end here. Such a tragedy. Duanmu Huai paid respect for two seconds before diving into the cockpit¡ªa round oval-shaped room without any steering wheel or joystick. Clearly, the Ancient Saints had their own way of controlling their vehicles. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care about that. He brutally tore apart the protectiveyers as if he was preying on an unconscious predator. He forcefully broke through its defenses and prated its core. ¡°Found it!!!¡± Feeling the familiar sensation in his hand, Duanmu Huai was delighted. He quickly calmed his emotions and carefully took out an object from the cockpit. It was a polygonal sphere, slightlyrger than a basketball. It looked like a transparent ss shield, with a faint light inside that seemed ready to go out any second. At first nce, it seemed as fragile as a candle in the wind. However, Duanmu Huai knew this was just a facade. When he scanned it, the system had already provided the answer. [Antimatter Energy Core (Unidentified)] ¡°Wow, tech archaeology is the bomb,¡± Duanmu Huai marveled. Imperial technologies use sma reactors, which are a type of nuclear fusion device. But the Ancient Saints used antimatter even for an ordinary transport. This was leaps and bounds ahead of Imperial tech¡ªlike the difference between a horse cart and a spaceship. Besides, Ancient Saint technology is always reliable; their history provides ample proof of their capabilities. Even if they¡¯re unable to beat Chaos, they can always escape. On the other hand, the empire always suffers heavy casualties when facing Chaos, with their technology constantly regressing with each encounter. While everyone else advances through the battles, Imperial tech seemed to regress. Ultimately, there won¡¯t be much left. No matter what, possessing the [Antimatter Energy Core] means Duanmu Huai has tapped into the energy technology tree of the Ancient Saints. Considering the Ancient Saints¡¯ cool temperament and dual cultivation with chaos and reason (theory), this was a big win! Chapter 44 - 32 Entry_1 Chapter 44: Chapter 32 Entry_1 As Duanmu Huai currently hasn¡¯t unlocked the Tribunal Library, he can¡¯t yet analyze the Antimatter Energy Core. Therefore, he chose to send the Antimatter Energy Core back to the warehouse in the Core Cabin using a teleport beacon. After all, he can¡¯t just walk around with such a thing in his hands. Although the technology of the ancient saints was not problematic, this was an energy core. If it exploded, the consequences would be far more dangerous than a nuclear power nt leakage. There was even an incident where a yer¡¯s careless actions caused the destruction of an entire gxy. Even though the danger level of the Antimatter Energy Core was not as high as the Dark Matter Energy Core, if it exploded¡­ Well, considering Duanmu Huai¡¯s current 22nd level, he would probably be obliterated in a blink of an eye. The dwarves didn¡¯t know what Duanmu Huai had acquired, but that didn¡¯t bother them. Dwarves are naturally straightforward. In the fight, Duanmu Huai drew most of the enemy¡¯s attention and even killed the Ratman hero. To the dwarves, that proved that Duanmu Huai was reliable and always ready for action. Things then went smoothly. The dwarves not only agreed to let Duanmu Huai and his team traverse the Gray Mountains to Bartoni, they also provided them with ample supplies and even a cart. Brock pped Duanmu Huai¡¯s leg (he couldn¡¯t reach his knee) loudly dering him a lifelong friend of the dwarves and gave him a token. With it, Duanmu Huai could ess the Gray Mountains whenever he pleased. Brock originally intended to give Duanmu Huai a weapon. It¡¯s a dwarf custom to express friendship by gifting weapons. For example, one of the early emperors of the empire had a deep friendship with the dwarves and received a War Hammer from the Dwarf King which became a symbol of the human-dwarf alliance. However, Duanmu Huai was too tall, and the weapons made by dwarves would look like toys in his hands; hence, Brock had to abandon this idea. From Brock, Duanmu Huai also received some information about the outside world. The empire was in a state of chaos, the Three Emperors in constant conflict, and elsewhere people trembled in the face of the aggressive and filthy armies of the God¡¯s followers. The dwarves hadn¡¯t received any requests for help from their imperial allies¨Cwell, no surprise there, given that even the question of who the emperor is hasn¡¯t been decided yet. As for Bartoni, there wasn¡¯t much of a crisis. Bartoni was generally a peaceful country, with the biggest threat being the Green Orcs from the north. However, Brock did point out another potential threat to Duanmu Huai. ¡°You should be careful of those skinny Aessolon wood elves! They¡¯re quite dangerous!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand.¡± Hearing Brock¡¯s warning, Duanmu Huai nodded gravely. As a seasoned yer, he knew that Brock¡¯s warning wasn¡¯t just out of the general dwarf-elf rivalry. Originally, dwarves and elves were quite friendly, but after various issues, they ended up fighting and reconciling multiple times, giving rise to some troublesome situations. One of these was the wood elves, who were originally members of the High Elves race. They joined the High Elves army during the Great Expedition to fight the dwarves. However, in the middle of the war, when the High Elves¡¯ homnd was invaded by the Chaos Evil God, the High Elves panicked and demanded that the expedition army immediately retreat to protect the homnd. A portion of the High Elves didn¡¯t take this well. They had been driven from their ind home to mount an expedition and now they were expected to just retreat in the middle of a battle? They thought it was an insult to their dignity. So, they left the main army, hiding in the forest and eventually bing a branch of the High Elves, the Wood Elves. There is a legend that when the High Elves were once attacked by a Chaotic Demon, the High Elf queen asked the Spirit of the Forest to save her two children. The spirit agreed, but on the condition that half of the elf race would be his in the future. ording to this story, the wood elves were essentially paying off the old High Elf queen¡¯s debt. But that¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is the danger posed by the wood elves. Wood elves are pure ¡°extreme environmentalists¡±, but this isn¡¯t about protesting construction projects or lecturing world leaders on sustainability. They operate in the forest, killing anyone who dares to approach too closely, then drag their bodies back to be buried beneath trees as fertilizer. See? That¡¯s what you call extreme environmentalism! (tactically leans back). In addition to that, the wood elves also capture and brainwash lost human children found wandering around the edges of the forest, turning them into loyal servants. They sometimes use other means as bait¨Csuch as weing a group of adventurers into the forest with a feast, enjoying fine wine and food while listening to the beautiful songs of the wood elves. And then, once they fall asleep, they¡¯re dragged off to be fertilizer. So, even though the wood elves aren¡¯t followers of Chaos, they¡¯re just as dangerous to humans. That¡¯s why Brock warned Duanmu Huai in order to prevent him from falling into their trap. Duanmu Huai trusts the dwarves, as among all the races on the Novice, the dwarves have the highest resistance to Chaos. To be honest, if you¡¯re fighting Chaos, having dwarves covering your back is the safest method. After all, the dwarves were originally created by the ancient saints to resist the threat of Chaos, with their resistance to Chaos being extremely high. But the ancient saints eventually abandoned them after realizing that dwarves were too rigid. In the end, they created a new species ¨C powerful and resistant to Chaos, capable of both magic and physicalbat, possessing a high reproduction rate, and excellent at resisting Chaos. Oh, someone¡¯s asking, what¡¯s this species? Well, ogres. Duanmu Huai would have to be crazy to form an alliance with them. Have you ever seen a chicken on a dinner te trying to make friends with you? Tutu is so cute, wouldn¡¯t it taste even better with some hot sauce? ¡°Phew¡­¡­I¡¯m finally free¡­¡­..!!¡± After crossing the Gray Mountains and arriving on thend of Bartoni, the elf scout was the first to jump up. She stretchedzily with her arms high in the air, not at all concerned with exposing herely figure. Not only her, even the old knight, along with Elisa and Miss Kristin, now also merrily rxed their expressions. It was understandable. Since they left The City of Silver, they had been in danger constantly, first being chased by the Corrupted Believers and then stepping into the Land of Dead Silence. Although they didn¡¯t encounter any threats, thanks to Duanmu Huai¡¯s strong ¡°anti-evil¡± abilities, the dominion of the undead was still detrimental to their mental health. In thend of the dwarves, they did breathe a sigh of relief but were understandably still slightly edgy. It wasn¡¯t until they stepped onto thend of Bartoni that they truly let their guards down. At the very least, this was a kingdom under the protection of the Lake Goddess, without too many troublesome issues. The reason why everyone thought this way was because out of all the countries on the continent, although Bartoni wasn¡¯t big, it held a great reputation. It was an idyllic oasis, where nobles upheld the chivalrous knight spirit, safeguarding knightly virtues. The state of the nation was peaceful and tranquil, simply a paradise on earth. Of course, to the yers, this held a tinge of irony. Indeed, everything above is true. But there¡¯s a caveat ¨C farmers. To the yers, being a farmer in Bartoni was worse than being ackey to the Evil God Cultists. Take taxes, for instance. Most of the countries on this adopted the well-known concept of tithes, where they collected a tenth of the produce, but in Bartoni, the farmers faced not tithes but nine-tenths taxes ¨C a staggering 90% of their produce had to be handed over to the state, leaving only 10% for themselves. Even the infamous towneendlord would be forced to admire their audacity. Furthermore, during wartime, farmers would be conscripted to fight on the front lines, essentially serving as cannon fodder. In Bartoni, not only were farmers the lowest in the societal hierarchy and subjected to exploitation, but they would also be used as cannon fodder by the noble knights by sending them to their deaths on the front lines. Many yers found this ironic, and numerous yers have criticized the hypocrisy of Bartoni on the forums. After all, these noble knights, while preaching their knightly virtues, send their sworn citizens to their deaths, which seemed like a grimly humorous spectacle. However, in Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, this was actually quite normal. Because this has been how things always were throughout history. Consider the Ancient Roman Republic, where citizens could elect their leader, while ves were tossed into the amphitheater for everyone¡¯s amusement. Not to mention that today, the right to vote for leaders is definitely not given to the farmers subjected to serfdom outside the city walls. In modern times, the British gentlemen wearing tailcoats, puffing cigars, sipping champagne, certainly did not care about the lives of serfs in distant colonies. How do you think the British Imperium, with its sun-never-setting fleet, was built? It was through colonization and the ve trade, not by magically generating resources. Weren¡¯t those on the military ships, who appeared so majestic, filled with gentlemanly demeanor and naval spirit, relying on the forcedbor of these lowly serfs? It did not prevent them from shouting ¡°For Britannia!¡±, heroically fighting to the death, did it? Therefore, Bartoni, which modern people might find a bit absurd, is not really strange upon closer inspection. For example, in Western films that glorify cowboys defeating invading Indian tribes, don¡¯t forget it was the white-skinned people who first arrived on the Indian¡¯snds, carrying out the plundering and killing. Movies praising Caesar would never mention that his achievements came at the cost of exploiting countless ves. The bottom line is, one must pay the price to look impressive, and Bartoni, with its medieval civilization standard, was no exception. Speaking of which, a medieval civilization¡­ well, was simply that. Of course, Elisa and the others had not travelled all the way here to be peasants. Their intention was to go to Calcas, settle down there, and sustain their livelihood by doing some small business. In Bartoni, being a merchant was a good choice. As long as they didn¡¯t be farmers, it would be fine. It must be admitted that strolling along the country path in Bartoni was truly refreshing. With lush trees and grasnds on the sides, birds singing, and small animals running around, it seemed like paradise, especially after experiencing the filth of the curse and the dested wilderness filled with the scent of death. However, they quickly encountered some unexpected events. Chapter 45 - 33 Challenger_1 Chapter 45: Chapter 33 Challenger_1 ¡°Evil Demon!!!¡± It¡¯s safe to say that Duanmu Huai and his group were taken by surprise when they heard this sudden shout. However, they quickly saw a young man in worn-out armor, gripping a longsword and blocking their path. ¡°Evil demon! Take on my challenge!¡± Staring at Duanmu Huai, the young knight raised his longsword and yelled out loud. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Duanmu Huai looked to his left and then his right. ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± ¡°Well, who else could it be?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the elf on the carriage started to giggle. ¡°With the way you¡¯re dressed, it would be hard to convince anyone you¡¯re not a demon.¡± ¡°What nonsense. This is pure, standard Judge gear.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of any Judge equipped like you are.¡± While Duanmu Huai and the elf scout were having their chat, the young knight rushed at them, yelling furiously. He raised his longsword high and swung it down at Duanmu Huai! ¡°Take this¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± However, just as the young knight¡¯s longsword came down, it was caught in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand. ¡°What are you trying to pull?¡± Looking at the young knight before him, Duanmu Huai was dumbfounded. The knight was nothing more than a level 3, who gave him the courage to fight him? If it weren¡¯t for the yellow colour above the knight¡¯s head indicating neutrality, Duanmu Huai would have already crushed this idiot out of fear of losing reputation points within the area. ¡°Release my sword, vile demon!!¡± The young knight tried to pull out his longsword, but to no avail. Duanmu Huai¡¯s grip was as solid as a pair of iron tongs, firmly holding his sword. However, this guy was bold and directly started to curse at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Enough, go away.¡± Duanmu Huai, toozy to pay him any mind, used one hand to throw the young knight, along with his sword, aside and continued walking. Initially, he thought this mystifying person might have a quest to offer but there was absolutely no response from the system¡­ ¡°Halt!!¡± After being thrown by Duanmu Huai, the young knight quickly rolled back to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll never let a demon like you harm people! I¡¯ll destroy you and rescue your victims! Take this!!¡± Shouting, the young knight once again rushed towards Duanmu Huai with his longsword high. ¡°I know very well, you big-sized demons are very clumsy, as long as I slide tackle¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Thud.¡± Just then, Duanmu Huai¡¯s punchnded on the face of this idiot preparing to slide tackle him, sending him flying. After that, he could see the knight fall down in a grassy area not far away, motionless. ¡°Sir ck Knight, did you kill him?¡± Elisa was surprised to see this, but Duanmu Huai just shook his head. ¡°No, I just knocked him out. Let¡¯s go. Who knows where this idiot came from.¡± Saying this, Duanmu Huai continued walking. However, the elf scout seemed interested and picked up the topic. ¡°Ah, I¡¯d guess he¡¯s an Adventurer Knight.¡± ¡°Adventurer Knight??¡± Hearing the elf scout¡¯s answer, Elisa looked confused, while the elf scout nodded. ¡°Yeah, simply put, they are knights who give up everything in search of the Lake Goddess. They wander around challenging various demons and monsters to prove their faith, with the hope that the Lake Goddess will appear before them and make them Holy Grail Knights¡­¡­ ¡°Has anyone seeded?¡± ¡°Not as far as I know. Most Adventurer Knights die on their journeys, and if they¡¯re all like this guy, it¡¯s indeed going to be very difficult for them to survive.¡± As he spoke, the elf scout chuckled, eyeing Duanmu Huai. ¡°It seems that the brave adventurer knight has taken you for his debut battle opponent.¡± ¡°If I really were a demon, I¡¯d skin him alive and stuff a red-hot pair of tongs into his stomach.¡± Duanmu Huai snorted coldly. He had heard tales of the ridiculous deeds of this kingdom on the forum, but he hadn¡¯t expected reality to be even more absurd. A mere level 3 daring to venture out for adventure? He¡¯d likely end up as a meal on an orc¡¯s te. To Duanmu Huai, this was nothing more than a minor episode along their journey. However, when they set up camp to rest and the elf scout reported again that the young knight was creepily lurking in the bushes, spying on them, Duanmu Huai was truly at a loss for words. ¡°What should we do? Should we drive him away?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t make a difference to kick out this naive idiot.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head and stood up. ¡°Perfect, we need a guide. Since this guy is so keen on following us, let¡¯s make use of his worth. Go and grab that idiot. I¡¯m curious to see what kind of ¡®knightly spirit¡¯ he possesses.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The elf scout promptly moved and in a short while, the young knight, who was knocked unconscious, was bound and thrown in front of Duanmu Huai. Duanmu Huai picked up his water cup and sshed the water on the young knight¡¯s face. The knight instantly opened his eyes, and when he saw Duanmu Huai in his Power Armor standing before him, he turned as pale as a ghost. ¡°Despicable demon! You dared to attack when I was unaware! Return my sword to me, I demand a fair duel with you!¡± At this sight, the elf scout chuckled softly on the side, whereas Elisa and Kristin were dumbfounded. It seemed as if the old Knight Kado recalled something and couldn¡¯t help but sigh deeply at the scene. ¡°Such youth¡­ I remember when I was his age¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­¡± Mid-sentence, Kado blushed, hastily cutting himself off to suppress his own embarrassing past. As for Ogis ¡ª¡ª she found these clownish antics uninteresting, and continued reading her book by the firelight. ¡°How novel.¡± Retorting at the young knight¡¯s challenge, Duanmu Huai simply scoffed in dismissal. ¡°If I were a despicable demon as you im, why should I duel fairly with you? And if I do duel fairly, am I still considered a despicable demon? Is there something wrong with your brain?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s retort, the young knight was left speechless, but he quickly spoke again. ¡°I knew it, despicable demon! I shall never submit! You can kill me, but you¡¯ll never subdue my heart! I¡¯ll never bow to a despicable and evil existence like you!¡± ¡°Are you done yet¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Listen well. I am not a demon. We are merely foreigners in Bartoni who intend to visit Calcas. If you lead us there, we will release you. How does that sound?¡± ¡°What are you nning to do in Calcas?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s proposition, the young knight looked puzzled. His eyes widened as if he had just realized something. ¡°I see now! You¡¯re nning to destroy Bartoni, eradicate the belief in the Great Goddess! Turn thisnd into your wicked territory! I will never let you seed! No, I will never take you to Calcas! You can go ahead and kill me! But I refuse to bow to evil!¡± Damn¡­ this overly-imaginative fool is getting on my nerves¡­ Seeing the young knight¡¯s dramatic disy of ¡®heroic sacrifice¡¯, Duanmu Huai was simrly speechless. A na?ve girl would have been somewhat cute, but a grown man acting this way was just ridiculous. Judging by his age, he should have been over this stage, shouldn¡¯t he? ¡°Listen carefully, kid.¡± With that thought, Duanmu Huai removed his helmet and red at him menacingly. ¡°If you wish to die at my hands, it won¡¯t be as simple as you think. I¡¯ll drill nails through your fingers, slice open your belly, pull out your intestines and wind them around your neck. Then hang you on a tree, letting you die slowly. Do you understand?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s fierce threats, the young knight started to shiver. Upon seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s face in the glow of the fire, the young knight¡¯s eyes widened, and he let out a loud cry¡­ ¡°Mommy!!!¡± The next moment, the young knight¡¯s eyes rolled back and his body went stiff before he passed out cold on the ground. Chapter 46 - 34 In the Forest_1 Chapter 46: Chapter 34 In the Forest_1 Early the next morning, the group set off again, this time apanied by a downcast young knight, bound in ropes. In contrast to his bravery the day before, now the young knight looked utterly dejected, as if he had lost the will to live, facing the end of the world. ¡°Is this the road to Calcas?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ sir¡­¡± Confronted by Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the young knight no longer resisted at all. ¡°Well then, lead the way.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­.¡± Watching the dispirited young knight leading the way, Elisa was bewildered. ¡°That¡¯s odd, why has he suddenly be so obedient? I thought he¡¯d keep arguing with Sir ck Knight.¡± ¡°Hahaha, this is because¡­¡­.¡± Upon hearing Elisa¡¯s question, the Elf Scoutughed heartily, and began to exin with an air of relishing the spectacle. ¡°When he woke up, he seemed very ashamed of having wet his pants and fainted out of fear of the ck Knight, proiming that he was unworthy of being a knight favored by the goddess, so he swore to be a servant to the ck Knight¡­..¡± ¡°Huh? But didn¡¯t he see the ck Knight as a demon?¡± ¡°Exactly, so what he said was ¡®Having lost the Goddess¡¯s favor, I no longer have the face to pursue her. Therefore, let me fall and be one of the demons!''¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ha¡­¡­¡± Listening to the Elf Scout¡¯s exnation, Elisa was utterly puzzled. She couldn¡¯t fathom his thought process. When she was abducted by the Evil God Cultists, she was absolutely unwilling to be their sacrifice. Even if it meant being killed by Duanmu Huai, she didn¡¯t want to give the cultists their way. But now this young knight was so ashamed of wetting his pants out of fear that he wanted to be a henchman of the demon? ¡°He was so brave yesterday¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a fleeting passion for you.¡± The Elf Scout shrugged. ¡°Like us scouts, everyone thinks living in the forest and tracking prey is fun. But when you¡¯re actually hiding in the forest, unable to make a sound while being bitten by mosquitoes, chased by wild beasts, and maybe even silently dying and bing prey for the beasts, it¡¯s apletely different story.¡± Here, the Elf Scout made a face. ¡°Like that guy, probably heard some fairy tale about a knight ying a dragon, thought he could also defeat the dragon, acquire countless treasures, then marry the beautiful princess, and so, he enthusiastically set off on his journey. People like him, they probably die to some Ratman creature without even catching a glimpse of the dragon.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­¡± After listening to the Elf Scout, Elisa was again puzzled. She and Kristin exchanged nces, unsure of what to say. ¡°Some indeed are young and foolish.¡± Then Old Knight Karol also nodded sagely. ¡°Among the rookies under mymand, many thought knights in armor were very cool. In their imagination, a knight is a hero who rides a great horse, wears shiny armor, gets respect from people, and is adored by beauties.¡± ¡°But Sir Karol, isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re like?¡± Elisa curiously looked at the old knight, whoughed and shook his head. ¡°Hahaha, thank you for thepliment, Miss, but that¡¯s just one aspect of being a knight. In fact, knights need to undergo rigorous training, they have to learn to ride horses, kill enemies, and how to survive in the wilderness¡­..many people can¡¯t handle the training of rolling in mud, crying out ¡®This isn¡¯t the knight I wanted to be¡¯ and running away.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­¡± While for nobles like Elisa and Kristin, someone like the young knight might be a novelty, beings like the Elf Scout and the old knight have seen too many like him. ¡°Hmm?¡± At that moment, suddenly, the Elf Scout¡¯s ears twitched, then she looked up towards the front. ¡°ck Knight, do you hear that?¡± ¡°Hmm, I hear sounds of fighting too.¡± Responding to the Elf Scout¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai nodded. His detector had picked up the sound of shing weapons in the distance. He quickly activated the holographic projection and zoomed in. Soon, everyone saw a convoy being attacked in the holographic image. The attackers were a group ofrge, green-skinned monsters. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s Orcs¡­¡± Upon seeing this, the Elf Scout couldn¡¯t hide his disgust. Duanmu Huai nodded, understanding why the Elf Scout would have such a reaction. Green Orcs were indeed troublesome creatures, their destructive power exceeded that of Ratmen. If the Ratmen¡¯s actions could be said to have some purpose, the Green Orcs¡¯ objectives were simple. They operated in a cycle of destruction, looting, and killing. For the Green Orcs, the most important thing in the world was to have fun, and having fun meant fighting. Be it battling among their own kind or against outsiders, as long as there were fights, they were content. If not fighting, they were on their way to a fight. Furthermore, eradicating Green Orcs was quite challenging because strictly speaking, they were not animals, but a type of fungal nt¡­ that¡¯s right, they photosynthesized. This was also the reproduction method of Green Orcs. They didn¡¯t reproduce via birth, but grew from the ground like nts. The saying goes¡ª¡±nt a Green Orc in the spring, by autumn, you will have a crop of little Green Orcs¡­¡± Their reproductive prowess could rival the Tyron Swarm that dominated the universe. The Green Orcs weren¡¯t part of the Chaos Camp, nor were they part of the Order Camp. To put it inly, they just wanted to find fights. Anyone who entered their sight was their adversary. If there were outsiders, they would fight the outsiders; if there were no outsiders, they would fight among themselves. Honestly, the small kingdom of Bartoni, capable of holding off northern Orc attacks, really deserved some credit. ¡°Should we help?¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯s always use for more friends here.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai clenched his War Hammer and looked at the young knight beside him. ¡°Hey, kid.¡± ¡°Ah! Wh-what do you need?¡± ¡°Come with me to fight the Orcs.¡± ¡°Wait? Wait? Orcs? Why??¡± ¡°Hmm? Didn¡¯t you swear to be my faithful subordinate? Then as a despicable demon, isn¡¯t it perfectly normal for me to send you off to die first? Let¡¯s go! Or I¡¯ll bash your head in!¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s threat, the young knight¡¯s face fell. He unhappily followed with his longsword. When Duanmu Huai arrived with the unwilling knight, the battle was already leaning unfavorably towards the merchants¡¯ side. The Orcs roared in anger, starting topress the mercenary¡¯s defenses. They were on the verge of copse. ¡°Go, charge!¡± Duanmu Huai kicked the young knight and issued the order with a stern gaze. Thetter paled, trembling while clutching his longsword and looking at the Green Orcs not far away. ¡°No, no, I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t beat so many¡­¡± ¡°Useless, what use are you then.¡± Duanmu Huai unhappily nced at the young knight, immediately grasped his War Hammer, sprang up into the air, and the jetpack shot out a stream of gas propelling him rapidly towards the Orcs!! ¡°BOOM!!!¡± Duanmu Huai plunged from the sky directly into orc army, causing the attacked Orcs to hurriedly turn around. Seeing a warrior even taller than them, almost all the Orcs¡¯ eyes brightened! Compared to those cowards hiding behind the wagons, this was the kind of opponent they desired!! ¡°WAAAAAAAAAGH!!!¡± The next moment, the Orcs raised their weapons and charged at Duanmu Huai, roaring loudly! Chapter 47 - 35 Continue on the Road_1 Chapter 47: Chapter 35 Continue on the Road_1 What¡¯s happening? The Orcs had changed their attack direction, and the merchant caravan that had been fighting hard suddenly felt the pressure lighten. They turned their eyes forward and saw a giant figure in terrifying armor amidst the Orc crowd, swinging his war hammer in fierce battle against the frightful Orcs. ¡°Hiss¡­! What kind of monster is that?¡± The soldier, watching the battle before him, gasped in shock. The others shared his sentiments. To humans, Orcs were symbols of savagery, ferocity, and brawn¡ªand this wasrgely true. Most Orcs were huge, powerful, and bloodthirsty. Generally, humans had little to gain from direct confrontations with Orcs. But the ck Knight they were watching was different. He was wielding a Thunder Hammer that glowed in the battle, smashing any attacking Orcs to the ground. The dazzling shes of light and the continuous explosions made the battlefield resemble a fiery hell. Yet the Orcs were not deterred; instead, they were even more excited. After all, this was the kind of battle they craved! Only the strong were worth challenging!! Unfortunately for them, Duanmu Huai did not n to join them in their WAAAAAGH. Even though Duanmu Huai appeared more ferocious than the Orcs from the outside, he was actually very calm on the inside, without the slightest emotional fluctuation. On one hand, this wasn¡¯t his first time fighting such monsters. As a veteran gamer, he had be ustomed to it. On the other hand, this was also a way for the Judge to protect himself. The Subspace Evil Gods found it difficult to directly interfere with the Main Universe, so their mostmon tactic was to manipte emotions and tempt their opposites to fall. In response to the mental temptations of Evil Gods, yers had summarized four rules, colloquially known as the Judge¡¯s Four Commandments. Fight without frenzy, think without fear, stay clean without being dirty, enjoy without indulging. Fight without frenzy¡ªone can fight, but don¡¯t be fanatic or the Brutal God may take advantage. Think without fear¡ªone can think, but don¡¯t overthink or you can easily fall into the hands of the God of Trickery. Stay clean without being dirty¡ªkeep yourself clean, don¡¯t be as messy as a beggar, and you can stay away from the Filthy God. Enjoy without indulging¡ªyou can enjoy, but don¡¯t indulge yourself, or you may fall into the trap of the God of Lust. As long as yers followed thesemandments, they were less likely to be affected by the Evil Gods. Essentially, everything had to be properly proportioned. You don¡¯t want to go down one path to the point of self-destruction! ¡°Zzzzzzzing¡­!!!¡± As Duanmu Huai fought valiantly in the battlefield, Ogis quietly appeared behind him. She stretched out her hands, a sh of silk thread traced across her fingers, followed by the appearance of dozens of puppets out of thin air. They charged towards the Orc army, holding back the low-level Orcs who were not very powerful. Suddenly, the battle situation changed again. Though the Orcs had forced the merchant caravan into a crisis, they had also suffered heavy losses. Now, with Duanmu Huai, Ogis, and the puppet army joining forces to backstab them, the Orcs were once again severely weakened. Despite the Orc¡¯s never-surrender attitude, there were limits to what they could do. Thus, in the end, the group of Orcs were smashed to death by Duanmu Huai¡¯s inexorable hammer strikes¡­ It goes to show¡ªthe subjective will of an individual cannot affect the objective reality. Even WAAAAAGH has its limits. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The battle only came to an end when thest Orc fell to the ground, dead. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Duanmu Huai removed his helmet and let out a sigh of relief. These never-surrender Orcs were a true nuisance. Even Ratmen knew to flee once the battle was lost, but to the Orcs, total annihtion held no meaning¡ªtheir valuey in fighting. Whether they won or lost the fight was an entirely different matter. Fighting with Orcs was truly painful. There was no feeling of achievement in winning, and losing brought even greater shame. ¡°Thank you for your help, brave knight¡­¡± At this point, the members of the merchant caravan approached cautiously. Though Duanmu Huai¡¯s appearance was intimidating, they were relieved that he was at least human. If he were an Orc or some other monster, it would be a different story altogether. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Seeing the measured response from the others, Duanmu Huai put his helmet back on. ¡°After all, we also have to use this route. We can¡¯t let the Orcs cause trouble here.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai turned his head and saw the young knight holding his sword, ready to run away. He scoffed coldly and signaled to Ogis. She nodded slightly, and then with a wince from the young knight, he was immediately bound by silk threads and dragged back. ¡°Trying to run away? You¡¯re a waste of space. You don¡¯t even dare to fight, but now you have the guts to run?¡± Duanmu Huai stared coldly at the young knight, who was trembling on the ground, too scared to utter a word. At this moment, the leader of the merchant caravan instinctively nced at the young knight, and then his eyes widened in shock. ¡°Young Master Louis? Aren¡¯t you Young Master Louis?!¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Chapter 48 - 35 Continue on the Road_2 Chapter 48: Chapter 35 Continue on the Road_2 Hearing the merchant group leader call out, the young knight was taken aback, quickly raising his head. After recognizing the person standing before him, his face turned pale and he swung his head away, pretending not to know him. ¡°Do you know each other?¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai asked with interest, to which the merchant leader hesitated and nodded after a moment. ¡°Yes, Sir Knight, could you exin ¡­¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing serious. Thisd used me of being a despicable demon yesterday and wanted to duel me several times. In the end, I knocked him out and took him as a captive.¡± ¡°I see ¡­¡± The merchant team leader rxed a bit upon hearing this. ¡°Well, to be honest, he is the son of our guild¡¯s chairman ¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so you want him back?¡± ¡°If possible ¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s all yours. This kind of dead weight just wastes food.¡± Duanmu Huai said, ncing at Ogis, who once again controlled her silk threads and tossed the young knight to the merchant leader¡¯s feet. Sweating, the leader signaled his group to take the wailing young knight back. Only after the knight was taken away did he sincerely thank Duanmu Huai. ¡°Thank you very much, kind Sir Knight. If it weren¡¯t for you, our young master would probably be dead ¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Has he always been this idiotic?¡± ¡°Well ¡­¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the merchant leader was somewhat embarrassed, but exined the situation in a low voice. As expected, the imbecile young knight was the son of the ¡°Lake Sword¡± guild chairman. He had always enjoyed the adventures of knights and even pestered his father to find knights to train him. However, the young man clearlycked talent. Everyone thought it was normal for a child to dream of being a knight and thought he would mature as he grew older. That¡¯s what they thought at the time. Surprisingly, as he aged, he became increasingly obsessed with knight stories. He often walked around in knight armor with a sword on his back, imagining that some old man in the city was an evil witch or an evil dragon was sealed under Ca Carson. In other words, he was like Don Quixote, causing various ridiculous and troublesome incidents. This gave his parents a great headache, but they couldn¡¯t stop him from being a knight. After all, in Bartoni, bing a knight was ¡°politically correct¡±. If his parents tried to stop him, their guild¡¯s reputation in Bartoni would be ruined. So they kept him at the vi to prevent him from causing trouble outside. They had no idea how he escaped ¡­ If not for meeting Duanmu Huai, he would probably be a corpse now. Bartoni is a pastoral country, but this is only the case for the cities and nearby rural towns. In such a medieval civilization, the areas between each civilization cluster are mostly wastnds. There are often bandits and rogues, and orc goblins are no exception. A LV3 weakling like him, without a protective divine artifact, would just be killed instantly outside. Duanmu Huai also exined his situation, and upon hearing that they were from the empire and wanted to find a ce in Bartoni to avoid disasters, the merchant group leader patted his chest and promised that once they returned to Ca Carson, he would report their situation to the chairman. Although the Lake Sword is not a big guild, they can still handle this small favor. Having more options is always a good thing, so Duanmu Huai agreed with the n, and they decided to head to Ca Carson together. Now, they didn¡¯t need the idiot to guide them, so Duanmu Huai sent him back to the merchant group promptly. Judging by the way he acted, there was a risk that he might lead them straight into an orcir. Of course, before leaving, the merchant group didn¡¯t forget to set fire to the battlefield, incinerating the corpses of both sides along with the ground. This wasn¡¯t because Bartoni had a tradition of cremations, but because orcs essentially belonged to a type of fungus. When they were about to die, their bodies would scatter arge number of spores which would then grow into a group of small orcs once theynded on the ground. If they didn¡¯t take care of it now, when they returned, they would just see arger group of orcs charging at them WAAAAAAGH style. ¡°Master, what¡¯s the deal with that human?¡± As they set off, Ogis, filled with doubts, asked Duanmu Huai. ¡°You mean the idiot? What¡¯s there to question?¡± It wasn¡¯t surprising that Ogis had doubts to Duanmu Huai as Ogis¡¯s main task was to observe,prehend and feel the souls of humans. From her perspective, human behaviors were indeed filled with various puzzles. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, why did he gather the courage to challenge you earlier, but quickly chose to submit after failing?¡± Ogis was clearly confused. ¡°It¡¯s simple. He got scared. Despite appearing fearless at first, it was all an act. When he first attacked me, he had the mentality of ¡®do or die¡¯. However, during the second round, he was fighting for his pride ¡­ because he wouldn¡¯t allow himself to run away with his tail between his legs.¡± ¡°But why did he keep following us after that?¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t let it go. People like him, who are neither here nor there, can¡¯t muster the courage to die, but also can¡¯t bear to flee in defeat. Thus, they stick around to see if there are any other opportunities.¡± Duanmu Huai scoffed. ¡°So, that¡¯s why he surrendered so easily after being caught. His original appearance was just an act, and he¡¯s as fragile as a paper tiger; one p is enough to tten him. He just didn¡¯t want to ept the fact that he¡¯s a coward who fears death, so he made up excuses such as being willing to be a demon¡¯s servant to save face.¡± After all, it¡¯s typical for chuunibyou patients to enjoy things like skull heads, confronting the world, death metal, looking dark and dazzling ¡­ That guy was no exception. ¡°Humans are reallyplicated ¡­¡± After hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s exnation, Ogis couldn¡¯t help but sigh. In response, Duanmu Huai could onlyugh. After all, that¡¯s just the way things are. Chapter 49 - 36 Plan_1 Chapter 49: Chapter 36 n_1 After that, following the caravan, Duanmu Huai and his party arrived at the central city of Bartoni, Cacarson ¨C the city believed to be blessed by the Lake Goddess. This city embodies the perfect medieval style, white city walls, cone-shaped towers, red banners waving in the wind, and knights d in full armor riding on their war horses. Ah, no wonder the forums say that Bartoni perfectly integrates all the fantasies people have about medieval knights. Indeed, it seems like a pastoral city from this perspective. Because they were apanied by the caravan of the Lake Sword Merchant Association, Duanmu Huai¡¯s party managed to enter the city and arrive at the Lake Sword Merchant Association without much hindrance. The foolish knight¡¯s father apologized to Duanmu Huai for his son¡¯s reckless actions and expressed his willingness to help them. In the end, Kristin and Elisa sessfully obtained a store from the Lake Sword Merchant Association, mainly dealing in small decorative items¡ª as nobles, their taste in this aspect was not bad. Old Knight Karol nned to stay as a servant and remain loyal to the two, while the Elf Scout also expressed her intention to stay¡ªafter all, being a royal spy, she was now without a master and had nowhere to be. The only ones who were leaving were Duanmu Huai and Ogis. ¡°Are you really leaving? Sir ck Knight? Sister Ogis?¡± Elisa looked at the two with tearful eyes, utterly unwilling to part. After all, since her difficult escape, Duanmu Huai and Ogis had always been by their side, you can even say that if it weren¡¯t for these two people, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to leave the Empire ande to Bartoni so easily. ¡°Of course, Elisa, we have missions toplete.¡± Duanmu Huai stretched out his hand and patted Elisa¡¯s little head. Bringing Elisa to Bartoni was mainly as repayment for Elisa, after all, she had given the holy artifact to him directly and decisively, so Duanmu Huai would naturally not abandon them. But Duanmu Huai¡¯s journey wouldn¡¯t end here, in addition to this holy artifact, he had other holy artifacts to retrieve, including those in Duanmu Huai¡¯s memory, and the holy artifacts currently held by the other Three Emperors in the Empire¡ªsince the Water God¡¯s Blessing held by Elisa was one of the holy artifacts, it is highly likely that the others are as well. However, taking the holy artifacts from their hands would probably not be as peaceful as it was with Elisa. Besides, what¡¯s most urgent for Duanmu Huai now is to continue to search for relics to increase the Soul Cards in his hand. The attack power of the Puppet Card Group he has now can¡¯t keep up, only Ogis can hold the fort. The Undeath Card Set can be used asionally, but it¡¯s not suitable to be released in public, as it can easily arouse suspicion whenbined with his appearance and dress. So, his next objective is to first increase the usable Soul Cards, then look for the holy artifacts outside the Empire¡ªDuanmu Huai doesn¡¯t want to get involved in the Empire¡¯s mess at the moment, he ns to find another holy artifact, then unlock the ¡°Tribunal Library¡±, followed by decoding the ¡°Antimatter Energy Core¡± to build an entirely new energy reactor, and then he can power the space station. And then¡­ he can rain down righteousness from the sky. By then, no matter how chaotic the Empire is, it¡¯ll all be resolved with a single attack. ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Knight.¡± Kristin also respectfully paid her respects to Duanmu Huai. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you and Miss Ogis¡¯s assistance, I¡¯m afraid we wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from the Empire ande here on our own. We are truly indebted¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for any rewards.¡± Duanmu Huai waved his hand. ¡°Elisa gave me the Water God¡¯s Blessing, as repayment, I helped you all leave the Empire. It¡¯s just a trade, so you don¡¯t need to take it to heart, so¡­¡­¡± At this point, Duanmu Huai looked at the Elf Scout. ¡°I¡¯m leaving this ce to you. After all, it¡¯s wise to be wary of others, even if you don¡¯t mean harm. Despite the praise for Bartoni on the outside, who knows what it¡¯s like inside.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, after all, this isn¡¯t the Empire, what I can do is also very limited.¡± The Elf Scout nodded, after all, she was now in the same boat as everyone else. Moreover, she agreed with Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, even though Bartoni looked like a paradise of pastoral poetry on the surface, but as a scout and a royal spy, she didn¡¯t believe that there was such an innocent ce in this world, so the Elf Scout nned to investigate secretly. Even if they didn¡¯t want to cause trouble, they couldn¡¯t let themselves unknowingly fall into a trap, right? Once everything was settled, a silence fell upon everyone. Although they hadn¡¯t been together for a long time, they had be used to being together on the journey, and suddenly parting was somewhat difficult. ¡°¡­¡­well, that¡¯s it.¡± Finally, it was still Duanmu Huai that broke the silence, while Elisa tears welling up in her eyes were fixed on him. ¡°Sir ck Knight, will youe back to see us again in the future?¡± ¡°Of course, if I have the time, I wille to see you.¡± Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t just paying lip service. Now that the teleportation beacon was unlocked, he could freely shuttle back and forth by cing a beacon here. This was just a primitive civilization, without a void shield, Duanmu Huai with his strategicmand room unlocked could teleport to wherever he wanted. If it hadn¡¯t been for this escort mission, he would have arrived at Bartoni in a blink of an eye instead of wasting so much time. Moreover, Elisa was the first person he encountered after crossing over. She was cute and obedient, hence Duanmu Huai also had a good impression of her. But Duanmu Huai was not nning to get too close to them. Generally, Judges tend not to get too close to the local inhabitants in order to avoid some tricky troubles and issues. After all, if they get too close to certain people, it is very likely that those individuals could be targeted by the Evil God. Even though Duanmu Huai isn¡¯t high on the list for the Subspace Evil God at this moment, considering what he¡¯s nning to do in the future, he¡¯s bound to cross paths with the Evil God. When that timees, knowing the Evil God¡¯s petty nature, if it discovers Duanmu maintains close rtions with folks like Elisa, it would inevitably create issues for them. The reason Duanmu Huai warned the Elf Scout also has to do with his wariness towards the Lake Goddess. In this world, many who seem to be good are not necessarily so. Simr events had urred in the game before. At that time, a was struck by disaster, and radical believers on that tried to control the entire sphere to spread the glory of their faith. That was plunged into crisis, but then a holy woman emerged, leading a resistance army to counter the Radicals¡¯ attack. Subsequently, quite a few Judge yers also joined the resistance, and everyone joined forces to defeat the Radical Faction, safeguarding the peace of the, cause to rejoice indeed. However, while everyone was celebrating the victory, a Great Judge yer arrived and arrested the holy woman on charges of heresy. Back then, not just the local inhabitants but also many Judge yers couldn¡¯t understand his actions. Nevertheless, that Great Judge yer disregarded everyone¡¯s feelings and pronounced a verdict of death by burning on the holy woman, right then and there. Heter handed her corpse over to the local church for disposal. Thus, that Great Judge yer undoubtedly became an enemy in the eyes of the people on that, and many yers didn¡¯t understand him either, thinking that he had gone mad from ying the game. Eventually, several inquisitive yers conducted an investigation after the matter, and to their shock, they discovered that everything that happened on that was a farce. Both the Radical Faction and the faction of the holy woman were merely pawns of the God of Trickery. Regardless of the oue of the war, it wouldn¡¯t affect the God of Trickery. If the Radicals won, then this would have be followers of the God of Trickery. If the holy woman won, everyone would still follow her guidance and be disciples of the God of Trickery. Win or lose, it was a win-win situation. The God of Trickery stood to gain twice, inducing total chaos. So the Great Judge took the most straightforward measure ¨C ¡°Victory, my ass! Let me just wreck this whole game for you! I¡¯ll burn everyone without exception! If I can¡¯t win, you can¡¯t either. Let¡¯s all perish together.¡± From then on, yers tended to maintain a certain degree of reserve when dealing with local inhabitants, never extendingplete trust. Because you can never be sure whether the person genuinely believes what they¡¯re saying, or they¡¯ve been swayed by the Evil God. Some don¡¯t even realize they¡¯ve been manipted by the Evil God. Under these circumstances, various problems can arise ¨C hence many unfortunate yers. Therefore, in the game, the entities most trusted by any yer are usually the ones closest to them. For instance, Super Warriors trust their Gic Seed Legion implicitly. Technological Priests trust the Mecha Servants they create the most. Psychics trust their Soul Cards the most. Of these, Psychics have it the best, as Soul Cards have not just lovely and cute girls but also fluffy little animals. These are extremely therapeutic. Some female yers even convert their bases into something resembling a zoo, full of adorable animals and elves flitting about, which is immenselyforting. In contrast, whether it¡¯s the Technological Priests or the Super Warriors, their closestpanions are either cyborgs or burly muscr men. Unless you have an unusual taste, continuously fostering feelings with such things is almost asking for trouble isn¡¯t it? This goes to show, your spellcaster is always top-notch, living the high life wherever they are. Hence, in the end, all yers in the game would take on a secondary upation as a Soul Walker and procure a few Soul Cards. Even if their levels are too low forbat, they can use the cards for their aesthetic appeal in their base. They can¡¯t always be with muscr men or mechanically augmented humans, can they? If anything goes wrong, who would be responsible? After that, Duanmu Huai and Ogis bid a reluctant farewell to Elisa and left Cacarson, conveniently settling the Escort II mission. In addition to leveling up to 23, he also obtained a Purification Badge as an extra reward. [Evolution Badge (Holy Artifact)] [+10 Subspace Resistance] [+5 All Resistance] [+5-sec Fear Duration] ¡­Okay, his aura of fear seems to be getting stronger and stronger. ¡°Where are we headed next, Master?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­.¡± Upon hearing Ogis¡¯s inquiry, Duanmu Huai gave it some thought. ¡°For now, let¡¯s see what kind of cards the relics here can offer.¡± Chapter 50 - 37 The Path to Heaven_1 Chapter 50: Chapter 37 The Path to Heaven_1 Legend has it that there¡¯s adder to the heavens at the nearby Peak of White Clouds. If one could just ascend that path, they would reach the mysterious Sky City¡­ Sounds quite poetic, doesn¡¯t it? But the reality is¡­ ¡°Honestly, I seriously doubt this. It feels like a scam for extracting money.¡± Duanmu Huai muttered as he observed the bustling town at the foot of the mountain. No wonder he would say such a thing; the signs were quite telling. If he hadn¡¯t triggered a Sky City quest while gathering information from the tavern, Duanmu Huai might have thought this was just a money-grubbing scheme. It¡¯s like going on a trip to me Mountain, only to stumble upon something like a ¡°ssic Tour of the Water Curtain Cave.¡± The trouble is, the Water Curtain Cave isn¡¯t even on me Mountain. ¡°¡­oh well, it¡¯s worth a look.¡± Whiling away the time, Duanmu Huai and Ogis entered the museum in the town to see what treasures were to be found in Sky City. However¡­ ¡°This is a de that fell from the sky one day! With so much momentum, it even prated the skull of an unfortunate sap!¡± Isn¡¯t this just dropping objects from high altitude? Aren¡¯t you going to look for the culprit? ¡°Legend says this is a cup used by a resident of Sky City. It¡¯s our duty to collect these blessings that Sky City bestows on us from time to time!¡± It¡¯s just a regr cup, right? And are they really just throwing junk from the sky? If that¡¯s true, the quality of the residents of Sky City is questionable. After a patient look around, Duanmu Huai concluded that this was just a junk show. Them not having a piece of fossilized poop meant that they still had some decency at least. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s head directly up the mountain.¡± Although he didn¡¯t see any sign of Sky City on the satellite scan, the fact that the system triggered a task meant there must be a Sky City here. Of course, the town also offered a ¡°Sky City Ladder¡± day tour, which involved horseback riding. Given his physique, Duanmu Huai clearly couldn¡¯t ride a horse. He and Ogis went on foot up the mountain path instead, not even bothering to find a guide. After all, he doubted those fast-talking, story fabricating guides could provide any useful clues. Luckily, there was just one path up the mountain, so Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t worried about getting lost. Naturally, he wasn¡¯t the only one on the mountain. On the way up, Duanmu Huai encountered quite a few armor-d individuals sporting long swords and knight getups. Some were on horseback, some on foot, all of them clearly seeking the legendary ¡°Sky City.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re all here to find Sky City? Does it have anything to do with your trials?¡± While walking, Duanmu Huai struck up a conversation with a knight riding next to him. He had time to kill, and thought of it as just chitchatting while on a trip to Mount Tai or Huangshan. ¡°Indeed, outsider,¡± This knight was quite talkative. Duanmu Huai might have looked intimidating with his helmet on, but with so many people around, the knight wasn¡¯t worried about sudden attacks, and thus, a conversation began. ¡°The Sky City is rumored to admit only virtuous knights. Once we get in and receive the city¡¯s blessings, we¡¯ll be able to show our power and glory!¡± ¡°So, has anyone ever seeded?¡± Queried Duanmu Huai curiously. This rumor must have some basis; they couldn¡¯t have just pulled it out of thin air. ¡°Rumor has it that the Green Knight, the guardian god of Bartoni, once went to Sky City under the guidance of the Lake Goddess. His armor and weapons were all from that city!¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai finally understood why these knights were so excited. It turns out they all wanted to follow in the Green Knight¡¯s footsteps. But why would anyone want to be the Green Knight? Decked out in green from head to toe, who knows how many times skin had to turn green to look like this¡­ Duanmu Huai would never consider it. Soon, everyone reached the vicinity of the mountain peak. They scattered to look for clues ¨C after all, the sky was cloudless and empty. Yet, being inhabitants of a magical world, they were open-minded. It was clear that Sky City could be in another realm, so what they were looking for was a way to get there. They were not foolish, to say at least. However, it is unfortunate they are unlikely to find what they are looking for. Duanmu Huai did not join them. He looked around and a gleam of light shed across his eyes. Initiate, Soul Resonance!! The next moment, the world before Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes changed instantly. His surroundings became misty and endless. As he quickly lifted his head to the peak of the mountain, he saw a long, thin staircase piercing the sky, leading to a pure white city floating atop a mountain. There you are! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s mouth curled into a smirk. He let Ogis sit on his shoulder while he reached out and began climbing the rocks in front of him. Duanmu Huai¡¯s actions naturally attracted the attention of others, but they didn¡¯t think much of it. After all, there was nothing on the one-person wide tform at the mountain peak. They figured this burly barbarian just wanted to climb up and enjoy the view. Some were even worried that he would end up smashing the tform ¨C it couldn¡¯t withstand this brute¡¯s messing around! However, as everyone started looking for clues again, a voice suddenly rang out. ¡°Hey? Where¡¯s the ck Knight?!¡± Upon hearing this cry, everyone was startled, hurriedly looking up, only to find that the tform was empty. The burly ck Knight had vanished into thin air! Where did he go? We hope he didn¡¯t fall from the mountain!! Of course, Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t fallen. In fact, he was now walking among the clouds. ¡°Phew¡­ this ce is really not friendly to acrophobics.¡± Walking on the staircase and looking around, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It was nearly three persons wide andpletely transparent, reminding him of the high-altitude ss corridors in many tourist spots. The worse thing was, there was no railing on the sides of the staircase, one missed step, and you could slip and fall. This ce was not made for ordinary people. It¡¯s a good thing those knights didn¡¯t find it; otherwise, who knows how many of them would have fallen to their deaths. With this in mind, Duanmu Huai raised his head again and gazed at the Sky City ahead. Less a city, it looked more like a mountain floating in the sky. The front half of the mountain had been hollowed out to build a massive fortress with a semi-circr wall and a tform. Deep inside, there was a white high-rise building built against the mountain. The entire Sky City exuded an extraordinary fascinating charm from some mysterious civilization. This¡¯s not the architectural style of the Ancient Saints, where did thise from? Duanmu Huai examined Sky City in wonder. Long ago, many Soul Walkers noticed that many scenes they found in the Soul Shards didn¡¯t match the real-world records. It seemed as if the worlds in the Soul Shards did not exist in this one. Some yers spected that the might have been destroyed more than once. Maybe there was another advanced civilization before the Ancient Saints came, which was wiped out for some reason, and then the Ancient Saints came and created species such as the Elves, Dwarfs, and Humans¡­ Not to say, this theory gained some traction. What¡¯s the real story, though¡­ he¡¯ll find out when he checks it out! At the same moment, Duanmu Huai took thest step to the entrance of Sky City. Chapter 51 - 38: Exploring the Fortress_1 Chapter 51: Chapter 38: Exploring the Fortress_1 The entrance of Sky City stood firmly shut, echoing with an aura of destion. Although the surroundings were filled with a lush forest andwn, no bird songs could be heard, nor was there any sign of life. ¡°Ogis, let¡¯s go take a look.¡± ¡°Okay, Master.¡± After Ogis responded, Duanmu Huai picked her up, activated his jetpack, and leapt high above the city gate, heavilynding on top of it. ¡°Thud!!!¡± The Power Armor collided with the stone door, making a heavy noise. But there was still no movement within the city. Apart from the grass and trees, there seemed to be no other signs of life. So Duanmu Huai deployed a Reconnaissance Servo Skull to investigate the nearby area ¡ª however, even the Servo Skull detected no signs of life. Could this ce actually be a dead city? Nothing left but the city itself? It can¡¯t be¡­ In any case, let¡¯s keep moving forward. Duanmu Huai and Ogis jumped down from the city gate and arrived on the other side, proceeding along the road overrun with weeds. Although most of the city¡¯s buildings were constructed from stone, they had a unique geometric beauty ¡ª a characteristic of advanced technology. Well, whether the construction material was stone or not was still debatable. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± As Duanmu Huai and Ogis passed the road and arrived at a crossroad, suddenly, a massive dark figure let out a beastlike roar, leaping down from the rooftop and pouncing at them. Faced with this sudden attack, Duanmu Huai hurriedly lifted his War Hammer and went to meet this enemy. After a brief sh, they both disengaged. Only then did Duanmu Huai get a good look at the dark figure that had attacked him. ¡°What the hell is this thing?¡± Staring at the creature in front of him, Duanmu Huai was dumbfounded. It was metallic, had a shape resembling a humanoid robot, but with four limbs fashioned into beast-like ws. Its head looked like that of a lion, and it had a lizard-like tail and wings like a hawk¡­ [Demonic Iron Mad Lion] [LV21] ¡°Well, well¡­ I¡¯m guessing whoever built this thing wasn¡¯t ying with a full deck¡­¡± Staring at the mechanical monster in front of him, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know what to say. The metallic lion roared again, charging at them with teeth and ws bared. This time, Duanmu Huai showed no mercy. He stepped forward, meeting the Demonic Iron Mad Lion¡¯s attack head on, and hammered down onto its skull. The heavy War Hammer shattered the iron lion¡¯s head into pieces. But even then, the iron lion thrashed around wildly, trying to harm Duanmu Huai. However, Duanmu Huai swung his hammer again, treating the iron lion like a golf ball, and sent it flying towards a wall in the distance where it turned into a pile of scrap metal. ¡°It seems this city isn¡¯t as peaceful as it seemed.¡± The attack actually calmed Duanmu Huai down a bit. At the very least, this showed that the way to clear this fragment was likely by fighting¡­ and the reason the Reconnaissance Servo Skull didn¡¯t detect any life was probably because all that was left here were self-activated machines. Afterwards, Duanmu Huai and Ogis¡¯ experiences confirmed his guess. During their exploration of the outskirts of the city, they hade across attacks by several types of robots. In addition to the previously encountered lion-headed creature, there were Experimental Mechanical Soldiers that looked like knights equipped with Twin Swords and capes, as well as Mechanical Soldiers wielding machine guns. These robots¡¯ level ranged from 20-30. Due to the endless Puppet Army, these robots were not difficult for Duanmu Huai to deal with. However, throughout the journey, he grew increasingly interested in the city¡¯s origins. From what he had seen so far, it seemed like Sky City was a ce where some ancient civilization had conducted research and manufacturing of robots¡­ However, he didn¡¯t know what exactly was inside of it. ¡°ng!!!¡± Another Mechanical Soldier, turned into scrap metal by the Puppets¡¯ attack, fell to the ground. Ogis, moved by curiosity, walked over and gently poked the scrap metal on the ground. ¡°Master, are these Puppets too?¡± ¡°In a way, I suppose they are¡­¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t see any strings controlling them.¡± Ogis was very curious about this. Each Puppet from the Puppet Card Group, with her at the core, required strings for control. While it seemed like Duanmu Huai simply put a bunch of Puppets into battle each time, each Puppet¡¯s strings were actually controlled by Ogis. So, she was very interested in these ¡°Puppets¡± that could move without strings. ¡°They¡¯re made differently and don¡¯t require strings to move, but their movements are rather limited.¡± Duanmu Huai gave Ogis a simple exnation, and she nodded in a somewhat understanding manner. Meanwhile, the two had walked past the outeryer and arrived in an area resembling a street. The nearby houses had signboards hanging in front of them. Although they couldn¡¯t understand what was written on them, the designs and patterns on these signs suggested that this ce was likely a shopping street. Out of curiosity, Duanmu Huai walked into the ce to have a look around. However, there wasn¡¯t much inside. Whether it was always empty or the fragment just didn¡¯t project anything inside, he wasn¡¯t sure. Only when he entered the third shop did he find something worthwhile. ¡°Oh, this is pretty interesting.¡± Seeing the scene before his eyes, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but marvel. In front of him was a disy table with several cute and pretty girl Puppets sitting on it. They had different looks, outfits, and hairstyles. Near these girl Puppets, something like a price tag was disyed. ¡°This civilization is quite interesting.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s interest was piqued. Though he couldn¡¯t interpret the text, he understood that this was a ce selling robots and those robots were likely the products. The information on the tags might be their specifications and functions. While he should have figured it out earlier, this society truly seemed to be an expert in robot creation. Ogis seemed quite interested in these robots that looked very simr to her, too. She stretched out her hand, touched this one, looked at that one, and sometimespared herself with them, seemingly trying to notice the differences. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, Ogis.¡± After observing for a while, Duanmu Huai felt they had found no more clues there, so he signaled Ogis to leave. However, just as they turned to leave the shop, a voice sounded from behind them. ¡°Could¡­you two wait a moment?¡± Hearing the voice, Duanmu Huai and Ogis turned their heads and saw that one of the girl robots, which was originally sitting on the disy table, was now looking at them with her eyes open. Chapter 52 - 39 Puppet Girl_1 Chapter 52: Chapter 39 Puppet Girl_1 ¡°Who are you?¡± Staring at the machine girl in front of him, Duanmu Huai was taken aback, hastily opening his mouth to ask. The machine girl simply waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Ah, please don¡¯t be rmed. I may appear as a puppet, but I¡¯m actually a human! My soul was sealed in here by an evil magician. Could you please help me find my original body?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± What on earth was happening? Faced with the machine girl¡¯s request, Duanmu Huai was utterly baffled, but he nodded nheless. ¡°No problem.¡± Regardless of the circumstances, at least he¡¯d finally encountered someone with whom he couldmunicate. So, he decided to hear her out. And so, a strange machine girl joined the ranks of Duanmu Huai and Ogis¡¯ party. She introduced herself as Mia. Originally, she was human, but an evil magician cast a spell and sealed her soul inside a puppet. This Sky City was the castle of that malicious wizard. He kept her, along with others, as exhibitions here. In fact, the other puppets disyed on the table were also victims of the wizard. However, their souls had fallen into a deep slumber and could not be awakened¡­ ¡°I, I really appreciate your help, sir¡­ and miss¡­¡± Following behind them, Mia showed a face full of gratitude. ¡°This body is very rigid, and it¡¯s really not convenient to move. What¡¯s more unsettling is the cutece trim of my outfit¡­ If I wasn¡¯t stuck in a puppet¡¯s body right now, I would have cried. Now that I¡¯m with the two of you, I feel like I will be able to retrieve my original body!¡± ¡°Um¡­¡­.¡± Upon hearing Mia¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai wore a confused expression on his face. He was feeling that this direction was somewhat strange. Sky City? Evil magician? Puppets? Magic? No¡­ Miss, there¡¯s no magic involved here at all. Since arriving in Sky City, almost everything he¡¯d encountered had been technological. Even Mia¡¯s body was the same, although it resembled Ogis¡¯s appearance, Duanmu Huai was sure that if he smashed Mia, he would find a dense maze of steel structures and cables within her ¡ªpletely unlike Ogis¡¯s puppet form. It would make more sense if she imed her consciousness had been transferred into a robot body via some contraption! Or perhaps Mia¡¯s consciousness was derived from an indigenous person? If that was the case, it wouldn¡¯t be odd for her to harbor these thoughts. After all, in the eyes of these primitive people, the transmission of consciousness through technology would seem oddly simr to magic. No matter, he would know once they get there. Although Duanmu Huai questioned Mia¡¯s exnation, at least under her guidance, the two had their next target. So, following Mia¡¯s directions, Duanmu Huai and Ogis continued their journey towards the ¡°residence of the evil wizard¡±. Naturally, they encountered more foes along the way. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± With the War Hammer in his hands, Duanmu Huai charged forward, colliding heavily with a burly robot guard. Its appearance closely resembled the previous Magic Steel Lion, yet this time, the features of the robot¡¯s head resembled more of a tiger than a lion. ¡°Steel Tiger¡± ¡°LV30¡± Compared to the Magic Steel Lion, the Steel Tiger was of a higher level. However, its attack power wasn¡¯t as formidable. Instead, it had superb defense. For Duanmu Huai alone, dealing with an enemy of this level was rather challenging. However, fortuitously, by summoning puppets and coordinating with Ogis, who was battling beside him, Duanmu Huai managed to take down the Steel Tiger. Seizing the opportunity when the tiger swiped at empty air, Duanmu Huai gave a ferocious roar and smashed his War Hammer directly into the core of the Steel Tiger¡¯s back, knocking it to the ground. He swung his hammer once more, smashing it to bits. ¡°Huff¡­¡­¡± Only after thest Tiger-like robot copsed, did Duanmu Huai take a breath. He then summoned a Repair Mechanism Skull to begin repairing his Power Armor. A few encounters with a Steel Tiger had already depleted his Power Armor¡¯s durability down to less than 20%. If there were any more, he feared that his Power Armor might shatterpletely. What frustrated Duanmu Huai even more was the fact that killing monsters in the Fragmented World didn¡¯t yield any experience. Much like the two Fragmented World scenarios he¡¯d encountered before ¡ª Ogis¡¯s Dollhouse and the Schr¡¯s Haunted Mansion ¡ª there was no experience gained from killing monsters orpleting tasks, only Soul Cards. The game was set up this way to prevent yers from power-leveling. After all, just like the previous Haunted Mansion scenario ¡ª as long as the yer didn¡¯tplete the task, they could continually try again. Therefore, some yers might use this feature to their advantage, treating the Fragmented World tasks as dungeons and repeatedly grinding monster kills for leveling. Thus, the game rules specified that yers could not gain experience from killing monsters within a Fragmented World. Furthermore,pleting tasks also yielded no experience ¡ª just Soul Cards. However¡­ The boss of this ce shouldn¡¯t exceed level 40, right? Gazing at the wreckage of the Steel Tiger before him, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows. From the Magic Steel Lion to the Mechanical Soldiers and now to the Steel Tiger. Most of the monsters in this Soul Shard map are between level 20 and 30. If all these robots were created by the ¡°Wizard¡± that Mia mentioned, then his level could likely be around 40. Of course, it¡¯s not certain. Just like the Schr in the Haunted Mansion, his level wasn¡¯t even 10, and in most other technology worlds, the individual strength levels are not usually high. Looking at the monsters Duanmu Huai has encountered in Sky City, they are mostly technological creations. So, it¡¯s also possible that the ¡°Wizard¡¯s¡± individual level isn¡¯t high. Naturally, in these kinds of settings, the enemy will often have a powerful robot. But if their original strength is weak, Duanmu Huai could use puppets to assassinate them, bypassing the BOSS battle for victory. In any case, he hoped the danger wouldn¡¯t be too great. As he pondered this, Duanmu Huai nced at Ogis beside him. While Ogis could battle enemies around level 70, he didn¡¯t want to risk her. Duanmu Huai doesn¡¯t have any cards that can rescue from the graveyard in his hand. Puppets can multiply infinitely, ghosts can be transformed through puppets, those were no objects of concern. Even if he lost them, he wouldn¡¯t mind. But if Ogis entered the graveyard, it would be difficult to retrieve her. ording to the design of Soul Cards, when a servant enters the graveyard, it can only be revived with the use of a card that possesses the ability ¡°Summoning of the Dead.¡± When a magic card or amulet card is used and enters the graveyard, they must consume experience worth 1000 times the card cost to reset them back to the hand. At the moment, Duanmu Huai does not have the ¡°Summoning of the Dead¡± card, so he has to act cautiously. Duanmu Huai had already made up his mind, if the final BOSS here is really too hard for now, he¡¯ll temporarily abandon the conquest, go somewhere else to enhance his strength, and thene back to deal with itter. He certainly can¡¯t let Ogis die here. After once again repelling the attack from the Robot Legion, the group finally arrived at the pce of Sky City. At this moment, Mia suddenly raised her hand, pointing ahead. ¡°Ah, there he is! The evil magician!¡± Upon hearing Mia¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai and Ogis both looked up, following the direction of Mia¡¯s pointing finger and saw a figure in a long robe standing on the balcony of the second floor of the pce, staring at them coldly. ¡°I never would have imagined, Mia, that you¡¯d found some help,¡± he said. ¡°Evil magician, return my body to me!!¡± ¡°Ha, foolish girl, your body has be part of my collection. Initially, I was merciful enough to let you live on as a puppet, but it seems like¡­ I might have to teach you a little lesson¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­???¡± Listening to the conversation between the magician and Mia, Duanmu Huai slightly furrowed his brow, feeling like something didn¡¯t quite make sense. Supposedly, they had a good understanding of the situation in this soul shard: A wizard¡­ whoever he is, removed the soul of a girl named Mia from her body and inserted it into a robot. Then Mia sought help, hoping for someone to defeat the wizard and return her body. The entire situation seemed to be like this. However¡­ Duanmu Huai felt something was inconsistent. Compared to the repentance of the previous Puppeteer Master and the conflicting emotions of the Schr, Mia¡¯s feelings didn¡¯t seem intense enough to secure an entire Sky City here as a Soul Shard. Especially considering that the levels and strength of the monsters in this Sky City are quite high¡­ could this be a fragment world created by the soul of Mia, who is sealed within a robot? Could there be some hidden secret? As Duanmu Huai was thinking, the man in the hood raised both of his hands. ¡°Awaken, my guards, annihte these foolish intruders!¡± ¡°Thump¡­ Thump¡­ Thump¡­!!!¡± Following the man¡¯smand, the pce¡¯s front doors started slowly opening. One by one, a series ofrge robots, almost asrge as Duanmu Huai, started marching out. Not only that, above their heads were an odd array of odd mechanical Creatures that looked nothing like humans. They had diamond or round cores, surrounded by a ring of iron, floating in the air like bizarre pieces of art. Large Mechanical Soldiers, Ancient Creations, Analyzed Creations, Mysterious Creators. ¡°They¡¯reing!¡± Staring at the legion of iron soldiers, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. He quicklyposed himself and activated his Soul Cards. Soon, an army of puppets appeared in front of him, facing the contingent of the steel legion from the other side. ¡°Attack!!!¡± With a roar from the robed man, the battle between steel and puppets began. Chapter 53 - 40 Confrontation_1 Chapter 53: Chapter 40 Confrontation_1 This was the most ¡°sci-fi¡± battle Duanmu Huai had encountered since his time travel. On the ground, massive mechanical soldiers were charging forward. Meanwhile, peculiar flying objects suspended in the sky kept firing beams ofser-like light at Duanmu Huai and his team. The danger of these beams could be estimated by the rapid percentage decrease in the durability of their power armor. These things were as powerful as bomb guns! Fortunately, Duanmu Huai was not fighting alone here. Quantity could make up for quality; puppets were deployed like crazy, in other words, the number of puppets was used to offset the superior quality of the opponent¡¯s robot legion. Luckily the puppets were indeed cost-free. The toweringrge mechanical soldiers charged like angry bulls. Numerous puppets swarmed and threw themselves onto it. The mechanical soldier swung its arm, smashing two puppets into fragments instantly. But other puppets took this opportunity to attack it, breaking its shell. While the mechanical soldier was swinging its arm to knock away other puppets, one puppet directly pierced the core within its shattered armor. Immediately, therge mechanical soldier staggered and instantly paralyzed. ¡°Phew¡­ good thing my puppets are unscientific.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai had somewhat let out a sigh of relief. The opponent was ying high-tech. Luckily, his puppet card group was unrealistic. Logically speaking, the dagger and curved knife held by the puppets should not be able to prate the defense of therge mechanical soldiers. It¡¯s like a knight in the middle ages swinging a sword against a tank. It would be a miracle if it could cause any damage. Although there have been situations in civilization where primitives could blow up helicopters¡­ Fortunately, his puppets were also unscientific. After all, these puppets were a simple carved wood structure and didn¡¯t even haveponents. If analyzed from a scientific perspective, they probably couldn¡¯t be analyzed. Therefore, although the attack power of the puppets was low, the damage they caused to the enemy was real. For a while, the battlefield was at a standstill. However, Duanmu Huai knew that it would not be beneficial to continue dragging the battle. The opponent¡¯s mechanical soldiers kepting without end. He didn¡¯t want a repeat of engaging in an endless cycle of refreshing enemies like in the haunted Western-style building. That would be frustrating. No choice then. Looking at the deadlock on the battlefield, Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment and made a decision. ¡°Ogis, cover me! Take out those aerial monstrosities!¡± Duanmu Huai loudly issued amand. He then charged straight ahead. Meanwhile, upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s call, Ogis promptly raised her hands. Threads emerged from between her fingers, shooting out and intersecting to form arge that instantly cut the airborne creatures into pieces. Of course, some creatures also attacked Ogis. Fortunately, Ogis slightly moved her fingers, and a group of puppets automatically rushed forward to shield her from the aerial attack. As Ogis was buying him time, Duanmu Huai sprinted ahead at full speed. The mechanical soldiers spotted him and immediately converged on him. But Duanmu Huai, without hesitation, summoned hundreds of puppets to take the bullets for him while he continued to run forward. Duanmu Huai himself had only 4 agility points, slow in reaction, but fortunately, the power armor made up for his shorings. Using the puppets as a distraction, Duanmu Huai made it through the battlefield to the base of the pce¡¯s balcony, jumped up suddenly! The jetpack instantly sted off, bringing Duanmu Huai right in front of that cloaked man! Strike the horse before the man, take down the leader first! ¡°Die!!!¡± Duanmu Huai roared, mming his hammer down at the cloaked man, who stood there motionlessly and reached out his hand. With a ¡°thud¡±, Duanmu Huai¡¯s war hammernded on the man¡¯s hand. But it didn¡¯t send him flying. Instead, Duanmu Huai felt as though he had hit a hard piece of granite that wouldn¡¯t budge. However, Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t entirely useless. With his full-strength strike, the cloak of the man was blown off, revealing his true face to Duanmu Huai. It was a towering iron mecha, even taller than Duanmu Huai by a head. Its head was a mask simr to that of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Inside its hollow chest, a blond man who seemed to be fused with the armor was visible. In other words, this device was the so-called wizard! [Mobile Armor (Legend)] [LV43] Got you! Seeing this, a cold light shed across Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. Summon Puppet to the field! Activate ¡°Shortcut to Death¡±, designate Puppet to use, Puppet obtains ¡°Critical Hit¡± characteristic! Attack! At the very next moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s cloak shook abruptly, and a puppet assassin sprang out, its dagger flew forward, striking straight into the chest of the blonde man inside the mecha! ¡°Good!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai clenched his fist in excitement. Although this thing looked formidable, a strike with the ¡°Critical Hit¡± attribute added could kill instantly disregarding the HP and defense. You just be obedient and¡­ Huh?! However, to Duanmu Huai¡¯s surprise, the mecha in front of him was not instantly killed as he had imagined. On the contrary, the mecha swung its arm abruptly. The next moment, Duanmu Huai and his puppet were flung away, heavily hitting the wall nearby. ¡°Boom!¡± The violent impact made Duanmu Huai grunted, he quickly stood up, gripping his War Hammer again, staring at therge Mechaing towards him. How was that possible? The [Critical Hit] attack just now had clearlynded on it directly. Could this thing be immune to the curse effect? However, when Duanmu Huai saw the mechanical wounds appear on the man¡¯s body, he was speechless. He initially thought that this man was the operator of the giant Mecha, but it turns out that he¡¯s also a robot? Okay, Duanmu Huai now understood why the [Critical Hit] failed. Because it was not a living being, so [Critical Hit] would have no effect, right!? ¡°Full body status confirmed, durability synchronization confirmed ¡ª Begin battle¡­¡± At the same time, the Giant Mecha¡¯s cool voice echoed along with the raising of its hands. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth, raised his War Hammer, and swiftly nced at his hand card. It seems, he had to go all out! With that in mind, Duanmu Huai waved his hand again, summoning several Puppets to attack the Giant Mecha. Meanwhile, he took advantage of the Puppets¡¯ cover and circled to the back of the Giant Mecha, smashing his War Hammer forcefully at its legs. ¡°ng!¡± The Thunder Warhammer struck the Giant Mecha¡¯s leg, the surface of the steel that radiated a purple glow twisted and shattered instantaneously. The body of the Giant Mecha also tilted slightly at that moment. [Matter Discement]! Armor Piercing sessful! However, just as Duanmu Huai was preparing to follow-through with another attack, the Mecha suddenly spread its hand towards him. Following that, several rays of attack burst forth. ¡°Damn!¡± Duanmu Huai swore silently, hurriedly raised both hands to shield himself, the next moment he felt a shaking on his body, as if he was hit by a speeding vehicle, flying off the ground. He felt the hard fall on the ground with a ¡°thud¡±. Simultaneously, an ear-piercing rm sounded. [Warning, Power Armor durability has fallen below 20%] [Warning, Power Armor is about to be damaged] Destroyed by one attack? How high is this thing¡¯s attack power! Duanmu Huai was taken aback internally as the rms sounded. Meanwhile, the Giant Mecha had already turned around and was charging at him again. No choice then! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth, making up his mind. Activate [Puppet Surgery]! Randomly grants a +4/+0 effect to a Puppet Card in his hand! And then¡­¡­summon the [Puppet] to the field, Attack! Just when the Giant Mecha charged right in front of Duanmu Huai, suddenly, a Puppet shed out quickly from beneath Duanmu Huai¡¯s cape, directly pouncing onto the Giant Mecha. It doesn¡¯t seem to have any differencepared to other Puppets, but a closer look would reveal that this Puppet doesn¡¯t have hands on both arms. Instead, one arm had been modified into a de, and the other had been turned into a gun muzzle! The standard Attack and Defense of a [Puppet] is 1/1. After the [Puppet Surgery] enhancement, this Puppet should be at the 5/1 level! Against a Level 43 creature, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem!! And the results were just as Duanmu Huai had anticipated. ¡°Pchtt!¡± The modified Puppet leaped and pounced on the Giant Mecha. Then, its de-like left arm pierced straight through the chest of the man in the Mecha. At the same time, it lifted its right hand, which had been modified into a gun muzzle, aiming at the man¡¯s head. Then¡­¡­ ¡°Bang!¡± With the echoing of the gunshot, the man¡¯s head shattered. The Giant Mecha also paused for a moment, then suddenly copsed on the ground, motionless. ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai finally let out a sigh of relief. Finally, it was settled. Chapter 54 - 41 This is possible?_1 Chapter 54: Chapter 41 This is possible?_1 After the giant mecha was broken, the other machines also stopped one by another. At this time, Ogis and Mia walked into the castle, and came to the hall ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A crystal coffin was ced in the center of the hall, and a girl was lying inside. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s my body, thank you both.¡± Mia was also excitedly clenched her hands, staring at Duanmu Huai and Ogis. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your help, I wouldn¡¯t have defeated the wizard, let alone return to my body!¡± ¡°Um¡­that is¡­your body? How do you n to return?¡± Duanmu Huai asked while vigntly watching his surroundings, and Mia just smiled slightly. ¡°Please wait.¡± After saying this, Mia stood in front of the crystal coffin, then closed her eyes. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai once again clenched the War Hammer in his hand, signaling Ogis to be vignt. No wonder Duanmu Huai was so cautious. This soul fragment world was too weird. In short, the content of this fragmented world itself is simple. Mia¡¯s soul was transferred to a puppet by an evil magician, so she asked others to help defeat the magician and reim her body. But the problem is¡­¡­ Is this enough to sustain a world of souls? Compared to the puppeteer master and schr, Mia¡¯s ¡°resentment¡± is too yful, isn¡¯t it? Moreover, more importantly, Duanmu Huai fought all the way and didn¡¯t find anything rted to magic. So was Mia lying? Or was she simply confused between consciousness transfer and soul sealing? Or is there any other inside story? Although the final battle was difficult, the whole process was too simplepared to before. Is there a second phase? ¡°Click¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± As Duanmu Huai vigntly stared ahead, he saw the crystal coffin in front of Mia slowly opening. Then the sleeping girl inside opened her eyes and slowly stood up. She and Mia were basically exactly the same, no different. The Mia in front of her looked towards Duanmu Huai and Ogis, raised her hands and then¡­ ¡°Bang Bang Bang Bang!!¡± Apanied by the cheerful music, petals suddenly fell down. Meanwhile, Mia¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°Congrattions to you both, you are the first yers to sessfully defeat the White City¡¯s secondary copy!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.. Ha?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Congrattions to both of you for defeating the evil magician and clearing the Sky City secondary copy.¡± Mia also came over at this point, beaming at the two of them. ¡°Sky City, developed by the Multi-dimensional Company, is thetest high-difficulty experience project. Before, thirty-two million two hundred and twenty-one thousand seven hundred and thirty-five yers have tried the challenge, but all ended in failure. You two are the first team to sessfully clear it, congrattions to you!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± Facing the giggling Mia at this time, Duanmu Huai was taken aback, even Ogis was blinking in surprise. ¡°So¡­¡­.this is a game??¡± ¡°Yes, Sky City emphasizesbat intensity, hoping to let yers feel the fun in intense battles¡­¡­¡± Fun, you sister! Level 30 monsters, you use it as a game NPC? Isn¡¯t something wrong with the brains of people in this civilization? Or to say, being able to use level 30 robots as NPCs, this civilization must be awesome! Looking at Mia, Duanmu Huai almost sprayed out a mouthful of old blood. The monsters with an average level of 20 to 30, coupled with a 40-level elite BOSS, was at the standard of the Evil God Cultists¡¯ headquarters, and you use it as an amusement project? By the way, weren¡¯t there any sessful yers among the tens of millions of people? ¡°Yes, because this game has strict requirements on yer¡¯s level and quantity¡­¡­¡± No wonder then. Hearing this, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. His previous doubts werepletely dispelled, it is clear that the real reason for the formation of this secondary copy was not Mia¡¯s background, which was just a pure mainline quest plot. It was the resentment of the yers who failed to clear sky city¡­ It could be seen how much stimulus the sky city task have given the civilization yers back then ¡­ This is also why Mia¡¯s task feels dull and nothing special, just like an FPS game, you just need to know where to kill, who to kill and that¡¯s it, the rest are not important, just fight. ¡°¡­¡­Can yers die in your game?¡± ¡°Of course, since the game was open, a total of fifteen million two hundred and thirty-four thousand one hundred and twenty-two yers unfortunately died because they couldn¡¯t clear it ¡­..¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Duanmu Huai silently interrupted Mia¡¯s report, this civilization is really quirky, capable of creating such a deadly game world, and not afraid of death¡­ I don¡¯t know which civilization is so awesome. ¡°So ¡­.. what reward can I get?¡± Duanmu Huai looked around, although this fragmented world was not difficult, he also spent a lot, especially the ¡°Shortcut to Death¡± and ¡°Puppet Surgery¡± cards were used up, currently, the experience Duanmu Huai collected was not enough to reset them from the graveyard back to the hand. Now he just hoped that this reward could be generous, at least to make up for the loss¡­ ¡°Of course.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Mia smiled and nodded, stretching out her hands. ¡°As a victor, you will get The whole Sky City as a reward!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­what!?¡± This is lucrative!!! Hearing this, Duanmu Huai was taken aback, and at the same time, the system also popped up the taskpletion prompt. [Task ¡°Sky City¡±pleted] [Mission Evaluation: Not Bad] [Surprised? Caught off guard?] [Acquired Soul Cards+8] [Ancient Amplifier (Silver)] [Cost: 1] [Every turn, randomly receive cards of two (Analyzed Creations), (Ancient Creations), (Mysterious Creators), or (Gorgeous Creators) into your hand] [Sky City Fusion] [Ancient Automatic Machinery (Bronze)] [Cost: 1] [Every turn, randomly receive two cards from (Mysterious Creators), (Gorgeous Creators), or (Divine Creators) into your hand] [Sky City Fusion] [Puppet Angel Mia (Bronze)] [Cost: 2] [Attack: 2] [Defense: 2] [When your other Servants evolve, add a (Puppet) card to your hand] [Explosive Enhancement 7: Acquire +3/+3 effect and add two (Puppet) cards to your hand] [Mobile Two-wheeler (Bronze)] [Cost: 2] [In your turn, give all new Servants +2/+0 and Rush effect] [Sky City (Gold)] [Cost: 3] [Give all Servants on the battlefield +1/+1 and (Charge) effect] [Produce (Demonic Iron Mad Lion) (Steel Tiger) (Experimental Mechanical Soldier) (Mechanical Soldier) (Large Mechanical Soldiers) into your hand everyday] [Mobile Armor (Legend)] [Cost: 4] [Attack: 3] [Defense: 4] [Instant summon: If there are 10 or more destroyed creation cards in this battle, you can automatically summon this card to the battlefield] [Paradigm Shift (Bronze)] [Cost: 7] [Summon one of (Guard Creation) (Sharp Creation) (Rushing Creation) to the battlefield (Every time a creation card gets destroyed, its cost decreases by 1)] [Divine Relic (Legend)] [Cost: 8] [Attack: 6] [Defense: 6] [Inflict damage equal to the number of the yer¡¯s destroyed creation cards to all enemy Servants] [Sky City must be on the field] Among these cards, the best is obviously the [Divine Relic]. Its mass damage is like a divine weapon duringrge battles. This means Duanmu Huai has to let his creations be destroyed in the early stages of the battle to build up the quantity, then summon this card to the battlefield, and he can wipe out the entire field. But for now, it seems like [Divine Relic] is an automatic attack system of [Sky City], so for it to be used, Sky City has to be on the field. [Sky City] is a pretty decent output as well. Now, what Duanmu Huaicks the most are actually low and mid-tier attack power cards. After all, whether it¡¯s [Puppets] or [Resentful Spirit], their attack and defense stats are both 1, which is really quite low. They¡¯re fine against enemies in their tens, but any higher and it bes tough. The reason Duanmu Huai deployed a puppet army this time was because he had too few middle or lower tier cards, the attack was too weak, so he barelypensated by using numbers. But now, the situation improves. The cards produced by [Sky City], such as the [Demonic Iron Mad Lion] and [Experimental Mechanical Soldier], have an attack and defense of 2 while [Large Mechanical Soldier] has 3. Thisplements some of the issues. Andpared to resentful spirits, these mechanical soldiers look more normal when taken out, at least he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about being misunderstood as a necromancer. As for the [Creation] category cards, they remind Duanmu Huai of the entities that were previously floating around Large Mechanical Soldier during the battle. They all have very simr structures¡ªa geometric core surrounded by a frame¡ªthen they fly in the sky, shootingser beams with BUIBUI sounds. These creations include some with high attack power. For example, [Ancient Creations] have 3/1 attack/defense, [Gorgeous Creators] have 4/5, [Guard Creation] has 4/6, and [Divine Creation] has 5/5. Although they can¡¯tpete with Ogis, the attack power of these creation cards is already enough to make up for most of the deficiencies at present! But the card Duanmu Huai favored the most was the [Mobile Two-wheeler] ¡ª¡ª it¡¯s a magic card that can be summoned at will, and most importantly¡­ it¡¯s a vehicle! It requires spiritual energy to summon, but¡­ for Duanmu Huai, it¡¯s more than enough already! Thinking this, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but weep. Finally, he could say goodbye to riding the 11 bus! Chapter 55 - 42 Challenge and Test_1 Chapter 55: Chapter 42 Challenge and Test_1 After that, Duanmu Huai merged the ¡®Ancient Amplifier¡¯ with ¡®Ancient Automatic Machinery¡¯ and ¡®Sky City¡¯. In this way, they could automatically produce a certain number of ¡®Creatures¡¯ and ¡®Mechanical Soldiers¡¯ in ¡®Sky City¡¯ every day. Of course, summoning these creatures consumed Duanmu Huai¡¯s spiritual energy. But at least now, he was essentially carrying arge-sized bomber base with him, which was enough for him. However, Duanmu Huai still had some minor questions. It was about that legend. He still remembered, when he first climbed the mountain, he learned from the apanying knight that the Green Knight, Guardian God of Bartoni, had once gone to Sky City under the guidance of the Lake Goddess. Duanmu Huai also asked Mia, who confirmed that hundreds of years ago a yer had indeede Sky City to challenge, but unfortunately, he was unable to break through the final level, and thus only received a set of armor and weapons as a constion prize¡­ Well, a constion prize was indeed unexpected. The Green Knight¡¯s armor and weapons were originally just constion prize, if the people of Bartoni knew the truth, what would they say? However, Duanmu Huai could understand, after all, the location of the final BOSS was absolutely disgusting. He had no idea what was going through the heads of those who designed that level, it waspletely like they didn¡¯t intend for people to clear it. You might say that the more people there were, the better the chances, but Mia said that this also limited the number and strength level of people. Where the hell was he supposed to hit then? Wasn¡¯t it suicide to form a five-person team to challenge a twenty-five-person dungeon? It was already rather good that the Green Knight could return alive. In fact, Duanmu Huai suspected that the designer of this Sky City didn¡¯t even intend for anyone to clear it, just like those businesses who imed that their top prize is a Ferrari ¨C even if you did win, they would only give you a model of a Ferrari¡­ All capitalists in the universe are like this. However, Duanmu Huai had another question about this. That is¡­ how did the Lake Goddess know about Sky City? ording to legend, the Green Knight went to Sky City for trials under the guidance of the Lake Goddess, which means the Lake Goddess knew about the existence of Sky City. So the question is, is the Lake Goddess a survivor of the civilization that created Sky City? Or did she just know about this thing, but didn¡¯t know what it was? Duanmu Huai thought it should be thetter, after all, the Lake Goddess was a deity and it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to discover an amusement park hidden on her own territory. It¡¯s very likely that the Lake Goddess herself had entered it, got beaten badly and ran out, then had no choice but to find others to help clear the level, all under the pretense of ¡®trial¡¯¡­ Since at present, there was no trace of any connection with Sky City in Bartoni, even the architectural styles werepletely different. If the Lake Goddess was indeed a survivor of the civilization that built Sky City, at least her temple and architectural style should be simr to Sky City. Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t seen any buildings in Sky City that resembled the architectural style of Bartoni, so this could also practically be ruled out. Of course, these were just conjectures and Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t pay much attention to them. Right now, he was riding his motorcycle at high speed on the grasnd ¨C the feeling of having a vehicle was great, especially after no longer having to ride the number 11 bus, Duanmu Huai felt extremely refreshed. And with this vehicle, he could consider going to some faraway ces to find Holy Artifacts¡­ ¡°Screech¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± However, just as Duanmu Huai was thinking about which ce to go for Holy Artifacts next, a sh in front of his eyes suddenly caught his attention and he abruptly stopped his motorcycle. He then looked straight ahead ¨C at the entrance to the forest path, a figure was blocking his way. Although Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t recognize him, the green helmet, green armor, green longsword, and green war horse¡­ Wasn¡¯t this the legendary ¡°Love is a light that scares you when it¡¯s green¡± Bartoni Guardian Spirit, the Green Knight? What was he up to, stopping him? nning a robbery? Just as Duanmu Huai was watching him with bafflement, the Green Knight drew his sword, ced it on his chest, and then pointed it at Duanmu Huai. At the same time, a system notification floated in front of Duanmu Huai. [Activated Time-limited special mission ¡°Challenge¡±] [Mission Objective: Defeat the Green Knight] [The Bartoni Guardian Spirit Green Knight challenges you. Now, it¡¯s time for you to prove your strength to him!] Yo, want to fight? Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow and swept the words above the Green Knight¡¯s head. The words ¡°LV40 (Hero)¡± were clear, so green it touched the heart. It made one tear up just looking at it, wondering just how many times he had been ¡°greened¡± to make even the mark above his head green. ¡°Awaiting a lucky break, and a shock, what a wonderful encounter. Over the mountains and amongst theyers of clouds, the green light is there¡­¡±¡± Humming a tune, Duanmu Huai looked at the Green Knight, a smirk ying at the corner of his mouth. Well then, let¡¯s see just how formidable you, the guardian spirit of the nation, really are! My turn, draw¡­! Summon three each of the Analyzed Creations and Ancient Creations! Then summon one each of the Mysterious Creators and Gorgeous Creators! Summon five Large Mechanical Soldiers! As Duanmu Huai extended his right hand, in next to no time, a sh of brilliance revealed five Ancient Creations levitating in the air and three distinctlyrge, massive mechanical soldiers materializing before him. The Analyzed Creations and Ancient Creations have an energy expenditure of 1, but under the influence of the Subspace Armor, it¡¯s reduced to 0. The Gorgeous Creators have an expenditure of 5, which gets reduced to 2, and both the Mysterious Creators and the Large Mechanical Soldiers have an expenditure of 3, reduced to 1. All thirteen summonsbined only drain 80 Subspace Heat. Right now Duanmu Huai¡¯s intelligence is at 12 points, making his Subspace Heat limit 120. Adding to this the Gic Prototypes¡¯ Subspace Affinity (raising the heat limit/resistance by 10 points per level), Duanmu Huai, currently at level 23, now has a Subspace Heat limit of 120 + 230 = 350. Even with the additional 30 points of Subspace Heat from Ogis, Duanmu Huai is presently sustaining an expenditure of 110, which is less than half! Ah, Subspace Armor really is the most refreshing! ¡°¡­.!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai summon the creatures and mechanical soldiers, the Green Knight trembled slightly and hastily pulled his steed back a step¡ªit seems like he had a traumatic experience in the past, could this be his post-traumatic stress disorder? But Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t bothered, the mission was simply a challenge, it didn¡¯t stipte a one-on-one fight. As a summoner, did he expect a fair duel? Moreover, he certainly wouldn¡¯t mind a one-on-one fight. Are we challenging one person? Or is one person challenging us? Isn¡¯t it the same? ¡°Attack!¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the mechanical soldiers at his side immediately rushed at the Green Knight. Simultaneously, the creatures in the air also began releasing beams of light towards the Green Knight in a ze of glory, with the clear intention of annihting him. Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s onught, the Green Knight had no choice but to spur his horse forward. Of course, they were in a vast in where he could run away if he couldn¡¯t win the battle. But the Green Knight is a symbol of the knight¡¯s spirit and the guardian spirit of Bartoni. He was the one who challenged Duanmu Huai in the first ce, if he ran away now, his knightly spirit probably wouldn¡¯t survive. And so, the Green Knight galloped forward, instantly entangling with the Large Mechanical Soldiers. I must admit, the Green Knight¡¯s attack power is truly astonishing. Duanmu Huai took advantage of the fight to check his stats, with an attack of 60, and defense of 50, which trantes to 6 attack and 5 defenses in Soul Card terms, although not as high as Ogis¡¯ 7 attack and 7 defense, but Ogis¡¯ stats are post-awakening while the Green Knight is still in normal state, this would be even more impressive if he were to awaken. However, awakening isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing, because the stats after awakening are fixed. Like Ogis, her attack and defense can be locked at 7. But it¡¯s different for the Green Knight, theoretically, if he were to continue to level up (assuming he can), his attack power will increase to 70 or 80, the attack and defense after awakening will be higher. Unfortunately, there¡¯s no potential for growth in Soul Cards, because they¡¯re just the reflected images of souls in the subspace. They have no past, present or future and cannot level up by defeating monsters. Faced with the Green Knight¡¯s attack, the Large Mechanical Soldiers with only 3 defense points, naturally, weren¡¯t a match. Not to mention, the enemy was mounted, far more agile than the Large Mechanical Soldiers. But Duanmu Huai had summoned the Mysterious Creators with the inherent skill ¡°Guardian,¡± which can transform its defense into a shield to resist enemy attacks. Although it can¡¯t hold up to a strike from the Green Knight, at least¡­ it buys some time for another strike. However, it is evident the Green Knight, as the guardian spirit of the nation, is not to be underestimated. Even though surrounded and attacked by creations and mechanical soldiers, he easily broke through the encirclement. A few swings of his sword and the Large Mechanical Soldiers were blown apart. Then the Green Knight spurred his horse, leapt into the air, swung his longsword¡ªand in the next moment, the swarm of creatures in the air exploded. In just a moment, the entire battlefield was swept clean by the Green Knight. Alright, this was rather expected. Duanmu Huai was not surprised by the Green Knight¡¯sbat prowess; he never thought he could defeat the Green Knight with just these summons. The reason for summoning these creatures was simple¡­ the main event was yet toe! Activate Mobile Armor! Just as the Green Knight cleared the path of creations and charged towards Duanmu Huai, Duanmu Huai¡¯s body shook. Following this, his power armor began to change once again. A shimmering purple light emerged, and the entire set of armor increased in size! Then, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the war hammer and charged towards the Green Knight! Chapter 56 - 43 Invitation_1 Chapter 56: Chapter 43 Invitation_1 [Mobile Armor (Legendary)] [Cost: 4] [Attack: 3] [Defense: 4] [Instant Summoning: If there are more than 10 destroyed creation cards on your side in this battle, this card can be automatically summoned to the battlefield] So-called [Instant Summoning] refers to the ability to summon without consuming spiritual energy as long as conditions are met. This is why Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t fight the Green Knight directly from the start. After all, he also got his creation card deck for the first time and he must try how to use it properly. It looks like it works pretty well now. The [Mobile Armor]can be used separately or can be equipped. If used separately, it acts as an automatic intelligent robot to assist the yer in defending against enemy attacks. However, if equipped, the values of the [Mobile Armor] would enhance the yer¡¯s attributes. But that¡¯s not all! Charging towards the Green Knight, Duanmu Huai gripped his war hammer tightly with a glint in his eyes. Consume 1000 experience, reset the [Craftsman¡¯s Faith] back to the hand! Activate [Craftsman¡¯s Faith], add [Strengthened Puppet] and [Armed Enhancement] to hand, and then activate [Armed Enhancement], targeting self +2/+2! Among the six attributes of the yer, [Strength] and [Intelligence] are mainly for attack. [Agility] and [Physical Attribute] are mainly for defense, while [Charm] and [Perception] are auxiliary attributes. Calcted by the attack and defense values of soul cards, Duanmu Huai¡¯s current attack power equals 1 point of strength level + 1 point of intelligence level = 2 points. As his defense is only over 10 in the [Physical Attribute], it counts as one point. At this moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack power had jumped from the initial 2 points + 3 points from [Mobile Armor] plus 2 points from [Armed Enhancement] to reach a total of 7 points. But the defense power of the Green Knight was only 5 points, in other words¡ª¡ª¡ªit broke through!! ¡°Aaaaaah!!!¡± Facing the Green Knight who raised his Longsword to hit him down, Duanmu Huai roared and swung his war hammer, striking head-on! ¡°Thud!~!!¡± The two sides collided heavily, and then a cloud of dust rose. Within the smoke, Duanmu Huai slid backwards. He clutched his war hammer tightly while his Power Armor took a noticeable hit. On the other side, the Green Knight was thrown backward, his war horse was knocked over, and his armor was in disrepair. ¡°Phew¡­¡­..¡± Duanmu Huai let out a breath, keeping his eyes fixed on the Green Knight. Judging by the values of the soul cards, Duanmu Huai¡¯s current status is attack 7, defense 7, which can definitely break through the Green Knight¡¯s attack 6, defense 5. However, this does not mean that the Green Knight would not damage Duanmu Huai¡­. It must be said that the Green Knight¡¯s move was really harsh. If it wasn¡¯t for Duanmu Huai¡¯s summoning of the [Mobile Armor], he might not have been able to withstand it. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± At the same time, the Green Knight raised his head again, looked at Duanmu Huai, then raised the Longsword in his hand and charged towards Duanmu Huai again! As the Green Knight attacked, Duanmu Huai also stood up again, charging towards the Green Knight. However, at the moment of engagement, as the Green Knight thrust his sword at Duanmu Huai¡¯s chest, Duanmu Huai suddenly spread his arms and directly met the Green Knight¡¯s Longsword! Following that, the Green Knight¡¯s Longsword pierced Duanmu Huai¡¯s Armor. However, it failed to prate his body. Instead, at that moment, Duanmu Huai stretched forward his arm and firmly grasped the arm of the Green Knight! The reason Duanmu Huai dared to do so was because of the [Guardian]trait of the [Mobile Armor]. Within soul cards, the [Guardian]trait is a very peculiar trait, simply put, unless the enemy destroys the soul card with the [Guardian Traits], it cannot inflict damage on other cards. Just like the Green Knight¡¯s move which broke the [Mobile Armor], however, the [Mobile Armor] and Duanmu Huai were considered different entities, so when the Green Knight¡¯s attack destroyed the [Mobile Armor], his attack was consideredplete. Therefore, it would not inflict additional damage on Duanmu Huai himself. And Duanmu Huai, could take advantage of the situation to counterattack the Green Knight! While holding the Green Knight, Duanmu Huai fiercely rammed his head towards the Green Knight¡¯s! ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!!¡± The helmet of the Power Armor repeatedly collided with the Green Knight¡¯s head, even leaving cracks in his helmet under Duanmu Huai¡¯s strikes. The Green Knight struggled in vain, but unfortunately, after being grabbed by Duanmu Huai, he had be like an animal in the jaws of a tiger, unable to break free from this steel-binding grip. ¡°Boom!!¡± After another collision, Duanmu Huai released his grip and the Green Knight fell face first onto the ground. But that wasn¡¯t it. Soon after, Duanmu Huai picked up his hammer from the ground and smashed it hard on the Green Knight¡¯s head! ¡°Bang!!¡± The next moment, the Green Knight¡¯s head shattered under the hammer¡¯s strike, and at the same time, [Task Completed] appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. [Task ¡°Challenge¡± Completed] [Task Evaluation: First-ss Level] [Reward: 2000 experience points, additional 1000 experience points, randomly obtained the Green Knight¡¯s special skills ¨C Terrify Enemy Army (can terrify the enemy army, causing closebat units to rout) Intimidation upgraded to LV4] ¡°Phew¡­¡­..¡± Only upon seeing this, did Duanmu Huai breathed out in relief. However, looking at thest reward, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t happy at all. Is this damn reward really giving me a fear aura? Is this ever going to end? Since it¡¯s the Guardian Spirit, shouldn¡¯t it give a better reward? However, when he looked again at the body of the Green Knight lying at his feet, he paused. Oh shoot, I killed the Guardian God of Bartoni, the people of Bartoni won¡¯t be mad at me, will they? However, just then, Duanmu Huai saw the Green Knight¡¯s finger move slightly. Then, he slowly rose from the ground! His previously shattered head and helmet appeared to rewind time and began to restore themselves! ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­??? ¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai instinctively took a step back, gripping his war hammer hesitantly and watching the Green Knight. However, the Green Knight just slowly stood up, his shattered head and helmet fully restored. He then looked at Duanmu Huai, pointed to a forest trail nearby, turned around, and rode off on his revived war horse. Could there be something there? Looking at the forest trail pointed by the Green Knight, Duanmu Huai thought for a moment. Anyway¡­¡­ I¡¯ll know if I go and see. Chapter 57 - 44 Lake Goddess (Old group inexplicably exploded, start new group) _1 Chapter 57: Chapter 44 Lake Goddess (Old group inexplicably exploded, start new group) _1 Following the path through the woods, Duanmu Huai and Ogis arrived at ake. The area was lush with greenery, with remnants of broken stone pirs and ruins all around. Apparently, this used to be some kind of temple in the past. At the center of theke was a small ind, on which stood a statue of a woman holding a golden holy grail. That must be the Lake Goddess. Duanmu Huai frowned at the sight of the statue. Just then, a system notification appeared before him. [Detected Holy Artifact signal, Locked Holy Artifact position] ¡°Whoosh!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai nearly spat out old blood. Where did this Holy Artifacte from? Wait, could it be that holy grail? Should he take it away? Looking at the holy grail in the Lake Goddess¡¯s hand, Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment. Oh dear, if I take away the Bartoni people¡¯s holy grail, they won¡¯te to hit me, will they? Anyway, they can¡¯t beat me. With this thought, Duanmu Huai felt more confident. The Green Knight had been defeated by him, what was there to fear? Thus, Duanmu Huai eased his mind and aimed for the goddess statue in theke. He nned to activate his jetpack and just fly over to snatch the grail. With this artifact, he could construct the Tribunal Library to analyze the Antimatter Energy Core, then build the reactor! However, just as Duanmu Huai was preparing to take action, the goddess statue suddenly released a dazzling golden light. Following that, the statue transformed, turning from a stone sculpture into a living woman! ??? What¡¯s this? A living statue? Staring at the woman before him, Duanmu Huai was dumbfounded. He then saw the woman bend over, scoop a cup of water from theke, and then float across theke towards him, extending the cup out. ¡°Um¡­¡± Looking at the cup the woman offered, Duanmu Huai was disgusted. He had seen her fly over barefoot. Moreover, theke¡¯s water was unfiltered, making it unhygienic. What if she had foot odor or something? Drinking it could cause problems, right? But it would be impolite not to take the cup offered, so Duanmu Huai begrudgingly took it. He nced at the liquid inside and a system message quickly popped up. [Lake¡¯s Holy Water: Drinking it can grant special expertise (Goddess¡¯s Favor) (Goddess Blessing) (Psychological Immunity)] [Obtainable title: Holy Grail Knight (Charm +2)] Whoa, it increases Charm? Upon seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes lit up. If it increases Charm, then that¡¯s great! This is exactly what I need! With these thoughts, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t feel as disgusted by the holy water anymore. Although it had some issues here and there, upon closer inspection, it was quite clear, much better than the aloe vera juice sold on the streets of India. It¡¯s clean and sanitary, right? However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t immediately drink it. He knew that after drinking the holy water, he would be the Lake Goddess¡¯s Holy Grail Knight. However¡­ Duanmu Huai had no intention of selling himself to the Lake Goddess. Just kidding, as a Judge, he was thankful he didn¡¯t belong to the Heretic Tribunal. Otherwise, the Lake Goddess would be his object of loyalty. How could he offer his service to her instead? But giving up this holy grail was hard¡­ It was a Holy Artifact right before his eyes¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai holding the cup without making a move, the blonde woman before him wore a puzzled expression. ¡°This is a blessing from the Lake Goddess. Drink it, and you will have enough power to protect this world¡­¡± I know that, but if the price is selling myself, then no thanks. Maybe the Green Knight fell for it too, who knows? With that thought, Duanmu Huai hesitated for a moment and finally looked at the woman. ¡°Can I have it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The blonde woman smiled and nodded her head. ¡°This cup of holy water is bestowed upon you.¡± ¡°No, I mean the cup¡­ Can I have it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the blonde woman was rendered speechless. She looked at Duanmu Huai in surprise, seemingly unable to understand the situation. A Holy Grail Knight asking for the grail in person, this might be a first. ¡°Thank you.¡± Since the woman did not refuse, Duanmu Huai took this as her agreement. He nodded and quickly activated the teleportation coordinates. The next moment, the teleportation light beam emerged from under Duanmu Huai and Ogis¡¯ feet, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared without a trace. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Only the blonde woman remained, floating aimlessly on the surface of theke, staring in disbelief at the uninhabited wilderness before her. She did not know how to react. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care about the Lake Goddess¡¯ thoughts. After teleporting back to the Core Cabin, he immediately put the Holy Grail on the terminal, acquired points, and unlocked the [Tribunal Library]. At this point, Duanmu Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the goddess might take the grail back. But now that the holy artifact had beenpletely transformed, even if she wanted to take it back¡­she couldn¡¯t. Next, Duanmu Huai took out the [Antimatter Energy Core] he obtained earlier, left the Core Cabin, walked down the corridor, and entered the Tribunal Library on the other side. The interior mirrored the design of the [Strategic Command Room], with the whole room virtually resembling a church. The room was bare, with nothing on the bookshelves that lined the four walls. A semicircr tform was positioned in the center of the room, showcasing a tform simr to a church altar. Duanmu Huai walked up and ced the [Antimatter Energy Core] in the center of the tform. Soon after, the metal servo skulls at the four corners of the tform slowly rose, radiating beams of light from their eye sockets, scanning the core in front of them. At the same time, a system prompt also appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. [Antimatter Energy Core (Analyzing)] [Progress: 1%] [Time Required: 186 days] ¡°This is going to take a long time¡­¡± Seeing the progress bar in front of him, Duanmu Huai slightly furrowed his brows. However, it was not surprising ¨C it was, after all, Ancient Saint technology, and it was only natural that theplex analysis would take some time. As for the holy water in the grail, Duanmu Huai did not waste it. He found a bottle to load it in, intending to analyze it after the [Energy Core] analysis was done and see what happens. After all, it was something that increased charm. If he could determine itsposition and manufacture it himselfter, then he could generate his own holy water. He could even use it for baths, let alone drinking it¡­ After all this, Duanmu Huai teleported back to thekeside with Ogis. The poor blonde woman was still floating in the air, looking pitifully at him. She looked like a little girl who had her candy stolen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that cup is very useful to me. I have to take it.¡± Seeing the blonde woman in front of him, Duanmu Huai had to be frank ¨C her cup was already disintegrated anyway, so she can¡¯t retrieve it! ¡°But I won¡¯t take it for nothing. If there¡¯s anything you need me to do, I¡¯ll certainly not shirk as long as it¡¯s within my ability.¡± Although it was a bit wrong to use hard sell tactics, for Duanmu Huai at the moment, obtaining the holy artifact was of utmost importance¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Hearing this, the blonde woman sighed and looked at Duanmu Huai again. ¡°Then, Sir Knight, soon this continent will face an unprecedented catastrophe. I hope you can guard this world and eliminate the impending threat.¡± As the blonde woman spoke, a mission prompt also popped up in front of Duanmu Huai. [Mission ¡®Apocalypse¡¯ Activated] [Mission Objective: Prevent World Destruction] [This world is about to face a ruthless catastrophe. Find the clues and prevent all this] Goodness, this mission is a real handful. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was surprised. He originally thought it would be something as simple as protecting Bartoni, but it escted to a world-level mission¡­Wait, could this ¡®end of the world¡¯ mean the ¡®Moment of Ending¡¯? The ¡®Moment of Ending¡¯ could be considered as the first major event in Star Ocean Online. In one sentence¡­the yers¡¯ beginner¡¯s vige got blown up. As more and more yers entered Star Ocean Online, various forces on this began to fight due to all sorts of reasons, including the forces of Chaos. The yers were more than happy because there were more tasks. However, they found the difficulty of these tasks a bit unusual. Following the plot development, yers felt something was not right. Therefore, they began to ask for help from the Judge yers who had sessfully left the Novice¡ªa universe of stars. The yers at that time were immersed in the joy of exploring the infinite starry sky. Apart from a few yers who went back to check the situation, most yers did not pay much attention to it, thinking it was part of the game¡¯s plot. Their reasoning was that nothing wrong would happen in the end; they had CG puter graphics] killing enemies anyway, didn¡¯t they? Surprisingly¡­the yers lost in the end. A mysterious being opened the third Chaos portal hidden within the, tearing apart the world and swallowing it into the Chaos realm of subspace. The whole was utterly destroyed. This oue greatly surprised all yers. Many yers had joined forces on that, raising their reputation, buying houses, and recruiting people. And then¡­all of it got wiped out in an explosion at the original ce? Could they bear that? So, the yers protested at the game¡¯s productionpany, demanding an exnation and asking forpensation. However, the productionpany¡¯s response was very shrewd¡ªthis was the yers¡¯ fault for not putting in effort. If they¡¯d worked hard to prevent the conspiracy and protect the, none of this would¡¯ve happened. So, in the end, it¡¯s all on the yers¡¯ck of earnest effort. Why would that be thepany¡¯s issue? Faced with thepany shifting the me, the yers were dumbfounded. They had never seen such shamelessness¡­ After that, many people quit the game. However, the remaining yers began to treat each task and event on every seriously. Clearly, the destruction of the beginner¡¯s vige served as a lesson, reminding them that if they kept cking off, it could indeed lead to the real destruction of the world. If this is the case¡­this mission is going to be quite problematic! Chapter 58 - 45 The Warning of Extinction_1 Chapter 58: Chapter 45 The Warning of Extinction_1 In the end, Duanmu Huai epted the task. After all, he didn¡¯t want the Novice¡¯s Vige to blow up where it was. Plus¡­ Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t exactly clueless about how to tackle this task. In fact, in the game, midte stage yers had discussed this several times ¨C if they had sensed the danger to Novice at the time, would there have been a way to go back and helpplete this task. The conclusion they came up with was¡­ it could have indeed been possible. Because looking at the entire Doomsday event, even though Chaos prevailed in the end, the Chaos Legion was the least involved. The ones really causing issues were mainly four races: the Green Orcs who loved full-scale invasions (WAAAAGH) across the continent, the digging Ratmen, Necromancers who nned on ruling the world with death, and Vampires rallying under the g of the Empire. This was also why yers generally had a low sense of alertness because the majority of the monsters they faced were these creatures. It gave the impression that they were just ying typical tower defense games. For example, defending the Empire from the Vampires, protecting Bartoni from the Green Orcs, safeguarding Zhen Dan from the Ratmen¡­ Who would have imagined that in the end, the Chaos Legion would suddenly make a grand entrance, blow up the entire with a ¡°BANG¡±? Isn¡¯t this akin to humanity fighting World War II on Earth, only for extraterrestrials to suddenly appear and annihte the? Who could see thating? In essence, many alien races were causing a ruckus. All of them, except for the Green Orcs (because they only wanted to WAAAAAGH), were acting with the goal of world conquest, leading to the strenuous efforts of forces trying to maintain order on the continent. Meanwhile, the Chaos Legion quietly caused trouble in this chaos. They sessfully opened the third Gate of Chaos, causing the to be engulfed into subspace. This made them the opportunist who outsmarted everyone in the end. So, in retrospect, if they wanted to prevent all this, the best solution would have been to get rid of the deplorable Green Orcs, undead, and Ratmen to minimize their threat. Then stop the third Gate of Chaos from opening¡­ Among these, the most significant was the artifact located beneath the Sacred Temple of Ulric in Midheim. It was rumored that the Chaos Legion got hold of this artifact and performed a ceremony, which destroyed the entire. Therefore, for the yers, the most cost-effective method would have been to obliterate the Sacred Temple of Ulric before the Chaos Legion could reach it and blow up the artifact with it. If it couldn¡¯t be blown up, it could at least be taken away. This way, at least the worst-case scenario could be avoided. Even though Duanmu Huai wanted to confiscate it now, the Sacred Temple of Ulric hadn¡¯t been taken over yet. Furthermore, Ulric¡¯s disciples were formidable fighters. If Duanmu Huai were to charge ahead now, he¡¯d most likely get beaten to a pulp. Therefore he decided to enhance his abilities first before discussing what to do next. Luckily, there were still several years until Doomsday. Since the Doomsday event hadn¡¯t started yet, Duanmu Huai had enough time to strengthen his cards and levels. In this regard, the Lake Goddess was quite generous with her information. In the Monastery of Monteford, a powerful Necromancer Artifact, the Skull Staff, was sealed. It could enhance the power of Necromancers, and rumors said that another Necromancer had recently been eyeing this artifact. In the ruins of Todd¡¯s Ruins, a crown of Witchcraft carried the will of an Evil Undead Mage. It contained the residual will of a legendary Necromancer. Anyone swayed by it would be a puppet controlled by the Crown of Witchcraft. On the iceberg in the Mgrenuo region, a powerful Chaos Champion Warrior was once in by Sigma. His residual Chaos Grave Digging Sword still remained frozen beneath the iceberg. This demon sword would absorb the souls of all it in, binding them within it. Yep, why does this sound so familiar? Wasn¡¯t the Chaos Champion Warrior named Arthas? In any event, the Lake Goddess shared some information with Duanmu Huai. Most of them¡­ or basically all of them were about where the Chaos and Evil Artifacts were located. She expressed that since Duanmu Huai couldpletely annihte these artifacts (alright, it seemed like she knew the Holy Grail had been disassembled), she hoped that Duanmu Huai would find and disassemble the other artifacts too. Without these evil artifacts, darkness and chaos wouldn¡¯t dare to wreak havoc on this continent anymore. Well¡­ You sure aren¡¯t hiding the fact that you want to screw me over, are you? Even though the Lake Goddess made it sound noble and grand, Duanmu Huai still understood her veiled intentions. This was essentially her asking him to draw attention and incur hatred from others. After all, if he were to take these artifacts, it¡¯s inevitable that he would catch the eye of alien races like the Vampires and Orcs. In that case¡­ Hmm? It doesn¡¯t seem much different from the current situation. As a Judge, shouldn¡¯t I be battering these guys ck and blue instead of getting tipsy and brotherly with them over drinks? Then it¡¯s fine. And so, Duanmu Huai and the Lake Goddess made a pleasant deal. She needed him to fight against Chaos and Evil. As for Duanmu Huai, as a Judge, it was his duty to fight and exterminate Chaos. Besides, he did take the Holy Grail, so he couldn¡¯t be too unreasonable since the Lake Goddess didn¡¯t pursue the matter. It¡¯s always good to have more friends right? Although, one should be wary with native friends like her to avoid being sold out without even realizing it. As a reward, the Lake Goddess not only allowed Duanmu Huai to obtain those artifacts but also granted him the title of ¡°Holy Grail Knight.¡± Although theoretically, only those who drink from the Holy Grail could be a Holy Grail Knight, Duanmu Huai was too cautious and the Holy Grail had been confiscated. Consequently, the Lake Goddess had to bless him differently, giving him a small token of her appreciation. As for Duanmu Huai, he didn¡¯t really care. As long as he didn¡¯t drink anything strange, he could be at ease to some extent. But if what was drunk got into his body, he would need to be careful. And thus¡­ the action begins. Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t sure how many of the artifacts mentioned by the Lake Goddess would be recognized by the system as Holy Artifacts. Nevertheless, since he had epted the task, he had no intention of giving up, right? If there were artifacts that were recognized as Holy Artifacts, then it would be perfect; Duanmu Huai would be able to quickly level up his Space Station and activate the divine justice mode. At that point, dealing with these creatures would be a walk in the park. Regardless of the oue, after epting the task from the Lake Goddess, Duanmu Huai finally had specific locations of potential Holy Artifacts. And now, he only had one thing left to do. Go get¡­ those things! Chapter 59 - 46: Black Night_1 Chapter 59: Chapter 46: ck Night_1 It was pouring rain, the sky bright with lightning and filled with the sh of thunder. ¡°Boom boom boom!!¡± The novice priestess, who was tidying up the temple, shuddered at the sound of the thunder outside. ¡°What is it?¡± Noticing the novice priestess¡¯ pallid face, the nun standing beside her anxiously looked at her. The novice priestess just gave a bitter smile. ¡°I, I just¡­ fear thunder.¡± As she spoke, the novice priestess uneasily lowered her head with embarrassment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is the temple of the Lake Goddess.¡± Seeing the novice priestess in this state, the nun extended her hand and gently patted her shoulder. ¡°The Lake Goddess is protecting us, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°But, but¡­¡± Saying this, the novice priestess anxiously gazed out the window. ¡°Recently I heard there were sightings of the undead in the nearby area¡­ I¡¯m a little worried.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing the novice priestess¡¯ words, the nun fell silent. For them, ordinary people with nobat power, praying for the goddess¡¯ protection is their only recourse. But how long could thisst? ¡°Thump¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± At that moment, the temple door behind them suddenly swung open. Turning their heads at the sounds, the two saw a towering figure stepping into the temple. Cloaked in a massive cloak and swathed in pitch-ck armor, a twisted and chilling helm on his head, two glowing red eyes twinkling from the helmet. ¡°Who, who are you!?¡± The novice priestess and the nun were taken aback at this sight and hastily stepped back. Only then did they see the terrifying knight lift up the cloak with his right hand and a white-haired girl who was dressed like ady nobleman step out from behind him. She only raised her eyes to give them a nce and then quietly stood aside. ¡°Excuse me ¡­who are¡­¡± Perhaps the appearance of the white-haired girl had somewhat settled them; after hesitating for a moment, the nun approached with timid steps and nervously began to question. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The ck knight pointed at his own chest, it was only then the nun and the novice priestess noticed a symbol of the Holy Grail on his chest te. Reviewsing the symbol and feeling the aura of the Lake Goddess, both of them were surprised and immediately lowered their heads. ¡°Sir Holy Grail Knight!¡± ¡°No need for formalities.¡± Duanmu Huai waved his hand in response to their bows. ¡°I am just here to retrieve something¡­ Who is in charge of this monastery? I need to speak to her in person.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll call the abbess right away!¡± After a stunned silence, the nun quickly responded to Duanmu Huai¡¯s request and promptly exited the temple. Meanwhile, the novice priestess hesitated and then pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. ¡°Um¡­please, Sir Knight, dry yourself off from the rain¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, my armor is waterproof, don¡¯t worry.¡± Duanmu Huai declined the novice priestess¡¯s thoughtful offer and then looked around. ¡°Speaking of which, the defenses here are extremely weak. I didn¡¯t see a single guard on the way in.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯sment, the novice priestess tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Is that so? I remember that there were many guards at the monastery. Could it be because of the rain, everyone has gone in to take a shelter?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Upon hearing the Novice Divine Officer¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes shed. Then he looked around once more, and in the next moment, the box behind him opened. The Reconnaissance Servo Skull flew out from within. ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Seeing the white skull floating in mid-air, the Novice Divine Officer was also taken aback. ¡°Sir, Sir Knight, what is that thing¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai did not answer the Novice Divine Officer¡¯s question. He quickly nced at the map that appeared before him, and his face changed. ¡°Not good! Follow me!!¡± As he said this, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the War Hammer, and rushed out of the temple, with Ogis closely following. Only the Novice Divine Officer was somewhat unsure, but she still stiffened up and followed. They passed through the temple and arrived at the backyard of the monastery. At this moment, it waspletely silent. Only the sound of pouring rain echoed in the corridor. The rainwater flowed down the eaves like a waterfall, as though the entire monastery was submerged in water. Everywhere was pitch dark, and almost nothing could be seen. ¡°What, what¡¯s going on?¡± Now following Duanmu Huai and Ogis outside, seeing the scene before her, the Novice Divine Officer was also startled. She remembered that when she went to clean the temple just now, the nearby rooms were all lit up. Now, however, everything around her was pitch ck, and there was no sound¡­ Duanmu Huai strode towards the front, pushing open a nearby room door. Under the illumination of the white searchlight, there was no one inside. Only an extinguished oilmp was left on the table, along with a few pieces of clothing, as if the owner of the room had gone out temporarily. ¡°Where are the people?¡± Now the Novice Divine Officer also saw the situation inside. She couldn¡¯t help but show astonishment at the glowing object beside Duanmu Huai¡¯s head, and she was stunned by the scene before her. ¡°Where¡¯s the dean?¡± ¡°She, she should be in her room¡­¡± ¡°Lead the way up front!¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡­¡± Now the Novice Divine Officer also understood the urgency of the situation. She hurriedly moved ahead, with Duanmu Huai and Ogis following behind her. They passed through the dark corridor, filled only with the sound of rain, and arrived at the other side. ¡°It¡¯s over here. Go straight and you will reach the dean¡¯s room¡­!¡± The Novice Divine Officer spoke to Duanmu Huai while walking. However, just as she turned around the corner, she suddenly bumped into someone. When the Novice Divine Officer looked up, it was the nun who had separated from her earlier. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here, great, where is everyone else? Where is the dean?¡± Seeing her acquaintance, the Novice Divine Officer also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked. But what she didn¡¯t expect was that the nun, who usually responded to her with a smile, did not answer her at this moment. Instead, she let out an indistinct roar, and then suddenly lowered her head, biting at the Novice Divine Officer like a wild beast! ¡°Huh?¡± This scene waspletely unforeseen by the Novice Divine Officer. She hadn¡¯t even processed what was happening and was just standing there, dumbfounded, as the nun¡¯s mouth suddenly split open and sharp teeth, mixed with a bloody stench, rushed towards her ¡ª the next moment, everything before her eyes turned ck. ¡°ng!!¡± Duanmu Huai extended his hand and blocked the Novice Divine Officer. The nun¡¯s wide-open mouth was firmly bitten on his Power Armor, instantly breaking off arge piece. Then, Duanmu Huai grabbed the nun¡¯s head in response and mmed it hard against the wall. Immediately, the nun¡¯s head was smashed open like a watermelon, with brain matter mixed with blood scattering everywhere. Despite this, the nun did not give up; instead, she raised her hands and once again attacked Duanmu Huai. In the meantime, Duanmu Huai already reached for his War Hammer. ¡°Bang!!¡± Apanied by the dazzling light of lightning, the nun, now scorched ck and smoking, was sent flying in the next second, andid motionless. ¡°Thi, thi, this¡­¡± Everything that happened was so sudden that the Novice Divine Officer didn¡¯t know how to react. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t give her time to think deeply. He simply grabbed the Novice Divine Officer and headed straight to the end of the corridor, then pushed open the door ¡ª¡ª blood was sttered everywhere inside, but no bodies could be seen. ¡°Uh¡­ ah¡­¡­¡± At the same time, agonized groans echoed from the corridor. Everyone turned to look and saw dozens of unsteady figures appearing behind them, blocking all three of them inside. ¡°The situation I hate the most is this kind of plot development!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but grumble, gripping the War Hammer tightly. ¡°Hey, are you ready? We¡¯re breaking out!¡± Chapter 60 - 47 - The Battle_1 Chapter 60: Chapter 47 ¨C The Battle_1 It is often seen in game stories that the yer and the BOSS are vying for the same item, and they almost arrive at the same time. However, when yers endure hardships and arrive at their destination, they find out that the item has been taken by the BOSS. Therefore, they had to set off on the path of tracking down the BOSS and retrieving the Holy Artifact¡­ It would be fine if this only happened once or twice, but Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t stand it anymore when almost all of the game plots turned out this way. Why on earth! Why does the BOSS always get there before me? We all started on an equal footing, yet you always beat me to the finish line? Can this be tolerated? Of course it can¡¯t be tolerated! ¡°Aaaarrrrrrrrrrgh!!!¡± Duanmu Huai held the Thunder Warhammer tightly as if he were a runaway truck, charging down the hall, smashing all the figures standing in front of him to smithereens ¡ª¡ª the nuns and priests originally residing in the monastery had all be zombie-like monsters. Their eyes emitted a bloody red light, their arms spread out like a rabid dog, pounced on him. They were immediately knocked away, then under the shining thunderstrike, they turned into charred corpses. ¡°Boom!!¡± Duanmu Huai broke through the encirclement, nced around, and then grabbed the Novice Divine Officer. ¡°Where¡¯s the Divine Artifact?¡± ¡°Divine¡­Divine Artifact??¡± The Novice Divine Officer¡¯s face turned pale, and he shook his head vehemently. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know anything about a Divine Artifact¡­¡± ¡°Does this monastery have any forbidden ces? ces where people are not allowed to go?¡± ¡°Forbidden ce¡­¡­Forbidden ce¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the Novice Divine Officer tried hard to think. ¡°Underground Tomb! There¡¯s a ce in the Underground Tomb, the Abbey Master said it contains the secret of darkness and told us never to approach it¡­¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°Right¡­right below¡­¡± Upon hearing the words of the Novice Divine Officer, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t hesitate at all, lifted up the war hammer, and smashed it hard into the ground! ¡°Boom!!¡± The moment the ground was hit by the war hammer, the entire ground suddenly quaked like the waves on the sea surface, then instantly copsed and exploded. The Novice Divine Officer screamed, and with Duanmu Huai and Ogis, plunged into the pit below. Duanmu Huai¡¯s one stroke shattered the entire Underground Tomb. The Novice Divine Officer only felt the wind whizzing past her ears, scaring her so much that she could barely open her eyes. When they were about to reach the bottom, Duanmu Huai grabbed the Novice Divine Officer, the jet pack on his back instantly started, spraying out air flow to counteract the weight of the fall, then Duanmu Huainded heavily on the ground. ¡°Thud!!¡± Standing in the dark and gloomy tomb, Duanmu Huai looked up and saw a man standing there. He was dressed in pitch ck, wearing a pointed hat, and his face was deathly pale. In his hand, he held an old man full of scars ¡ª¡ª judging from thetter¡¯s attire, he should be from this monastery. ¡°Abbey Master!!¡± The sight of the old man in the man¡¯s hand made the Novice Divine Officer immediately scream in horror, while at this moment the man also turned his head, and looked at Duanmu Huai in surprise. ¡°How is it possible? I clearly set up traps and an army of death in this tomb¡­¡± So yeah, fuck walking, alright? Otherwise, won¡¯t I be annoyed to death? That¡¯s why Duanmu Huai simply demolished the underground tomb. After all, at times like this, the bad guys always send a bunch of minions to dy the protagonist¡¯s progress, and when the protagonist finally arrives out of breath, the enemy has already taken what they wanted and bolted¡­ Duanmu Huai isn¡¯t going to tolerate this. If they want me to follow the map, isn¡¯t it more convenient to smash through the walls? Who¡¯s got time to y your games? Duanmu Huai tossed the priest aside, clenched the War Hammer, and stared intently at the vampire before him. ¡°Ogis! Kill him!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Ogis, sitting on his shoulder, leaped up. The silky thread in her hand shot out rapidly, ensnaring the man in the blink of an eye. The man was no slouch either, his body split open as he was grasped by Ogis, transforming into countless bats that scattered and fled. But clearly, Ogis was not nning to let him go. With a slight tremble of her fingers, the thread spread out like a spider¡¯s web, trapping the flock of bats within. Then Ogis clenched her fist forcefully. Apanied by a scream, the flock of bats was sliced open, leavingrge casualties. The remaining bats dispersed instantly, transforming into a blood-soaked man, wailing on the ground. ¡°Damn vampires, I hate you fuckers the most.¡± Duanmu Huai, holding the War Hammer, took big strides to stand in front of the vampire, watching him, then raised his hammer high. Seeing this, the Vampire Necromancer¡¯s face changed drastically. ¡°Wait, wait, you can¡¯t kill me, I am¡­.¡± ¡°Eat my Mighty Smasher ah!¡± However, before the vampire could finish speaking, Duanmu Huai roared and swung down his Iron Hammer. The next moment, amidst the screams, the vampire was instantly sted by Thunder Warhammer, turning into a lump of flesh burnt by mes. ¡°Steal from me, you¡¯re asking for it.¡± Looking at the scorched remains of the vampire in front of him, Duanmu Huai spat, then raised his head and went over to the elderly man. At this time, the Novice Divine Officer was sobbing on her knees, attempting to heal the old man¡¯s injuries. Unfortunately, judging from the condition of the old man, it was clear that it was beyond repair. ¡°Ah¡­ Greetings¡­ esteemed Holy Grail Knight¡­¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s arrival, the old man slowly opened his mouth to greet. ¡°Hello, I think you know why I¡¯m here.¡± Technically, Duanmu Huai should go up and offer his condolences at this time, and after the old man closed his eyes, proceed with the next step¡ª¡ª¡ªbut how many people have failed because of this? It would be better to get it over with, finish the mission first, thene back for the memorial, no need to rush. ¡°Of course¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai speak, a smile appeared on the old man¡¯s face. ¡°Back then¡­ we knew¡­ this day woulde¡­ evil attracts¡­ evil¡­¡± As he spoke, the old man looked at the Novice Divine Officer by his side. ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­ child¡­ we are here, we¡¯re ready to defend this ce with our lives¡­ I¡¯m sorry, for getting you involved¡­¡± Having said that, the old man opened his mouth and forcefully pulled out a tooth embedded with a gem, handing it to Duanmu Huai. Then, Duanmu Huai epted the tooth, walked to the sealed door, and ced the part of the tooth embedded with the gem into a groove in front of him. Soon, the previously sealed door slowly opened, and Duanmu Huai saw a Magic Wand with a Skull Head embedded in it, floating in mid-air, locked down by chains. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai sighed in relief. Honestly, he was terrified that he would open the seal to find nothing inside, which would be absolutely nauseating. If that happened, ording to the game¡¯s plot, Duanmu Huai would then have to look for clues, open the map, and continue searching¡­ How much time would that waste? Now, it seems, thankfully, there¡¯s no more ridiculous surprises as in many game plots. Chapter 61 - 48 Faith and Determination_1 Chapter 61: Chapter 48 Faith and Determination_1 Luckily, unlike many plots, there were no nasty surprises and Duanmu Huai had smoothly acquired the Skull Staff. After that, he set the entire monastery on fire and burned it to the ground¡ª¡ªIt couldn¡¯t be helped, as all the nuns and guards of the monastery had been transformed into undead creatures by the damnable Vampire Necromancer. If he didn¡¯t burn them, they would revive and wreak havoc on the world. Standing in the pouring rain, the novice divine officer watched the burning monastery with a mournful face. ¡°Why¡­ why has ite to this¡­¡± ¡°It is better not to dwell on this.¡± Hearing the novice divine officer¡¯s murmur, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes narrowed, he coldly said, which caused the novice divine officer to tremble. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I can roughly guess what you¡¯re thinking. You believe that they worshipped the Lake Goddess faithfully yet did not meet a good end. Instead, they died in pain and even turned into evil undead creatures, so your faith began to waver, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The novice divine officer didn¡¯t answer, but it was clear she did not deny what Duanmu Huai had said. ¡°Listen up, little girl.¡± Duanmu Huai lowered his head to gaze at her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the abbess once said, their mission here is to guard the Divine Artifact, hence they were prepared to sacrifice their lives. Of course, this is not the end they had hoped for, but where in this world can you have everything your way? Knights shout of fighting for the Lady Goddess, but have those who got killed by Green Orcs been any fewer? That¡¯s how this world is, get used to it.¡± ¡°But¡­ what should¡­ I do?¡± Upon hearing this, the novice divine officer could no longer control herself and lifted her head to stare at Duanmu Huai, crying out. ¡°If even the Lady Goddess is not willing to protect us, then who can we rely on?¡± ¡°In the end, you can only rely on yourself.¡± Duanmu Huai sighed, patting her shoulder. ¡°Remember, little girl. To ce hope in others is a very foolish thing. It¡¯s a choice of those who are weak and powerless. If you want to change your fate, then you must bemitted, make yourself stronger, face all this¡­ bear all this¡­ instead of always thinking of running away, seeking someone¡¯s protection. Of course, you must choose your method wisely. If you elect to rely on the power of the Evil God, then¡­ you know what the consequence would be.¡± Looking at the novice divine officer, Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze remained unwavering. He was uncertain whether this child could ovee the shadows of this incident. There was a high probability that she might be dispirited and end up as an adherent to the Evil Gods¡­ In that case¡­ ¡°Or, if you find life is too wearisome, I have a better solution.¡± Upon saying this, Duanmu Huai unsheathed his Mechanical Sword. ¡°Let your soul return to the Lady Goddess, this way, you won¡¯t have to bear the sorrows of the world.¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time, the novice divine officer was silent for a long time. Finally, she made her decision and lifted her head to look at Duanmu Huai. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Knight, I don¡¯t know¡­ what to do. I guess, I might not be able to believe in the Lady Goddess as I used to¡­ Is that okay?¡± ¡°It is normal.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded and put away his Mechanical Sword. ¡°Moreover, I think you might have a misconception about faith and deities.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s statement, the novice divine officer was taken aback, gazing at him in surprise. ¡°You might think that as long as you devoutly worship the deities and dedicate everything to them, you can receive their protection. But most of the time, it doesn¡¯t work like that.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is that so?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Duanmu Huai nods. ¡°Nothing falls from the sky, be it divine blessings or a windfall; in my hometown, we have a saying, ¡®Do everything humanly possible and leave the destiny to gods,¡¯ meaning you should do everything you can and then whatever happens next is up to fate and the heavens, not sitting around waiting for a deity to rescue you.¡± Speaking of this, Duanmu Huai turns his head to the woods not far away. This is, in fact, amon problem among many believers. They all think, since I¡¯ve dedicated everything to the gods, such sincere faith in you, praying morning and evening, you should help me when I¡¯m in trouble. If the god doesn¡¯t answer, it¡¯s a betrayal by the god, I am so devout, and you are reluctant to rescue me¡­ this is all your fault! That¡¯s why many old believers, after giving up their faith, immediately go to the other extreme because they think they¡¯ve done nothing wrong. It¡¯s the gods who didn¡¯t meet their expectations; therefore, it¡¯s not me, but the gods who are at fault. Since the god has betrayed me, I might as well turn to the chaos¡­ But in reality? It¡¯s not like that at all! The gods also value performance and behavior. If you do nothing but chant all day, or donate arge sum of money, or work for the temple ¡ª is this performance? Of course not. Take the Lake Goddess, for example. Do knights automatically see her if they go to worship every day with devout hearts? Of course not. To receive the blessings of the Lake Goddess and be the Holy Grail Knight, you must embark on a dangerous and perilous journey. Right? So, who should we me for this? Naturally, it¡¯s those preachers. Think about it, ¡°Just believe in the Lake Goddess and she will bless you with prosperity and protection from evil¡± and ¡°To receive the blessings of the Lake Goddess, you must be an Adventurer Knight and survive a life-threatening journey¡±; which one will attract more believers? Of course, the former. After all, most people don¡¯t have the courage to face death. Of course, there are exceptions for some idiots who are obsessed with childish fantasies. To be honest, many times, Duanmu Huai thinks that these superficial believers must be spies sent by the Chaos Evil God ¡ª their methods of inducing believers seem purposely designed to prepare them for a faith crisis and a fall into chaos. That¡¯s why most judges have no good feelings towards the clergy¡­ these bastards just know how to talk and have hoodwinked many potential fallen ones into the service of the Chaos Evil God. And they are still smugly thinking that they have made great contributions to the gods they believe in. They can¡¯t imagine that the gods they worship might be so angry in heaven that they can¡¯t wait to strike these bastards with lightning. Duanmu Huai doesn¡¯t want to see the Novice Divine Officer¡¯s faith shattered and find her standing on the side of the Chaos Evil God one day, so he decided to give her an inoction ¡ª as long as her mind is firm and she can view the world from a different perspective, it¡¯s a good choice. After listening to Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the Novice Divine Officer bowed her head to think for a while. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ but I will try to understand¡­¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± That¡¯s all Duanmu Huai could say. After a fire burned down the monastery, Duanmu Huai took Ogis and the Novice Divine Officer to a nearby Lake Goddess Temple, where he told the clergy what had happened in the monastery. The clergy were astonished to hear about the vampire invasion and promised to send someone to deal with it immediately. As for the Novice Divine Officer, Duanmu Huai left her in the temple, and where she goes from here is up to her. ¡°We had a close shave this time. We almost hit a snag.¡± Leaving the temple, Duanmu Huai recalled what had happened, cold sweat forming on his forehead. Fortunately, he acted quickly; otherwise, if he arrived at the monastery a few dayster, he might have found only ruins. If by then the system gave him a search and track mission, Duanmu Huai would have felt like dying. What he hates most is this kind of search and track missions, which are time-consuming, long, and annoying. That¡¯s why Duanmu Huai was the first to take the Skull Staff. After all,pared to other divine artifacts buried in the ruins, this sealed object is more likely to be coveted by others. But fortunately, he finally got it! Chapter 62 - 49 Taking Shape_1 Chapter 62: Chapter 49 Taking Shape_1 [Skull Staff has been dposed, construction point +1] ¡°Whew¡­¡­..¡± It was only after seeing the Staff of the Undeadpletely dissolve in front of his eyes and the system message appear, that Duanmu Huai took a sigh of relief. Then, heposed himself and quickly gave amand. ¡°Unlock the Void Dockyard.¡± With Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the entire Core Cabin trembled slightly again, then returned to normal. Then, Duanmu Huai left the Core Cabin, walked through the corridor, and arrived at another side ¨C where an elevator door now appeared on the originally smooth wall. Duanmu Huai walked through the door, pressed the button, and the elevator began to descend smoothly. Through the transparent ss window of the elevator, Duanmu Huai could clearly see the scenery outside the Core Cabin ¨C what he was in now was no longer just a simple, seemingly crude cylinder. Instead, it was a cathedral-like structure suspended in space. The Gothic dome and beautifully ornate sharp roofs shone brilliantly under the light of the constant stars, making it appear as though it were a piece of art. The corridors that connected the various areas also resembled the high-ss and splendid appearance of Gothic cathedrals on the ground. Just as Duanmu Huai was admiring the beautiful view in front of him, a sudden shadow shed, and the next moment, the elevator dropped into a metallic passageway. After slowing down, the elevator doors opened. A vast and incredibly spacious space appeared before Duanmu Huai. The Void Dockyard. This is where all the warships and fleets of the Judge are built. Here, by using resources and design blueprints, the Judge can construct various types of warships for use. Because of this, the dockyard is extremely vast, almost endless to the eye. This ce has the least religious elements of the entire space station, with smooth metal surfaces and gangways recing the religiously themed stained ss windows and decorations. Simply standing here and looking at the dockyard, whose size is almost impossible to imagine, even Duanmu Huai would feel as small as a speck of dust. At present, the Void Dockyard was nearly empty, besides one Night Raven ck Star Gunboat parked on the number onending pad. This was an extremely efficient vehicle for the Judge. It was able to break through enemy lines with its strong firepower and unimaginable speed, deliver the Judge to the core area of the enemy, exterminate everything there, and then leave. ¡°Whew¡­¡­..¡± Seeing this vehicle, Duanmu Huai finally felt at ease. ¡°Now it¡¯s much better, I don¡¯t have to teleport anymore.¡± Yes, the reason Duanmu Huai chose to invest his second construction point into the Void Dockyard, over upgrading the Tribunal Library to speed up its analysis, was for this gunboat. As long as he has this gunboat, he no longer has to take risks teleporting back and forth. Instead, he can directly take action through the gunboat. Yes, risks. Although teleportation seems to be a very easy and useful spell for most people, in reality, nearly every experienced Judge would try to avoid using teleportation as much as possible. The reason is simple, teleportation involves the power of the Subspace, and guess who controls the Subspace? A simr situation urred in the game. During the end of days, eight Heroes had joined forces trying to break through the Chaos Legion¡¯s n. At that time, they were surrounded. To ensure the n could be executed, a Goddess sacrificed her own life to perform a powerful spell and sent the eight Heroes into the enemy¡¯s territory. ording to the n, they should have appeared near the Chaos¡¯ portal and then destroyed it. But in fact, due to some unknown (actually well-known) interference, the teleportation spell malfunctioned and dispersed the eight Heroes to different areas. One unlucky fellow even found himself teleported directly in front of the final Boss when he opened his eyes. And then, without saying a word, he was immediately caught by the Boss. Because of this, any use of space magic is very dangerous, especially for Duanmu Huai. Although it seems very cool for him to teleport back and forth, he is actually worried every time that he might find himself teleported to the centre of a Boss or arge army, or even thrown into a volcano¡­ Now it is finally not a concern anymore. ¡°Is this the master¡¯s house? It¡¯s really big.¡± Just then, along with a carefree, sweet voice, a girl with a smile walked out from behind and started looking around curiously. It was Mia, who Duanmu Huai had previously obtained from the Sky City series of cards. She yed the character of ¡°the robot doll whose soul was reced by the Evil Magician.¡± ording to Mia¡¯s words, she¡¯s a developed as a ¡°housekeeping robot doll.¡± Of course, if the master was willing, she could y other roles as well. About this, Duanmu Huai said never mind. Honestly, her acting skills weren¡¯t so good. ¡°Yes, this is my home. When I¡¯m gone, I¡¯m temporarily leaving it in your care. Is that OK?¡± ¡°Of course, master, please entrust it to me.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Mia nodded her head. After having cleared the Sky City series, Duanmu Huai had many more cards in his hand. Thus, ording to his design in the game, he began to set up the space station. Firstly, Duanmu Huai summoned Mia to look after the whole space station when he was absent. In this way, if there was any problem, he could get in touch with Mia at any time. Additionally, he summoned arge group of puppets as guards. Although puppets with just one point in both attack and defence can¡¯t really defend anything, at least if they are destroyed, Duanmu Huai can immediately be informed of what happened and respond ordingly. Besides that, summoning Mia also gave the ce a bit more of a lively atmosphere. At least from now on when Duanmu Huai returned, he could be greeted by a pretty girl weing him home with giggles, rather than being greeted by an empty space station ¨C he¡¯s a yer too, there has to be some perks, otherwise how would one continue to live their life? However, to be honest, Duanmu Huai could not imagine how Star Warriors felt when they were greeted with the smiling faces of muscr men¡­¡­Oh, never mind, he¡¯d rather not think about it. Not only that, such arrangements were also a clever trick for yers. The Soul Cards have two modes: ¡°Summoned on the field¡± and ¡°In-hand¡±. But contrary to what yers think, deploying a card ¡°on the field¡± doesn¡¯t necessarily mean it has to be on the frontline of a battlefield. On the contrary, even if it¡¯s ced far behind in the space station, the card could still be counted as being ¡°On the field¡±. This is a very ingenious trick. There are many Special Servant Cards whosebat abilities are not actually that strong, but their special abilities are very powerful. If these Servants appear on the battlefield, they are easily eliminated by opponents. But if they¡¯re ced thousands of miles away in a space station¡­ Then that¡¯s a different story. In this regard, Duanmu Huai¡¯s space station has finally started to take shape! Chapter 63 - 50 Todds Ruins_1 Chapter 63: Chapter 50 Todd¡¯s Ruins_1 Under the cover of night, a tiny ck dot quickly streaked across the sky, over the mountains, and appeared silently over Todd¡¯s Ruins like a ck ghost. ¡°Ugh¡­ What a hassle¡­ Why did it have to be Chaos Warriors¡­¡± Sitting in the cockpit and looking at the Chaos Warrior camp below, Duanmu Huai smacked his lips in dissatisfaction. If there was one enemy that Duanmu Huai really didn¡¯t want to face right now, it would be the Chaos Warriors. Since his arrival in this world, Duanmu Huai had shed with Evil God Cultists, fought Demons, in Goblins and Ratmen, but now, thest thing he wanted to deal with was Chaos Warriors. It¡¯s not that the Chaos Warriors posed a significant threat¡ªwell, they indeed were quite formidable, with their average level being around thirty, marking them as very troublesomete-game enemies for yers on the Novice. Chaos Warriors originate from the North and are also Evil God Cultists. But unlike the Cultists in the Imperial, Bartoni, and Zhen Dan territories, who carry out their practices in secret and can only perform sacrifices secretly in the wilderness, these Northerners openly worship the Chaos Evil God in their homes. Almost all the Barbarian tribes in the North worship the Chaos Evil God, and they don¡¯t regard the Chaos Evil God as particrly evil¡ªfaith in the Chaos Evil God is as widespread there as faith in the Lake Goddess is in Bartoni. Just thinking about Bartoni¡¯s faith in the Lake Goddess and their Knight army gives one an idea of how terrifying these Chaos Warriors are. Of course, it¡¯s not just their number that¡¯s the issue. The problem lies in the fact that Chaos Warriors are, strictly speaking, the ¡°direct descendants¡± of the Chaos Evil God. If you inflict an unimaginable, devastating blow on them, it¡¯s inevitable that you will draw the attention of a Champion Warrior who has ascended to demonic status or, in the worst case, the Evil God itself. No one would want that kind of attention. Ordinarily, if Duanmu Huai encountered these guys, he would definitely turn tail and run. He wouldn¡¯t want to defeat a bunch of Chaos Warriors, only to attract a Champion Warrior, defeat the Champion Warrior, then attract a Great Demon, defeat the Great Demon, and finally attract the Chaos Evil God¡ªdefeating the Chaos Evil¡­ That¡¯s just wishful thinking. Unfortunately, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t leave. Because the Divine Artifact this time was extremely important¡ªthe Crown of Witchcraft. This Divine Artifact was created by the most powerful Necromancer on this, Nagash. He was the first Necromancer on this and the father of all Undead races. Basically, all creatures like zombies, ghosts, vampires, etc. were created by Nagash. And his goal was quite peculiar¡ªtobat the Chaos Evil God, Nagash thought of a brilliant n. He wanted to turn the entire world into a cold world of death, using the power of the undead to fight against the Chaos Evil God, thereby bing the God of Death himself! Well, it¡¯s a unique idea, and it¡¯s quite useful too. Duanmu Huai gave a thumbs up and then quietly issued an extinction order. In the end, Nagash¡¯s n failed, and he was killed. However, as a Necromancer, Nagash wasn¡¯t so easily defeated, so he was always yearning to resurrect and make aeback. The Crown of Witchcraft was a Divine Artifact that Nagash had created, and it was also the key to his resurrection. Although strictly speaking in the fight against the Chaos Evil God, Duanmu Huai and Nagash could be consideredrades on the same front, considering the Necromancer¡¯s past, coupled with the insurmountable boundary between the living and the dead, Duanmu Huai decisively decided to thwart his resurrection n and let this unlucky guy continue to be helplessly furious. Had it been any other location, Duanmu Huai would have had no choice but to infiltrate directly¡ªmost of the ruins were situated underground, so air strikes weren¡¯t an option. And with his height and Power Armor, sneaking in was virtually impossible. However, luckily, these were ruins. So, there was another way to bypass the Chaos Warriors and get inside. The method was simple¡ªjust not being in the same world as them. And so¡­ ¡°Initiate, Soul Resonance!¡± As the Soul Resonance initiated, the whole world once again became illusory. Then, Duanmu Huai immediately noticed a brilliant entrance shining in the distance. That¡¯s the ce! Duanmu Huai manipted the Night Raven ck Star to lower gently. Then he opened the cockpit and jumped down¡ª the next moment, when his feet were back on the ground, the ruins in front of him had transformed into a bustling, beautiful city. Clean, orderly streets, bustling crowds¡ªit seemed no different from a normal city. But the more it appeared this way, the more Duanmu Huai felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Damn, this isn¡¯t good¡­ As an experienced gamer, Duanmu Huai surely knew what this meant. Previously, it was mentioned that every subspace spirit projection has its core. The stronger the core, the more it can hold. The core of a Puppeteer Master, for example, contains only a Puppet House. The core of a schr, on the other hand, holds a mansion and ghosts. The Sky City, however, was shaped by the grievances of tens of thousands of fallen victims. So¡­ for a city so vast and even filled with living beings¡­ how strong must the core power contained here be? Thinking this, Duanmu Huaiposed himself, then he walked up to a fruit stand by the street. ¡°Ah, wee, dear customer. What can I get you?¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s arrival, the stall owner greeted him enthusiastically. Duanmu Huai nced at the fruits on disy, then asked his question. ¡°Hello, I am a recent traveler here, and I¡¯d like to ask about a few things about this ce¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh, a traveler, eh?¡± In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s queries, the shopkeeper did not seem to mind at all. ¡°I suppose you must be one of the many who¡¯se here for Todd¡¯s Ruins pilgrimage, after all, this is a holy city. However, some unpleasant events have been happening recently¡­¡± ¡°Really¡­¡± Upon hearing the shopkeeper, Duanmu tightened his gaze, but just as he¡¯s about to ask more. At this point, Ogis approached and curiously reached out her hand to pick up a fruit in the fruit stall. Just then, the shopkeeper caught sight of Ogis¡¯s doll-like fingers, causing him to be horrified. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s a murderous puppet!! Help!!¡± With a scream, the shopkeeper fled in terror. Hearing his shouts, the passersby also quickly distanced themselves from Duanmu and Ogis, screaming as they dispersed in all directions. What¡¯s going on? Witnessing this, Duanmu frowned, casting a puzzled nce at Ogis. Shortly after, apanied by hasty footsteps, Duanmu saw dozens of fully armed knights, wearing white armors and wielding weapons, charging towards them, encircling both him and Ogis. ¡°Atst we¡¯ve found you, dread puppet killer!¡± One of the knights raised his sword, pointing it at Ogis. ¡°This time, we won¡¯t let you escape!!¡± ¡°???¡± Upon hearing the knight, both Duanmu and Ogis were utterly confused, unable toprehend his words. However, it was apparent that the other party had no intention of relenting, so¡­ they¡¯re picking a fight. ¡°Wait a minute!!¡± Just as Duanmu drew his war hammer, ready to engage in full-blownbat with the knights, suddenly, another crisp voice sounded. Duanmu then saw a petite and adorable girl, donned in religious attire and possessing pink hair, emerging from the crowd. ¡°What¡¯s happening here? What are you all doing?¡± ¡°Priestess Lorena¡­!¡± Spotting the girl, the knights hastily halted their actions, but they kept their guard up, warily watching over Duanmu and Ogis. ¡°We¡¯ve found the evil puppet wreaking havoc on the holy city and are preparing to purge it!¡± ¡°Evil puppet?¡± Upon hearing that, the girl named Lorena cast a puzzled look at Duanmu and Ogis. As her gazended on Ogis, her eyes subtly changed. She then stepped forward, clenching her fists and staring at Duanmu. ¡°Are you the wicked ones guing our holy city?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Of course, Duanmu would not let them easily cast a shadow on his name. ¡°We arrived in this city today and have no knowledge of the situation here. If you want to frame us under this pretense, we won¡¯t go down without a fight.¡± ¡°What are you saying? This evil¡­ ¡± Upon hearing Duanmu¡¯s words, the knights were instantly incensed. The young priestess, however, held out her hand to signal them to remain calm, then turned her focus back to Duanmu. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you two are innocent?¡± ¡°Exactly, though we don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening here, it surely has nothing to do with us.¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± Upon hearing that, the young priestess in thought for a while, then made her decision. ¡°Therefore, could the two of you apany me to Cathedral Church? If you two are truly innocent, I promise to give you a satisfactory answer.¡± ¡°¡­All right.¡± Hearing the priestess¡¯s invitation, Duanmu gave it a thought and nodded. It was clear that he also wanted to know what exactly had happened here. Chapter 64 - 51: Murderous Puppet_1 Chapter 64: Chapter 51: Murderous Puppet_1 After this, Duanmu Huai and Ogis were taken to a church and temporarily detained¡­ But Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind, because he really needed to understand what was going on in the city. And the priestess girl named Lorena didn¡¯t hide anything and quickly exined the situation to Duanmu Huai. It turned out that during this time, there had been constant murders in the Holy City, causing panic among the residents. ording to some victims who had experienced the incidents, they saw a doll-girl with silver hair being the killer. So, the Holy City had been investigating and searching for the murderer all this time¡­ ¡°A doll-girl with silver hair?¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows. ¡°So you suspect that it was Ogis?¡± ¡°My sincerest apologies, sir, we also don¡¯t hope so, but at the moment¡­yourpanion does indeed fit the description given by the victims.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Duanmu Huai spread his hands helplessly, after all, the description of a doll-girl with silver hair was too specific, who else fits it but Ogis? ¡°But, we didn¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°So, how will you prove it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to prove it.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s easy to prove that we are not the murderers. If we stay here, and the murders continue happening, it means we have nothing to do with them, right?¡± ¡°This¡­..¡± It had to be said, Duanmu Huai¡¯s proposal indeed surprised Lorena. She left for a moment, then came back and nodded at them. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do that. If more murders happen, then we¡¯ll confirm the two of you are not involved. But until then, please stay here and don¡¯t move unnecessarily.¡± After saying this, Lorena turned and left, while Duanmu Huai looked at Ogis. ¡°The silver-haired doll-girl¡­Ogis, does it sound familiar to you?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Ogis shook her head quietly. ¡°I am the only one created by Father.¡± ¡°Right¡­you¡¯re right¡­¡± Hearing Ogis¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai stroked his chin. For some reason, he felt that even though Ogis didn¡¯tmit this crime, it seemed to have some connection with her. There were no evidence, just intuition¡­ So, let¡¯s just wait and see. And the change happened sooner than Duanmu Huai had imagined. That night, Lorena came to their cell with an apologetic expression and bowed to them. ¡°I am really sorry, it was all a misunderstanding. You both can leave now.¡± ¡°So, there¡¯s been another murder?¡± ¡°Yes, the church is tracking down the murderer, but it¡¯s now certain that it has nothing to do with the two of you. I¡¯m truly sorry for treating you guys this way¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not important, Miss Lorena.¡± Duanmu Huai waved his hand. ¡°If possible, could you take us to the scene of the crime for a look?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, Lorena was taken aback. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Since Ogis has been mistaken as the murderer, it means we are notpletely uninvolved with this matter. We also want to contribute and find out what exactly happened.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, Lorena thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Please follow me.¡± Under Lorena¡¯s guidance, Duanmu Huai and Ogis left the church, crossed the street, and arrived at the crime scene, which had beenpletely sealed off by knights. The street was filled with a heavy scent of blood. It didn¡¯t take long for Duanmu Huai to see the victims¡ªthey had been chopped into pieces, their bodies scattered haphazardly around. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but nce again at Ogis. If he hadn¡¯t been with her all day, he might have suspected that she was the one who had done such a thing. Not just lookalike but even with simr fighting style¡­. Clearly, Ogis herself was quite astounded, looking at the crime scene, seemingly lost in thought. At that moment, Lorena exined the events to Duanmu Huai. ording to the survivors, they were returning home after drinking and partyingte into the night when they met a girl who was alone. Emboldened by the alcohol, the group of young men tried to pick a conversation with her, only to be dismembered. The girl then left the scene, while the few survivors who hadn¡¯tid their hands on her screamed out in terror, attracting the attention of the patrolling squad¡­ subsequently, the crime scene was sealed. That was how it went. ¡°So, can we bring those survivors over?¡± After hearing Lorena¡¯s description, Duanmu Huai quickly made his suggestion. ¡°Given that they¡¯ve seen the puppet girl, they should be able to recognize her with aparison, right?¡± Lorena agreed with Duanmu Huai¡¯s suggestion, and quickly had the knights bring the trembling young men over. Their initiallyposed facade crumbled the moment they saw Ogis standing next to Duanmu Huai, causing them to copse to the ground screaming. ¡°It¡¯s her! She¡¯s the demon!!¡± Hearing the survivors¡¯ usations, the knights hurriedly drew their weapons, pointing them at Duanmu Huai and Ogis. ¡°That¡¯s enough, calm down!¡± It was Lorena who called out urgently, pleading for them to cool their heads. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s her?¡± ¡°No, no mistake, it¡¯s her! It¡¯s her!!¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± At this point, Duanmu Huai strode towards these youngds, giving them a hard stare. Seeing the towering figure in horrific armor, the young men were terrified. ¡°Look closely, are you sure the person you saw looked exactly like her?¡± Duanmu Huai gestured for Ogis toe over to these young men. Seeing Ogis, they trembled but soon after realizing she wasn¡¯t going to take any further action, they mustered their courage, opened their eyes, and carefully examined the puppet girl before them. ¡°And?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Facing the question, the young men exchanged nces, then timidly began their response. ¡°There¡¯s a bit¡­¡­ of a difference¡­¡­¡± ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°The¡­¡­ clothes¡­¡­ that puppet was wearing a white dress¡­¡­ and her hair¡­¡­ she had it down¡­¡­ not tied up in a ponytail, and also¡­¡­¡± Taking a pause, the young men cautiously looked at Ogis. ¡°The feeling she gives off¡­¡­ seems a bit¡­¡­ different.¡± ¡°A feeling?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­ that puppet seems crazy, like there¡¯s something wrong with her¡­¡­¡± A mentally unstable puppet? Duanmu Huai and Ogis exchanged looks, each seeing confusion in the other¡¯s eyes. After dismissing the victims, Duanmu Huai took Ogis aside. ¡°Ogis, what are your thoughts?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, master¡­¡­ this confuses me, I can¡¯t understand¡­¡­ why the puppet¡¯s mind would be deranged¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ I can see why.¡± Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t surprised by Ogis¡¯s response. When he first met her, she presented herself as a human-like robot, with her own unique ways of logical thinking, but without understanding humans¡¯ thoughts, reactions, and actions. But ording to those victims, that other puppet seemed different. Of course, that doesn¡¯t make it impossible. Just as a robot¡¯s rebellion could be due to programming error or logical confusion rather than self-consciousness¡­ ¡°It seems, this is truly interesting¡­¡­¡± Looking at the prompt of a newly revealed mission, Duanmu Huai muttered to himself. Chapter 65 - 52: Chasing the Culprit_1 Chapter 65: Chapter 52: Chasing the Culprit_1 [Activating special task ¡°Pursuit of the Culprit¡±] [Task Objective: Identify the true culprit behind a series of incidents] [You are embroiled in a mysterious homicide; find the real culprit and uncover the truth] If initially, Duanmu Huai just wanted to use this Soul Fragment World in subspace to sneak into Todd¡¯s Ruins in search of the Crown of Witchcraft, he is now clearly more interested in this mysterious killer. He has a hunch that this person may have some indescribable rtion to Ogis. Although Ogis herself is unaware of the reason, it is certain that things are not as simple as they appear. Finding a puppeteer in such arge city is not easy due to insufficient manpower. However, Duanmu Huai has his methods. ¡°Do you really think we¡¯re going to find someone this way?¡± Standing at the top of the church¡¯s clock tower, Lorena, full of curiosity, looked at Duanmu Huai and asked. ¡°Although it¡¯s not a hundred percent sure we¡¯ll find them, there is a certain rate of sess.¡± ncing at Ogis seated on hisp, silently staring at the city, Duanmu Huai responds. Unlike other knights, patrolling the streets was not his style. This method was inefficient and relied solely on luck. Instead, he initiated a Reconnaissance Servo Skull to scan the entire city. This would not only provide a detailed map of the Holy City but also quickly locate any abnormalities. Luckily, due to the recent murders, curfew has been enacted by the church, which avoids certain problems. However¡­ ¡°That being said, are you sure it¡¯s okay for you to be with us?¡± Duanmu Huai surveyed Lorena, inquiring. When this priestess heard that they too were searching for the killer, she volunteered to assist them. Even though Duanmu Huai admitted having someone from the church on their side would make the search easier, but is she really okay with it? After all, at first nce, she just looked like a frail, gentle, unwarlike young priestess. ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t worry, Sir Knight.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Lorena, currently engrossed in the Holy Canon, closed the book, clenched her fists tightly, and looked at him with a bright smile. ¡°I am also a believer in the deity, and I possess the strength to protect myself and purify evil!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well, that¡¯s reassuring.¡± Seeing Lorena so confident, Duanmu Huai certainly wouldn¡¯t say anything more, but instead turned his gaze back to the cityscape. Soon, it started getting dark. The murderous puppeteer usually acted at night, sometimes early in the evening, sometimes well past midnight. Since there was another incident the previous night, when darkness nketed the city, the streets were practically deserted. Only fully armed knights remained steadily patrolling, hunting for the murderer. ¡°Hmm¡­ there seems to be no change.¡± Staring at the disyed map on his helmet, Duanmu Huai mused to himself. The entire city map was now fully viewable in front of him. Moving white dots on the streets were the patrolling knights, apart from this, there were no abnormal movements. Time passed slowly. Staying awake all night is a difficult task, to the point where even Duanmu Huai was starting to feel a bit tired. Meanwhile, Lorena was leaning on a nearby column, already dozing off. After who knows how long, Duanmu Huai¡¯s map disyed an unknown signal fluctuation all of a sudden! ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Seeing the signal, Duanmu Huai was instantly alert. He rose to his feet. ¡°Ogis, Miss Lorena! There¡¯s some action, let¡¯s move!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes!¡± Lorena, awakened by Duanmu Huai, blinked her eyes and quickly replied. As for Ogis, she had deftly snuggled into his arms as soon as Duanmu Huai got up. With Ogis in one arm and holding onto Lorena¡¯s slender waist with his other hand, the jetpack on his back once again sted a strong jet of air, ascending rapidly into the sky amidst Lorena¡¯s shouts of surprise. ¡°Sir Knight, you can fly too?!¡± Staring out at the soaring heights around her, Lorena squealed in surprise, but Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t respond. He merely locked onto the disturbance¡¯s location and urged the jetpack towards it. It wasn¡¯t long before they reached their destination. ¡°There she is!!¡± In the silvery white light of the moon, Duanmu Huai quickly spotted a petite figure in white wandering on the streets, obviously not a member of the knight order. Then, the answer is clear. ¡°Boom!¡± Duanmu Huai descended from the sky,nding directly on the street, blocking the path of the white figure. Then he lifted his head, staring at the figure before him. One must say that when he saw the white figure, even Duanmu Huai was taken aback. Just like what those young people had stated earlier, this was a girl-shaped puppet wearing a sleeveless white dress. The spherical joints at her elbows were a clear giveaway. Like Ogis, she too bore white long hair, but unlike Ogis who had her hair tied in pigtails, this puppet girl let it loose. But otherwise, her appearance and body were very simr to Ogi¡¯s. Hmm, was she the dark version of Ogis? That seemed to be the feeling. ¡°Who are you?¡± At this moment, Ogis also saw that puppet girl. A touch of surprise crossed her usually expressionless face. On hearing Ogis¡¯ question, the puppet girl looked towards her, then broke into a cryptic grin as if she had found a valuable treasure. ¡°Hahaha! Isn¡¯t this sister Ogis? I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here!¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing her speak, Ogis and Duanmu Huai were taken aback. But the puppet girl didn¡¯t provide any further exnation. She just broke into a fit of crazyughter and then lifted her head. ¡°This is great! Just great! If I kill you, the Master will know that I am the most perfect puppet! Sister Ogis, prepare to die!!!¡± With the puppet girl¡¯s roar, countless crimson strings suddenly appeared around her fingers. These strings stretched directly into the shadow of the puppet girl, then gave a great yank¡­ and immediately after, a huge female puppet, whose face was covered by a mask, emerged from behind the puppet girl. Wow, that damn thing replicated even the weapon? Was that even possible? ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± The sight left Ogis silent. She then threw the suitcase in her hand. A huge puppet wearing a white mask, ck formal suit, and a cloak emerged from it. ¡°Master, can I deal with her? I don¡¯t know why, but¡­.I can feel that this is very important to me.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Responding to Ogis¡¯ request, Duanmu Huai just nodded. He wanted to also know what the rtionship between this girl and Ogis was. Since she called Ogis ¡®sister¡¯, it showed that she was a puppet manufacturedter than Ogis. But as far as Duanmu Huai remembered, the Puppeteer Master who had made Ogis blew himself up using a Gundam in the royal city soon after creating Ogis¡­ Then who, and when, did they create this puppet girl? Now, however, was not the time to contemte that. He moved his gaze away from Ogis. Duanmu Huai gripped his war hammer and focused on what was ahead. Lorena stood behind him. At the same time, eerie shadows rose from all directions, surrounding the pair in a circle. They seemed to be girls, but wore strange white masks, each bearing a double-edged weapon. They let out low, bizarre giggles, like ghostly demons wandering in the pitch ck night. ¡°Hee Hee Hee¡­ we found¡­ a strong one¡­¡± ¡°Hee Hee Hee¡­ our prey¡­¡± Let¡¯s see who the real prey here is. Hearing the masked women¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai snorted in displeasure and his face hardened. ¡°Miss Lorena, are you ready?¡± ¡°Rest assured, Sir Knight.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, Lorena nodded determinatively. ¡°Under the guidance of God, we will surely be victorious!¡± ¡°Well then, let¡¯s move!¡± At the roar of Duanmu Huai, the next moment, the pair charged at the masked women in front of them. Chapter 66 - 53 Night Fight_1 Chapter 66: Chapter 53 Night Fight_1 ¡°Hehehehehehe¡­.!!¡± The masked women in front of me wielded their double-edges, letting out eerie, mockingughter as they charged toward Duanmu Huai. With zero hesitation, Duanmu Huai summoned dozens of puppets, shing fiercely with the masked women. But really, what on earth are these things? Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t believe that these masked women were humans. The reason was simple; they all had the same hairstyles, same height, and even their body features were identical. Moreover¡­ ¡°Ha!¡± The War Hammer fell with a whoosh, smashing directly onto the head of one of the masked women, literally smashing her head to pieces. But instead of blood, brain matter, and chunks of flesh, pieces of ragged wood emerged from the broken head of the masked woman. It was clear that these masked women were puppets created by someone. However, these puppets looked distinct from Ogis and the others. Although Ogis and the others look human on the outside, they certainly have features that set them apart from humans. For instance, the spherical joints of their arms and legs, the areas where their fingers are joined, the seams on their shoulders, and so on. Even though these features could be concealed with clothes, it was apparent upon a closer look that they were not humans. But these masked women were different, their bodies seemed to be covered with ayer of synthetic skin-like material, perfectly concealing the gaps in their joints. This demonstrated that the puppet master who created them was somewhat superior to others. However¡­ ¡°Hehe¡­ this is far from enough, Keep letting me kill them!¡± ¡°Kill many more!!¡± Why do these puppets all behave like they¡¯ve escaped from a mental institution? They¡¯re crazy! Duanmu Huai swung his War Hammer once more, shattering a few more masked women, then summoned a group of puppets to guard himself. These masked women weren¡¯t very powerful, but they possessed an elusive stealth capacity that made them invisible to Duanmu Huai until theyunched their strikes. Although his Power Armor could defend against the attacks of the masked women, their incessant sneak attacks were quite bothersome. Speaking of which, I wonder if Lorena is okay? With that thought, Duanmu Huai turned his head towards where Lorena was, only to witness a sight thatpletely bewildered him. Lorena was fighting the masked women now, clenching one fist and holding the Holy Canon in her other hand. ¡°In the name of God, you evil ones who hide in the darkness to harm humans, you will be purified! O lostmbs, let me grant you redemption!¡± As she said this, a masked woman lunged at her cackling wickedly, the dagger in her hand stabbing directly towards Lorena. Evading the attack with a swivel, Lorena then raised the Holy Canon high in her clenched right fist. ¡°Take this, Sacred Book Thrust!¡± With Lorena¡¯s furious roar, her hand tightly holding the Holy Canon came crashing down onto the masked woman. The corner of this substantial Sacred Book directly smashed into the back of the masked woman¡¯s skull, obliterating it instantly. ¡°Gaaaahhh!!!¡± Yet, these masked women clearly weren¡¯t deterred by Lorena¡¯s potent attack. As Lorena punched one of them, another lunatic woman shrieked and pounced at her, her dagger plunging into Lorena¡¯s body. However, with a ¡®ding¡¯ sound, the dagger could not prate Lorena¡¯s body and instead slid off. In response, Lorena let out a furious roar and swung her fist into the woman, catapulting her backward like a cannonball, and shattering her into smithereens. ¡°???¡± What kind of y is this??? Watching thebat of the priestess in front of him, Duanmu Huai was utterly bewildered. He had not anticipated this seemingly delicate girl to possess such strength. Hold on, what kind of redemption is that, bashing skulls with the corner of a book? Sacred Book Thrust? Your action had nothing to do with a thrust! From the looks of your proficiency, this isn¡¯t your first time, is it?!! Regardless, it was clear that there was no need to worry about Lorena. So, Duanmu Huai turned his head towards Ogis. At this moment, Ogis was locked in intensebat with the white-haired puppet, with both sides fighting furiously with their gargantuan puppets and retaliating using their strings. Even though the logic would dictate that when dark is tripled, white weakens seven times over. But the white-haired puppet was getting no foothold against Ogis, and was pretty much being pummeled by her. This was causing the white-haired puppet extreme frustration as she waved her hands frantically, attempting to break Ogis¡¯s line of defense, but to no avail. ¡°Why! Why! I am the most perfect puppet! I will not lose to you! I am the most perfect piece!!¡± ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡± Facing the overzealous onught from the white-haired puppet, Ogis was handling the situation with considerable ease. With awork of trembling strings transforming into a shield, she deflected the assault while fixing her gaze on the white-haired puppet and asking softly. ¡°Shut up! Once I destroy you! Once I destroy you! The Master will know I am the superior puppet!! Just die! Die die die!!!¡± Contrarily, the white-haired puppet had no intention ofmunicating with Ogis; she was just recklessly charging, trying to obliterate Ogis. However, her offense was futile against Ogis¡¯s imprable defense. ¡°Why why why! Why is this happening? This is impossible! I am the most perfect! The most perfect puppet! I won¡¯t lose to a prototype like you!¡± Stagnation made the white-haired puppet ever more restless, but Ogis remained steadfast. ¡°Give it up. You can¡¯t beat me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true! I will defeat you! Then, the master, the master will know I am the¡­¡± However, before the white-haired puppet could finish speaking, Ogis¡¯s fingers suddenly moved. The next moment, the ck Giant that had been confronting the humongous puppet elerated abruptly, punching the colossal puppet and knocking her straight to the ground. Next, the ck Giant grabbed the white-haired puppet firmly, holding her in its grasp. Meanwhile, Ogis walked up to the white-haired puppet, staring at her. ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s your name? Who is your master?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± However, the white-haired puppet showed no intention of answering Ogis¡¯s questions, she simply red at her with ferocity, mumbling to herself. ¡°I¡¯m not broken, I¡¯m not broken, I¡¯m not defective, I¡¯m not defective¡­won¡¯t forgive¡­won¡¯t forgive¡­shred everything apart! Victoria!¡± ¡°Ahhhhhh¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!¡± Following the scream of the white-haired puppet, the gigantic female puppet that had been knocked to the ground by the ck Giant suddenly sprung up, screaming and lunging towards Ogis and her Guardian Puppet once again. The blow struck hard, and in the instant when the white-haired puppet broke free from her binds, she leaped up and vanished into thin air with her puppet. ¡°Next time, next time I won¡¯t lose!!! I will prove to you, who is truly the most perfect puppet!!¡± Shortly after the white-haired puppet¡¯s departure, the knights who had heard themotion arrived at the scene. The masked women disappeared into the darkness as soon as they saw the knights. With this, the battle had, for now,e to a halt. Ogis was standing stationary in her spot, looking dazed, and Duanmu Huai made his way to her side in this instance. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Master.¡± Ogis shook her head. ¡°I felt hatred, fear, anger, and hostility from her ¡ª¡ª as well as a sense of familiarity¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯tprehend why¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. As long as you continue investigating, you¡¯lle to understand.¡± Duanmu Huai extended his hand and gently patted Ogis¡¯s head. ¡°We will continue our pursuit, and we will definitely figure out what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Yes.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai talk, Ogis slightly nodded her head. Her originally tense expression rxed somewhat. She didn¡¯t know why, but she felt that the ufortable feeling she had experienced while fighting with the white-haired puppet had now abated significantly. ¡°I truly appreciate both of your efforts.¡± At this moment, Lorena approached Duanmu Huai and Ogis, smiling at them and giving them a courteous bow. ¡°Thanks to both of you, we were finally able to figure out the criminal¡¯s identity. Now we just need to find a way to apprehend them.¡± ¡°No need to thank us, but speaking of which¡­¡± While speaking, Duanmu Huai looked towards Lorena. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah, please don¡¯t worry.¡± Lorenaughed cheerily in response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question. She extended her hand and tapped her chest, immediately producing a nking sound, as if she were metal. ¡°I exercise regrly, and also wear a ceremonial robe lined with steel armor, so those strange puppets didn¡¯t manage to harm me.¡± Well, isn¡¯t that something¡­¡­.. Upon hearing Lorena¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai twitched the corner of his mouth. He hadn¡¯t noticed during the fight that such a seemingly delicate girl was actually wearing steel armor. ¡°So, what kind of training do you actually do?¡± Duanmu Huai asked, unable to resist his curiosity. However, Lorena tilted her head and thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s nothing special, just some basic training. Every day, I first perform morning prayers, then clean the church. After that, it¡¯s 500 push-ups, followed by 600 punches. After lunch, there are 1,000 wrestling drills, and after evening prayers, I run approximately 60ps around the outer city wall¡­Ah, Sir Knight, if you¡¯re interested in my workout routine, how about joining me next time?¡± ¡°Your kind offer is appreciated.¡± Upon hearing Lorena¡¯s invitation, Duanmu Huai quietly chose to decline. He would like to live a few more years. Chapter 67 - 54 Mechanical Religion_1 Chapter 67: Chapter 54 Mechanical Religion_1 Even though the white-haired puppet had escaped, its location had already been locked onto by Duanmu Huai using the Reconnaissance Servo Skull. In theory, the next step would be to march straight in, and thoroughly wipe out these monsters and demons. However¡­¡­¡­ ¡°So why are we unable to act?¡± Faced with Lorena¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t upset at all. Any mission involving NPCs would invariablye with hups, he was used to this by now. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, Sir Knight, it¡¯s a long story¡­¡­¡± ¡°No matter, we¡¯ve got time.¡± Are you going to talk for an entire year or what? Then, slightly embarrassed, Lorena started exining to Duanmu Huai. Simple version: a split within the church. This all began some time ago when demons attacked this country, and the church naturally went into battle to eradicate the demons. In the early intensity of thebat, many members of the church¡¯s clergy were injured fighting the demons, losing limbs. They had no choice but to step down, and the situation at that time was very tense. However, at that moment, a stranger appeared offering to help those who had lost limbs, to create prosthetics making it possible for them to rejoin the battle. The Church epted his proposal. Those clergy who had lost limbs in the battle against the demons were fitted with mechanical prosthetics and once again entered the fray. No doubt about it, these prosthetics were incredible. In the end, thanks to everyone¡¯s efforts, the Church sessfully repelled the demons. But then ¡­ an unexpected crisis emerged. Among the clergy who had received the stranger¡¯s operation and been fitted with prosthetics, many started to change their beliefs. They came to believe that through mechanics and steel they could get closer to the deity, as opposed to simply through training and prayer. At first, the church didn¡¯t think much of it, figuring as long as their faith in the deity remained, minor disagreements about the interpretation of faith could be set aside for the moment. Following this, for whatever reason, those clergy with prosthetic limbs all started congregating at the side altar over at the other side of the city. ording to them, they were going tomunicate with the deity through mechanical means. The Archbishop tacitly approved, because these individuals had already sacrificed a lot for protecting the city and its people. If they wanted to do this, then let them. However, after this¡­ things started to gradually go downhill. Those self-titled members of the ¡°Mechanical Church¡± cut themselves off from the rest of the believers, starting to propagate their belief that ¡°flesh is only a burden, only bymitting ourselves to steel can wemunicate with the deity.¡± The church was somewhat anxious, but helpless. No matter what, it was an internal dispute regarding their doctrine, they couldn¡¯t possibly annihte them over it. Not to mention, the monks of the Mechanical Church had all been major contributors during the previous war. The Church had no intention to hastily start an internal conflict. The present situation is: the Church and the Mechanical Church each control one-half of the city, with the river in the middle defining the boundary. Normally neither would trespass on the other¡¯s turf. More than that, it is heard the monks of the Mechanical Church are seriously taking care of the people¡¯s problems, so the Church sees no need to interfere. However¡­ all this is based on the premise that the Mechanical Church is a peaceful organization. If they did indeed create that horrifyingly bloodthirsty puppet, and dispatched it here to carry out killings, that¡¯s another matter entirely. But as it is a matter of great importance, the church dares not act rashly. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Therefore, while the Archbishop has ordered everyone to bolster their defenses, her n is to negotiate with them¡­¡­¡± And what good will that do? Having listened to Lorena¡¯s exnation, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. This ce had be filled with soul shards, clearly indicating something terrifying had happened, leading to the city¡¯s destruction. ¡°Since you guys can¡¯t make a move, let me take care of it.¡± ¡°Huh? But¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°As you already know, the puppet that showed up yesterday appears to be connected to Ogis in some way. Even if it weren¡¯t for your problem, we¡¯d still trace it to the end anyway.¡± Having said this, Duanmu Huai nced at the mission prompts from the system. Although they found the white-haired puppet, there were no prompts indicating thepletion of the mission, meaning that the problem was far from solved. That white-haired puppet was not the real mastermind behind everything. After everything had ended, it waste at night. Lorena had arranged for both of them to rest in the guest rooms of the church. Duanmu Huai chose not to sleep on the seemingly soft andfortable bed, instead opting to sit leaning against the wall. Unless he was back on the space station, Duanmu Huai would never leave his power armor. Fortunately, after equipping the power armor, Duanmu Huai¡¯s body feltpletely integrated, almost as if he himself had be mechanical. His metabolism was less noticeable. But¡­ what would he be? Duanmu Huai looked up towards the star-filled sky through the window. The truth is, ever since he came to this world, he had always been busy with tasks and challenges everywhere. All this was based on the impending chaos and the threat of the Subspace Chaos Evil God. He knew very well that regardless of what he did on this, it would not significantly affect these machinations of Evil Gods. For them, this was nothing more than a yground. Therefore, the enemies on this weren¡¯t formidable. The reason why the Evil Gods sent these low-grade monsters wasn¡¯t because of theck of strong warriors, but because the rtively low level of civilization of this limited their level and strength. However, in the vast Star Ocean, Duanmu Huai would face not only the Chaos Warriors ¨C a simple threat, but also spaceship wrecks, fallen Star Warriors, chaos fleets, and alien invasions. Interdimensional wars would make the present chaos on this seem like child¡¯s y. The battles taking ce in the Star Ocean far surpassed the wars of the Medieval Ages on this. In the game, despite the presence of many yers, there were still numerous casualties and losses. But now, with only him here, what effect could he have? Duanmu Huai immersed himself in his tasks in order to avoid overthinking. He simply needed to mechanistically ept andplete tasks like in a game without contemting too much. But, in the quiet of the night, when his mind began to rx, theseplicated feelings crept back. ¡°Master?¡± While Duanmu Huai was lost in thought, a voice suddenly sounded from beside his ear. Turning his head, he saw Ogis perched on him like a kitten, her ruby-red eyes shining with brilliant light as she gazed at Duanmu Huai. ¡°You seem to be troubled?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about the future, it¡¯s somewhat vexing.¡± ¡°The future??¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Ogis slightly tilted her head. ¡°Yes.¡± As he gazed at the puppet girl in front of him, Duanmu Huai reached out to gently stroke her head as he spoke. ¡°In the future, we will encounter powerful enemies. They will be everywhere and almost impossible to eradicatepletely. They are extremely strong and resist destruction¡­ honestly, sometimes I wonder if this is the right decision. Maybe, I should abandon all of this, find a ce to spend the rest of my days in solitude, not causing trouble or meddling in theseplicated matters¡­¡± Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t lying. Given his experience, he could absolutely find an uninhabited beautiful star and livefortably until the end of his days. In any case, with the universe being infinite and the battles with the Chaos Evil Gods starting at a base of hundreds of years or evensting tens of thousands of years, was it necessary? In the game, yers need not worry about this, because they are always pursuing something. But reality is different. When you are actually transported to this world and learn the truth about it, making a tough decision bes much more difficult. Should he challenge the Evil God with passionate fire? Or should he choose to capitte and relish infort? For Duanmu Huai, it was indeed a challenging choice. While Duanmu Huai contemted, he suddenly felt warmth on his cheek. Turning his head, he saw Ogis gazing at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what master is thinking¡­ but, I know master is helping me. So, I also want to help master. No matter what, I will always be with master.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ogis.¡± Heaving a sigh of relief in response to Ogis¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai closed his eyes and fell into a slumber. Ogis, watching the sleeping Duanmu Huai, thought for a moment before leaning into his embrace. Soon, the moonlight gradually enveloped the two, silhouetting them and casting the room back into silence and darkness. Chapter 68 - 55 Another Side_1 Chapter 68: Chapter 55 Another Side_1 Early the next morning, Duanmu Huai and Ogis left the church and headed to the Mechanical Religion¡¯s base on the other side of the river, led by Lorena. ording to Lorena, the Archbishop permitted her to act as the church¡¯s representative in order to avoid further conflicts. Duanmu Huai initially expected to see a scene reminiscent of cyberpunk filled with modified people on the other side, but to his surprise, there seemed to be nothing significantly different from the ces he had seen before. People came and went, the streets were lively, and there were noisy crowds and stalls. Not only that, but the people here seemed quite enthusiastic about Duanmu Huai and Ogis, unlike in the areas controlled by the church. ¡°Hey, Steel Bro, would you like to check out our fruits?¡± ¡°This lovely youngdy, I have some jewelry that would suit you perfectly?¡± It is worth mentioning that Duanmu Huai¡¯s attire was almost universally intimidating in other ces, which was quite normal. A 2.5-meter-tall Steel Knight with a Power Armor adorned with skull and cross symbols gives off a frigid, keep-out aura. Yet, in this ce, people didn¡¯t seem to be bothered at all by this steel creation. Duanmu Huai approached a fruit stall, and the owner warmly greeted him upon his arrival. ¡°Wee, Sir Steel Knight, what would you like?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just have a look¡­by the way, you don¡¯t seem to be afraid of my appearance?¡± Duanmu Huai looked at the vendor and curiously asked. For safety, however, he didn¡¯t take off his helmet. ¡°Ah, maybe you are not aware, Sir Steel Knight. Our area is different from other ces and we don¡¯t fear such things. Moreover, even the Church Saintess here is a great Steel Angel. Although people were somewhat uneasy at first, we are now ustomed to it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t understand, I rmend you visit the church and then you will understand immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Following the simple conversation, Duanmu Huai headed towards the church in this city, guided by the stall owner¡¯s directions. With the help of bystanders, Duanmu Huai and Ogis located the church of the Mechanical Religion quickly. At that moment, he finally understood why the people here behaved as they did. That¡¯s because almost all of the church¡¯s clergy appearing here have prosthetic limbs that have been modified by metal. ¡°Wee to the church, sir, can I assist you with something?¡± While Duanmu Huai was closely observing the church, a nun approached him. She looked no different from an ordinary person, except for what looked like wings constructed by slender metal arms, like the thousand-armed Guanyin, behind her. These arms were holding different objects, including prayer¡¯s tin rods and some tools for work and daily life. ¡°Are you here to join our church?¡± She was quite friendly towards Duanmu Huai. ¡°Seeing you coexist so perfectly with steel, you surely have a deep understanding of our doctrine¡­¡± ¡°No, I just wanted to discuss some things with the person in charge here¡­¡± ¡°Well then, please follow me. The Holy Woman is likely inside.¡± The nun warmly invited the two of them into the church and led them deeper inside. On the way, Duanmu Huai, through discussions with the nun, got a rough understanding of the doctrine of the ¡°Mechanical Religion¡±. Simply put, it¡¯s like what Lorena told him: the Mechanical Religion believes the flesh is weak and it hinders people from feeling the will and strength of the deity. Only by recing it with pure steel can one better feel the deity¡­ The extent to which one is modified corresponds to one¡¯s status within the Mechanical Religion. For example, those like nuns who install external add-ons are just prayerists, the lowest status. One level higher involves recing both hands with iron fists, thus bing an Iron Fist Monk. Even higher, one can be a Mecha Priest by transforming all of one¡¯s body, excluding the head, into machinery¡­ Wow, you all want to ascend through mechanics, huh? I might as well introduce you to worship the Mecha Spirit and all of you can just be Mecha Servants. Listening to the nun¡¯s exnation, Duanmu Huai was speechless. He had always been wary of mechanical modifications. It was eptable to have prosthetics due to physical defects or diseases. However, if one abandoned their own flesh just for convenience¡­ Well, as a human, he found it hard to ept this practice. ¡°So this is what the Mechanical Religion is about?¡± Duanmu Huai also turned his head and inquired in a low voice towards Lorena, who looked confused. ¡°Sorry¡­ actually, I¡¯m not very sure either¡­¡± Under the guidance of the nun, Duanmu Huai and his party arrived at the church, where they were introduced to a¡­mechanical priest. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± The priest before them had a stern expression. Apart from his head, the rest of him seemed to have been reced by machinery. He wore a thin coat, and he looked like a robot with a human head ¨C well, that was not far from the truth. ¡°I came here to investigate the matter of the murder dolls.¡± Duanmu Huai stepped forward, exined the situation, and then fixed his gaze on the mechanical priest. ¡°Under our chase, those dolls fled here, so we wanted to investigate here.¡± ¡°Investigation?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, the mechanical priest¡¯s face seemed somewhat displeased. ¡°What gives you the right to investigate here?¡± ¡°Of course we have our reasons.¡± ¡°What if I refuse?¡± ¡°Then I am just here to notify you.¡± Faced with the mechanical priest, Duanmu Huai was not afraid at all. Regardless of whether the other agreed or not, what he had to do would not change. Now, he was just giving fair warning before using force. If the other agreed to help, it would naturally be the best situation. But if the other did not agree, then Duanmu Huai would have to force his way. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Looking at the tense standoff between the two sides, Ogis remained expressionless, while Lorena looked anxiously back and forth, then hurriedly raised her hand, approaching the mechanical priest. ¡°Most Reverend Father, we mean no harm, but this matter is indeed serious. Many innocent people have been killed already. We just want to find the perpetrator, and not cause any trouble here¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The mechanical priest was silent for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright, I agree to your request, but we must have someone present.¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t cause trouble, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Duanmu Huai made a concession, and the looming conflict subsequently faded, which allowed Lorena to breathe a sigh of relief. The mechanical priest, however, did not care about these minor issues. He sent someone to ry his decision, and soon a young woman appeared before Duanmu Huai and the others. ¡°This is Merlot Hannah, a priestess of our church and an excellent exorcist. She will be working alongside you to seek out the murder dolls. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± After a brief introduction, the mechanical priest turned and left. At this time, the young woman also approached Duanmu Huai. ¡°Merlot. Hannah, nice to meet you.¡± Contrary to Lorena, Merlot gave off the initial impression of a soldier. She wore a dark coat and stood straight. Huge metallic wings were attached to her back, and she held a finely-crafted sniper rifle in her hands¡­ Well, she did indeed seem like a soldier. But well¡­ Duanmu Huai nced at Merlot¡¯s curvaceous figure, then he eyed Lorena¡¯s slender and t frame. Although they were both priests, the disparity was a bit too much¡­ Chapter 69 - 56 Puppet Zone_1 Chapter 69: Chapter 56 Puppet Zone_1 Finding the white-haired puppet wasn¡¯t difficult, as Duanmu Huai had already ordered the Reconnaissance Servo Skull to lock in on the general area where she was locatedst night. Now all they had to do was storm in and search for her. However, when they arrived in this area under the guidance of Merlot, they were somewhat surprised. ¡°This is Puppet Zone,¡± Merlot, with a sniper rifle on his back, casually introduced to everyone. ¡°Puppet Zone?¡± Duanmu Huai looked questioningly at the area in front of him. All he could see were puppets wandering around on the streets. The materials, looks and shapes of these puppets were all different. ¡°Pleasee over and take a look, we have thetest mechanical models on sale! A discount of 10%! Don¡¯t miss your chance!¡± A wooden puppet dressed in sales clerk attire was loudly shouting, trying to attract customers. Above its head, a mini aerial vehicle with a futuristic sci-fi aesthetic and tworge bulbs protruding from its back whizzed by, heading to the end of the street. ¡°Woof, woof, woof!¡± On the ground, a little metal dog was running about, barking and carrying something in its mouth. They even saw a woman ride by on an auto-bncing four-wheeler¡­ Well, with the medieval-style buildings around, this ce did give off a peculiar vibe. It felt like a mishmash of high tech and old-world civilization ¨C no one could guess how it had developed to its current state. Well, if you regard all these puppets as robots, then this ce can be seen as a leap straight into a future of mechanical artificial intelligence civilization level. ¡°What¡­the heck?¡± Gazing at the scene in front of them, not only was Duanmu Huai greatly surprised, even Lorena was quite shaken. She stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the spectacle unfolding before her. Meanwhile, Merlot strolled into the area while exining. ¡°Quite a few puppeteer masters and mechanicians have taken up residence here due to their interest in our doctrines. We allow them to live here in service of exploring the mysteries of mechanics. However, these technologies can only be used for peaceful purposes. If it is true as you say that someone here has vited orders and made a puppet that kills, we won¡¯t let them get away with it!¡± ¡°But with so many puppets¡­ How are we going to find¡­?¡± Lorena¡¯s scalp tingled at the prospect and Duanmu Huai frowned with concern. They had thought that finding the white-haired puppet would be quite straightforward till they encountered this unexpected development. Current estimates put the number of puppets in the zone in the thousands. To track down the puppet they were after would be quite a task. No wonder the elusive puppet had made its way here ¨C it sure knew where to blend in and hide. ¡°Follow me, I have a n,¡± Merlot dered as he led the way. The rest followed him to a shopfront bearing the sign ¡°One Shot, One Kill¡±. Merlot pushed open the door and walked straight in, followed closely by Duanmu Huai and the rest. The shop seemed to be a gun store, with various styles of guns of different sizes hanging on the walls. But for some reason, paired with the shop¡¯s decor, it gave an overall adorable vibe. Just as they entered the shop, a bubbly voice rang out. ¡°Wee to ¡®One Shot, One Kill¡¯. How may I¡­ Ah! Merlot!¡± Apanying the voice, a girl wearing all white with a low ponytail appeared from behind the counter. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Merlot, and she sprang up from behind the counter, grabbing Merlot¡¯s hand with a giggle. ¡°Long time no see! How have you been? How¡¯s your gun? Does it need maintenance? But I thought it was just serviced¡­ Could it be broken? I¡¯vee up with a new improvement n recently, would you like to try it? I think it could significantly upgrade your firepower¡­¡± The girl chattered on like a skrk, spouting a barrage of words non-stop like a machine gun ¨C leaving everyone confused. Luckily, it seemed like Merlot was familiar with her style and promptly cut her off. ¡°Kukulu, I¡¯m not here for gun maintenance today, it¡¯s about him¡­¡± As he said this, Merlot pointed towards Duanmu Huai. On noticing him, the girl named Kukulu jumped back in surprise. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s huge! Where did you get such a big mecha doll, Merlot? Do you want to install weapons on it? It¡¯s not easy to make weapons for a mecha doll this big¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a puppet,¡± Duanmu Huai interjected resignedly, interrupting Kukulu. On hearing his reply, Kukulu looked puzzled and leaned closer to Merlot. ¡°Merlot, is the thinking logic of your mecha doll broken? I¡¯ve heard of some puppets not recognizing themselves as such due to logic issues. Do you want me to introduce you to a puppeteer to fix it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes in frustration, removed his helmet, and lowered his gaze to Kukulu. ¡°You see now, I¡¯m not a puppet.¡± ¡°Eek¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± On seeing Duanmu Huai, Kukulu screeched and leaped back behind the counter. She cautiously peeked back up at Duanmu Huai, eyes wide with unease. ¡°Hey? Hey? Is it a human?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a human.¡± Duanmu Huai spoke as he put his helmet back on. Seeing this, Kukulu breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh¡­ oh, I see, you¡¯re a customer. My apologies, I was rude. Do you want to order a gun? I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t have experience making guns for someone as tall as you¡­¡± ¡°Kukulu, he¡¯s not here to order guns.¡± Thankfully, Merlot brought the conversation back on track. ¡°We¡¯re here to ask for some information.¡± As she said this, Merlot turned her gaze back to Duanmu Huai and the others. ¡°This is Kukulu, just like you heard, she¡¯s a gun designer, mainly in charge of providing design, production, and maintenance services for customers. She¡¯s very familiar with this ce, so we might be able to get some clues from her.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m very familiar with this ce. What do you want to ask?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, he pushed Ogis forward. ¡°We¡¯re looking for a doll that looks very simr to her, have you seen one?¡± ¡°A doll that looks like her?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Kukulu stood up and carefully inspected Ogis. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve never seen one. It¡¯s rare to see a doll as finely crafted as this around here. If I had seen it, I would definitely remember.¡± Indeed, as Kukulu said, Duanmu Huai and his team had seen many dolls along the way, but the appearance of each doll varied greatly. The design of the joints were especially diverse and strange. There were even some dolls that had human-like limbs, but their bodies were just a piece of cloth hanging over a wooden stick. This waspletely unimpressive. ¡°I see¡­¡± With no clues to follow, the group felt somewhat disappointed. It was then that Duanmu Huai had an idea. Snapping his fingers, a puppet appeared by his side. ¡°Have you seen this doll before?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Looking at the suddenly appearing doll, Kukulu was surprised momentarily, but quickly started to carefully inspect it, thinking for a while. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve seen a simr doll with Mr. Liam.¡± ¡°Liam?¡± ¡°Yes, that gentleman is also a Puppeteer Master, but he mostly stays in his studio by himself and is seldom seen by others¡­¡± ¡°Where does Liam live?¡± ¡°Um¡­ in the backstreet¡­¡± ¡°Take us there!¡± Having locked onto their target, Duanmu Huai immediately turned and left. The doll he¡¯d just summoned was one of the dolls previously crafted by the Puppeteer Master. ording to Kukulu¡¯s statement, each puppeteer crafted dolls with different features. Therefore, it was obvious that a doll simr to the one in hand was connected to the person they were looking for! Seeing Duanmu Huai in high spirits, Kukulu felt a bit anxious, but she agreed to lead the way under Merlot¡¯s persuasion. Soon, Kukulu led Duanmu Huai and his team to a warehouse in the backstreet of the Puppet Zone. ¡°It¡¯s here. I only remember that when he moved in, he used simr dolls to carry his luggage. Whether he¡¯s still living here now, I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know soon.¡± Duanmu Huai took off his helmet, stepped forward, and knocked on the door. Soon, a weary voice came from the other side of the door. ¡°Who is it? Go away! Don¡¯t disturb me! I¡¯m busy!¡± ¡°Delivery service, Mr. Liam, your delivery has arrived.¡± ¡°Delivery? What delivery?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the person inside hesitated for a moment, and after a while, the tightly closed warehouse door opened, and a man with slicked back hair, wearing sses, a whiteb coat, and looking like a researcher came out. ¡°I didn¡¯t order any delivery, you guys¡­..¡± But before he could finish his sentence, when he saw Ogis standing beside Duanmu Huai, the man¡¯s face instantly changed. ¡°Gavi?!¡± At that moment, the man hurried to close the door. However, Duanmu Huai grabbed the door panel, swung it open, and with a quick grab, held the man¡¯s head and lifted him off the ground! Chapter 70 - 57 Liam_1 Chapter 70: Chapter 57 Liam_1 Duanmu Huai¡¯s actions were so decisive that everyone didn¡¯t react until he grabbed the man¡¯s head and pressed it against the wall. Only then did the crowd around him react. ¡°Sir Knight, what are you doing?¡± ¡°This guy is definitely a problem.¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, he pulled out his Mechanical Sword and plunged it directly next to the man¡¯s neck, forcing his chin up. ¡°Who¡­ who are you? What are you trying to do?!¡± ¡°Speak up, did you create the killer puppet? What are you trying to do?¡± Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t be bothered to outwit him. If he were ying his former character with maxed-out charm, he could slowly resolve things through conversation and persuasion. But now, Duanmu Huai¡¯s charm clearlycked the ability to ¡°persuade¡±, and only had ¡°intimidation¡±. So he could only use it this way ¡ª while his former character did have the ¡°intimidation¡± option, Duanmu Huai seldom used it. Although ¡°intimidation¡± could get an answer too, the cost was a decrease in goodwill. Duanmu Huai had always tried to avoid such situations in the past, but now¡­ he couldn¡¯t care less about such trivial matters. ¡°What? What killer doll? I don¡¯t know! I know nothing, let me go!¡± The man struggled desperately, but Duanmu Huai remained unmoved, keeping the de of his sword against his neck. ¡°It¡¯s a white-haired puppet that looks exactly like this girl. She¡¯s been roaming around the city killing peopletely. You can¡¯t be saying you have nothing to do with this.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Buzz¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The chainsaw began to whirl madly. Duanmu Huai locked his icy gaze on the man, speaking in a cold voice. ¡°That¡¯s fine, keep denying, I¡¯ll slowly cut off your arms, then your legs, then open up your body, and finally turn you into your favorite puppet¡­ how does that sound?¡± ¡°Gulp¡­ gulp¡­ ¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s threat, the man¡¯s face was pale as death, his body trembling uncontrobly, even gasping heavily. Duanmu Huai, unfazed, moved the Mechanical Sword, aiming at his shoulder. ¡°I know! I¡¯ll tell you everything, alright?!¡± Finally, at this moment, the man couldn¡¯t resist Duanmu Huai¡¯s threats any longer and chose to surrender. ¡°Then, tell us, what exactly is going on?¡± ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll start talking¡­.¡± Soon, the man divulged the whole story to everyone present. Unexpectedly, this man named Liam was not only a Puppeteer Master, but he was even the apprentice of the Puppeteer Master who had created Ogis! Upon hearing the news that his master had used the Magic Puppet to destroy a nation, Liam rushed back in wake of the nation¡¯s turmoil, he secretly left with the notes and materials left by his master. After reviewing those materials, Liam was also drawn to the ¡°puppet with a heart¡± described therein. Therefore, he walked down the same path as his master¡ªattempting to create a puppet with a heart. ¡°I believe that the essence of a puppet is not a toy created to mimic the human form, but a friend tofort the human soul. If sessful, it should bring somefort to people¡­. ¡± With this idea in mind, Liam, following the records in the notebook, ultimately created Gavi. However, Gavi waspletely different from the ¡°puppet with a heart¡± Liam had hoped for. As Duanmu Huai and others had previously observed. Her mind was extremely unstable, in a state of madness. A puppet with a mental illness like this could not possibly be a good friend to humans, nor could it provide any spiritualfort. Hence, Liam considered this experiment a failure. ¡°She was sessful, so why did Gavi fail?! I followed every step, how could there be such a difference?!¡± As he spoke, Liam red at Ogis, his eyes ame with a burning fervor. Sensing his gaze, Ogis took a small step backward. Witnessing this, excitement surged within Liam. ¡°Just like that! That¡¯s the puppet I aspire to create! Why! Why! Why is this?!¡± ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± Faced with Liam¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows. He had a vague sense of what was bothering Liam. When the Puppeteer Master entrusted Ogis to him, it was with the hope he would take her to travel and experience the world. Initially, Ogis was no different from a robot. Only after many interactions led by Duanmu Huai did she gradually begin to express emotions. In other words, the Puppeteer Master essentially created a self-learning AI personality for Ogis, which could evolve into having a richer array of emotional expressions and ideas by absorbing data from experiences. This is a standard AI learning logic process. But Liam somehow misunderstood and wanted to immediately infuse the puppet with a ¡°heart¡± and ¡°emotions¡±. ¡°Enough, let¡¯s not get sidetracked. Why did she kill?¡± Duanmu Huai decisively interrupted Liam¡¯s self-reflection, not wanting this interrogation to turn into a seminar on puppet technology. ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s not thatplicated. Since she¡¯s a failed creation, she¡¯s only fit to be used as my weapon. That¡¯s all the worth she has left. That¡¯s why I granted her the attack puppet, and especially enhanced her killing abilities¡­¡± ¡°And then you let her go kill people in the city? Why would you do such a thing?!¡± Hearing this, Lorena clenched her fists in rage, glowering at Liam and demanding answers. Liam panicked at her questions, yelling in response. ¡°No! That wasn¡¯t mymand! I¡¯ve given her to someone else! She has nothing to do with me anymore!!¡± ¡°Who? To whom did you give her?¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai hurriedly questioned, and Liam hesitated for a moment. As he registered Duanmu Huai¡¯s intense gaze, he quickly responded. ¡°Iver! It was him! He granted me special powers, the ability to create puppets ording to my whims! That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t need that failure anymore! I could now freely create any puppet I needed. I¡¯m the best Puppeteer Master in the world¡­Ahhh!!!¡± Before Liam could finish, a sudden violent whorl of air erupted from the warehouse behind and instantly tore Liam and the warehouse to shreds. Duanmu Huai hastily dropped Liam¡¯s head and stepped back, while Ogis stepped forward, her right hand outstretched. Instantly, long thin strings tightened in front of her, forming a shield that blocked the raging whirlwind. A spark appeared and disappeared in the air. Everyone looked up and saw a white-haired puppet standing atop the ruins of the warehouse, looking down at them coldly. ¡°I never thought that father would betray master¡­it¡¯s really disappointing. But you¡¯re of no use now. Master always said that useless chess pieces must be eliminated.¡± ¡°Are you Gavi?¡± Gazing at the white-haired puppet before him, Duanmu Huai put on his helmet and asked in a low voice. However¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say my name!!¡± With an enraged roar, the white-haired puppet lunged forward in the next instant. Her massive puppet charged straight towards Duanmu Huai, but was blocked by the Guardian Puppet that Ogis summoned. ¡°Tsk!!¡± Seeing this, the white-haired puppet¡ªGavi, clicked her tongue and leaped away, sprinting in the opposite direction. ¡°We need to chase her!!¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai hurriedly issued themand. Finally having found her, he absolutely couldn¡¯t let her escape not this time!! Chapter 71 - 58 Plan_1 Chapter 71: Chapter 58 n_1 Soon, a chase unfolded in the city. Gavi used threads to swing around the surrounding buildings, racing forward like Spiderman in the movies. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai, holding Lorena and Ogis, activated his jetpack and followed her closely¡ªthe power armor¡¯s jetpack allowing for short periods of flight, making things a lot easier. Merlot was not left behind either. The mechanical wings on her back were not just for show. Although she didn¡¯t know how they worked, with the help of these mechanical wings, she managed to keep up. Not only that, but while in flight, she even took aim at Gavi in front and pulled the trigger. ¡°Bang!!!¡± Merlot¡¯s marksmanship was excellent, but her attack seemingly had no effect as her massive puppet blocked her attack on Gavi like a shield. Seizing the opportunity, Gavi elerated once more, apparently trying to shake off her pursuers. However, Duanmu Huai and the others were persistent, trying to catch her. ¡°We can¡¯t fight in the city!¡± The panic-stricken Lorena, who was being held by Duanmu Huai, shouted, it was quite understandable for her to worry. It was a busy time of day, and the streets were crowded with people. Unlike the curfew at night, a conflict here would undoubtedly lead to unnecessary casualties. ¡°Drive her to a deserted ce!¡± Duanmu Huai heavilynded on the ground, creating a crater in the t street beneath him and inciting screams from the people around. However, he had no time to deal with these issues. He leaped up and activated his jetpack, continuing his pursuit of Gavi. However, at this moment, suddenly, several dark figures emerged from the alleyways below and charged towards Duanmu Huai and the others, wearing masks and brandishing daggers¡ªit was the puppetettes from the previous night! ¡°What annoying bastards!¡± Duanmu Huai coldly snorted at the sight of them, but just as he was about to knock these puppets out of the way, a sense of danger suddenly surfaced in his mind. Almost instantaneously, Ogis raised her hand, and the Guardian Puppet appeared in a sh, blocking the front of Duanmu Huai. Next, the masked puppetette¡¯s dagger pierced the Guardian Puppet¡¯s body, and immediately after, the Guardian Puppet burst into a pile of broken debris. Damn! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s hairs stood on end he quickly lifted his right hand, aiming at the masked puppetette. With the sound of gunfire, a massive shockwave instantly blew the masked puppetettes away. At the same time, Ogis, who was perched on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, also swiftly took action. Her intertwining threads shed past, directly slicing the masked puppetettes into fragments. Although they sessfully blocked the ambush, due to this brief obstruction, Gavi had already disappeared. ¡°Tch¡­what a nuisance.¡± Looking at the now missing Gavi, Duanmu Huai could only shake his head helplessly, letting out a sigh of relief. Honestly, that blow just now had scared him quite a bit. Ogis¡¯s puppet had an Attack of 6 and Defense of 8, ordinary enemies could hardly break through its defense. However, that masked puppetette had managed to destroy it in a single hit; she either had a strong attack power or a [Critical Hit] characteristic. It was a good thing that Ogis¡¯s puppet had a [Guardian] characteristic, otherwise, things could have been bad. But ¡­ when they faced these masked puppetettes before, there was no such situation ¡­ why suddenly ¡­ In the end, they failed to track down Gavi, and even Merlot returned without sess after being blocked by the masked puppetettes after a while. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care too much about this minor issue, after all, he had silently let the Reconnaissance Servo Skull follow her. And now¡­ ¡°Alright, let¡¯s organize the information we have now.¡± Duanmu Huai sat boldly at the table and knocked on it. Although Liam¡¯s house was bombed, Merlot returned to the rubble afterwards and found some of Liam¡¯s test notes and diary¡ªindeed, Liam wasn¡¯t anything good. After all, who keeps diaries as an adult. ording to the diary, initially, Liam wanted to create a docile, cute puppet that would soothe his own existence. Like an otaku wanting to create a robot wife. However, he failed. Instead of the gentle and cute wife he envisioned, he ended up with a crazed, yandere psychopath ¡­ which was a considerable blow to Liam. However, at that time, a man named Iver appeared before Liam, praised Liam¡¯s puppet-making talent, and bestowed him with the power to create puppets at will. In return, Liam gave Gavi to Iver and promised to help him create puppets, which is why he moved to this city. This shows that the creators of Liam and Ogis are entirely different. The Puppeteer Master who created Ogis is more like a scientist, creating a soulful puppet was his research task. However, Liam was more like a tech geek; once he obtained the data, he thought, ¡°Wow, a wife! Fantastic!¡± and thus thirsted to create a wife, but when the result was different from what he wanted, he had an immediate mental breakdown. Those masked assassins were the product of Liam¡¯s creation after obtaining that mysterious power. Perhaps due to his previous failure in creating Gavi, this time Liam chose not to give these masked puppetettes a ¡°heart,¡± and instead let them attack and manipte other souls possessing a ¡°heart,¡± attempting to seize that ¡°heart¡± from them. Furthermore, what was most surprising was the unique characteristics of these masked killer puppetettes. Among them, there was a core one named ¡°Feiya,¡± but this core could not be killed¡ª¡ªor rather, even if she was killed, she would resurrect from another masked puppetette. Well ¡­ it sounded like some horror movie plot? In short, to eliminate these masked puppetette assassins for good, they must all be wiped out. Otherwise, they will never die. Then, the remaining question is ¡­ ¡°What does Iver want these killer puppets for? Who does he intend to kill?¡± After reading the diary, this was what Duanmu Huai cared about the most. After all, if the diary was urate, it meant that this Iver was likely the real mastermind behind everything. So, why did he want Liam to create killer puppets? What did he want to do? He surely did not want to, like OTAKU Liam, manufacture a bunch of figurine puppets as wives, right? At this thought, Duanmu Huai turned to look at Merlot. Noticing Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze, Merlot shook her head gravely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the Archbishop hasn¡¯t shown himself to others in a long time, I don¡¯t know¡­¡­¡± That¡¯s fine, this oue was within expectations. Hearing Merlot¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai shrugged without holding any expectations, then looked at Lorena again. ¡°So, Miss Lorena, is the church still unable to act now?¡± ¡°I..I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡± Lorena seemed on the verge of tears at this moment. ¡°Although I have talked to the Archbishop, but without sufficient evidence¡­ and Archbishop Evile is a core figure of the Mechanical Religion, acting rashly against him would likely trigger even greater chaos, so¡­¡­¡± ¡°Not surprising, I knew it would be like this.¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai was calm. After all, as a yer, most of the quests he encountered were like this: all those forces capable of resolving troubles were as steady as Mount Tai, waiting until thest minute, when the fire reaches them, before jumping up. If the game follows the usual plot, what they could do next would be to track Gavi and the masked woman, wasting time in exhaustion until the final boss sessfully carries out his n, then the church panics, and then¡­¡­ there¡¯s no ¡®then¡¯ after that. The whole city would be turned into soul shards, obviously it will all be over, isn¡¯t it easy to predict? So¡­¡­ ¡°Where is this guy called Evile?¡± ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, Merlot was immediately on guard. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t hide his intentions either. ¡°Nonsense, obviously I am going to confront him and find out directly.¡± Simple, rugged, and straightforward. Beat the grass to startle the snake? It doesn¡¯t exist. Just bomb this ce and the snake problem is solved. From Duanmu Huai¡¯s perspective, this world could only end this way, ording to the ¡°procedure¡±, in the end it would be Evile¡¯s ns being sessful and then the city destroyed, followed by another round simr to the haunted mansion. But he didn¡¯t want to go through it all again. On one hand, it would lower the mission evaluation, on the other hand, he got along quite well with the people in this city and didn¡¯t want to see the tragedy reenacted. ¡°Where is this person Evile?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, Merlot was silent for a moment, then stood up. ¡°Follow me.¡± With Merlot leading, they journeyed through the city to a small ind situated behind the mountain in the city. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Archbishop Evile has been living in seclusion here¡­¡­¡± ¡°Seclusion??¡± Hearing Merlot¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai looked ahead and then turned to look at Merlot. ¡°Are you sure this is called seclusion?¡± It was normal for Duanmu Huai to have such doubts because in the middle of the ind stood a Twin Tower Church. Although it didn¡¯t look as magnificent as the Cathedral Church and the church of the Mechanical Religion in the city, it was bustling with activity. The bridge leading to the center of theke was teeming with cloaked believers ¨C even more than those in the church. ¡°I also don¡¯t know¡­¡­¡± At this point, Merlot was rendered speechless, with a surprised look on her face. Obviously, she also didn¡¯t understand what was happening. ¡°I, I have a bad feeling about this¡­¡­¡± Swallowing her saliva, Lorena murmured in a trembling voice. ¡°This church¡­ gives me a very bad feeling¡­¡± Duanmu Huai raised his head, gazing at the church. After a moment of contemtion, he gestured at the others. ¡°Then, I have a n.¡± Then, Duanmu Huai began to speak. Chapter 72 - 59 Attack the Yellow Dragon_1 Chapter 72: Chapter 59 Attack the Yellow Dragon_1 ¡°¡­Sir Knight, are you really nning on doing this?¡± Lorena was following behind Duanmu Huai, spoke timidly. At this moment, she was adorned in a ck cloak, and so was Ogis next to her. As for Duanmu Huai, he marched on like a bodyguard in front of the two women. Presently, the three of them were blending in with the congregation going to the church, their appearance not attracting any particr attention. Of course, someone was the exception. ¡°What else can we do? Wait until nightfall and then hop the wall?¡± Duanmu Huai snorted lightly, moving towards the front of the church while surveying the congregation around him. The congregants were all bowing their heads, muttering as if in prayer. Their morose attitudes gave the impression of being among the dead. ¡°Is this how your congregation always prays?¡± ¡°No, everyone here is usually sincere and enthusiastic¡­¡± Lorena was equally worried, watching those followers around her. It was clear the ghastly demeanor wasn¡¯t normal. Unexpectedly, there were no guards or priests or nuns in the perimeter around the church. Cloaked followers entered the church¡¯s main entrance and turned into programmed robots each forming a procession toward different destinations. The three hadn¡¯t anticipated this situation and for a moment, they stopped, unsure of where to go. Then, suddenly, a voice sounded from behind them. ¡°Hoo-hoo, you three look very troubled. Would you like to talk about it?¡± They turned to the speaker, a young nun with a smile on her face, was approaching from behind. She tenderly waved at them. She was in a in nun¡¯s robe, wore the ck headdress of a nun. Her pure face was filled with youthful vitality, and she looked like a friendly and lovable nun. ¡°Wee to this fantastical temple! Isn¡¯t this ce dreamily great?¡± While speaking, the nun gestured towards them. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate, allow me, Merlot the temple counselor, to guide you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Staring at the nun in front of him, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows slightly. Her demeanor and speech were no different from a typical nun, yet her voice seemed a bit peculiar. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the environment, but her voice seemed to emanate from all around him, even carrying with it a strangely sweet allure which left him ufortable ¡ª akin to the annoying cos-yer voices that were once a viral sensation online. ¡°We¡¯re just here to have a look.¡± Duanmu Huai stepped forward, putting Ogis and Lorena behind him. ¡°Also, we have some matters we wish to discuss with Mr. Eevier. Can you lead us to him?¡± ¡°Ah, are you referring to Archbishop Evile? Certainly, please follow me.¡± The nun twirled around as if dancing and then headed down the corridor into the depths of the church. Duanmu Huai and the others urgently followed after her. Under the nun¡¯s guidance, they traversed the corridor, and then followed a spiral staircase downwards. However¡­¡­.. ¡°Knight, Sir Knight¡­ I feel a bit unwell¡­¡­¡± Trailing behind Duanmu Huai, Lorena reached out to clutch his cloak, uttering softly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you ill?¡± Hearing Lorena¡¯s whisper, Duanmu Huai also lowered his voice to ask. But Lorena, seeming almost ready to break into tears, just shook her head. ¡°I, I don¡¯t know, the aura here¡­ It¡¯s terrifying¡­ It makes me a bit ufortable¡­ And it seems really cold¡­.¡± ¡°Cold?¡± Hearing that, Duanmu Huai blinked. He looked at the data disyed on his helmet¡¯s scanner. The temperature was within normal range, and would not have exceeded what a human could endure. But Lorena really did look ghastly pale, her lips appearing bluish, and she was even shivering a bit as she gripped her own arm. Could she be prone to cold? ¡°Do you want toe in?¡± Duanmu Huai contemted for a moment, then parted his cloak. Lorena hastily nodded and hopped beneath the cloak. Ogis, after a moment of silence, also eased open Duanmu Huai¡¯s cloak and slipped in. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing here? After all, this church was built through the painstaking efforts of the Archbishop¡­¡± The nun leading the way seemed oblivious of the movement behind her, and continued with her introduction with enthusiasm. However, Duanmu Huai was on high alert. He could sense that he was led deep into the temple. Normally, there would be no need for a church to dig such a level deep underground. Well, under normal circumstances. But if they wanted to stir up trouble, it would be another story. Furthermore, even Duanmu Huai could sense changes in the surroundings. Although the torches on both walls remained bright, an inexplicable cold wind kept sweeping across this dark space. The torch mes shivered in the wind and the shadows around were also beginning to distort and sway ¨C as if they were alive. ¡°Here we are.¡± Finally, the nun stopped in front of arge bronze door. She extended her arm to push open the tightly-shut door and gestured with an inviting hand towards Duanmu Huai and his gang. Duanmu Huai nced at her, then walked in with Ogis and Lorena. ¡°Thud!¡± The heavy door closed behind the three, and then, the nun¡¯s voice echoed once again. ¡°Archbishop Eevier, your guests have been brought over,¡± she mentioned. ¡°Thank you, Merlot.¡± What stood before Duanmu Huai and the rest was a round and spacious hall, but, dissimr to the Temple Church Duanmu Huai had seen earlier, the walls of this ce were lined with gruesome statues that didn¡¯t seem to have any connection with deities. However, this fell within Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectations. Wee to my temple, lostmbs.¡± Standing in front of Duanmu Huai was a middle-aged man with neatlybed hair, dressed in white priest¡¯s robes, a small goatee framed his face. He weed Duanmu Huai, Ogis, and Lorena with a polite smile. ¡°I am Archbishop Eevier. What brings you here?¡± he asked. When questioned by Eevier, Duanmu Huai shrugged. ¡°Honestly, by this point, I think following the usual procedure is meaningless. But out of respect for the plot progression, I guess I¡¯ll ask the obvious question¡ª why did you create all those murderous puppets to kill people in the Holy City?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Seriously, we¡¯re this far along, and pretending to be oblivious now would just be insulting our intelligence, sir.¡± Duanmu Huai silently tightened his grip on his War Hammer. ¡°Since you invited us here, I suppose¡­ we don¡¯t need to waste more time.¡± ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Eevier nodded and snapped his fingers. Almost instantly, masked female puppets appeared from the shadows, surrounding the trio from all sides. ¡°Either way, it ends here. And I have no need to exin to the dead.¡± Heh, the boss isn¡¯t ying by the rules. Hearing this, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. Isn¡¯t it in the script for viins to reveal their n at this very point? And now you¡¯re keeping silent? Was this trip for nothing? You¡¯recking integrity as a boss! Well, then, since you¡¯re ying hardball, don¡¯t me me for doing the same. Duanmu Huai tightened his grip and pressed the button. ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± The entire temple quaked with the ear-splitting noise of an explosion. The sudden sound made Eevier¡¯s expression flicker. He stared at Duanmu Huai. ¡°What have you done?!¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d tell you? Attack!¡± Before his words could fully drop, Duanmu Huai wielded his War Hammer and charged toward Eevier. Simultaneously, he pped his cloak, and hundreds of puppets appeared out of nowhere, rushing toward the Masked Girl Legion. ¡°Tsk¡­Gavi!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai charging at him, Eevier¡¯s expression changed, and at his call, Gavi suddenly leapt out from the shadows, manipting her giant puppet to pounce on Duanmu Huai. But Ogis and her Guardian Puppet quickly appeared, blocking Gavi¡¯s path. In truth, this was all part of Duanmu Huai¡¯s predetermined n. As soon as he detected something was off, Duanmu Huai would trigger the explosives set up around the ind. This wasn¡¯t meant to destroy the church, but to send a signal to Merlot. Upon receiving Duanmu Huai¡¯s signal, Merlot would rush back to the temple under the pretense of ¡°helping to put out the fire.¡± Duanmu Huai was confident they would respond. After all, he did set a real fire, and if the Temple Church didn¡¯t send help, the entire city would be at risk. Plus, he wasn¡¯t fighting alone. Apart from Ogis and Lorena, Duanmu Huai could summon the Creaturess series and puppets for reinforcements. And currently, they weren¡¯t in the main material world but within the fragments of subspace. Hence, they didn¡¯t have to worry about overheating from spiritual energy, and Duanmu Huai could summon all the creaturess at once to maximize the output of spiritual energy. Want to win by numbers? I ain¡¯t scared! As for Eevier, he clearly had not expected Duanmu Huai¡¯s y. He initially believed he had the home advantage and his forces would be more than enough to suppress the three intruders. But, what exactly was happening?! Eevier looked at the unfolding scene, unable toprehend. The temple was filled with an army of puppets, and above them, countless bizarre objects flew around, periodically emitting rays of light, aiding the puppets causing destruction all around, making a mess of his precious temple. In the face of the densely packed puppet army, Eevier¡¯s prized Masked Female Puppet Army was rendered useless. These specially modified masked female puppets, gifted in stealth and assassination, were no longer their usual selves. When Duanmu Huai filled the hall of the temple with summoned puppets, theirs was no ce to hide or stealth in such tight space. What¡¯s the use of stealth and hiding now? ¡°You¡­damn bastard!¡± Just then, the puppet army in front of Eevier suddenly parted, and Duanmu Huai flew out from the gap, his War Hammer raised high, and shouted as he smashed down. ¡°You bloody bastard!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai, a furious Eevier yelled, and with it, a giant metallic hand materialized behind him, reaching out to grab Duanmu Huai! Chapter 73 - 60: Truth_1 Chapter 73: Chapter 60: Truth_1 At this moment, the Underground Temple was in a state of utter chaos. Duanmu Huai and his Puppet Army were fighting fiercely against Iver and his minions, resulting in aplete mess. As for Iver, he had absolutely no clue that things would spiral out of control like this. He had originally nned toy a trap, but in the end, he had allowed a wolf into his home. However, for Duanmu Huai, everything was going ording to n! Although the BOSS was not stupid enough to reveal his true intentions before the fight, for Duanmu Huai, it didn¡¯t matter. The evidence was clear, and no one needed your confession. He didn¡¯t care about your Miranda rights, you can remain silent, but he still has the right to throw you in jail! By the way, Lorena had, as nned, smashed through the main gate and broken out with the Mechanical Soldiers summoned by Duanmu Huai to meet the Temple Reinforcements at the same time as the battle started. When their people arrive, Duanmu Huai would need no exnations. Rather, Iver would need to exin why he had built a temple worshiping the Evil God here¡­ And the reason? Who cares! Just fight! Do you think I¡¯ll stop fighting just because you¡¯ve woven a heart-wrenching story? Not a chance! For the Judge, motivation doesn¡¯t matter, only results do. As a result, hopes of telling your sad backstory to try and gain sympathy are unfounded. The crimes of undercover killings and construction of the Evil God Temple you¡¯vemitted are enough to sentence you to a burning stake! ¡°You damned bastard!¡± Iver, now in a state of disarray, found it difficult to fend off attacks. The enormous metal palm that appeared behind him helped Iver block the attacks from Duanmu Huai and the Mechanical Soldiers time and again. However, seeing Lorena breaking out through the smashed gate, his face turned white with rage. Duanmu Huai urately seized his weakness, that is ¨C whatever Iver nned to do, he certainly needed to remain hidden for now! Once discovered by the church, he¡¯d be doomed! ording to logic, such a thing would normally be impossible. After all, Iver was the Archbishop of the church¡¯s machinery, and he had even won the trust of the church with his own abilities, subtly seizing part of the church¡¯s power. Under these circumstances, Iver did not believe he could lose. Even if someone suspected what he was up to, they would never actually storm in like this¡­ What a joke! What the hell was wrong with this man?! At this moment, Iver was about to go crazy. Their enemy had summoned wave after wave of Mechanical Soldiers and Puppets. Although he didn¡¯t know how it was achieved, Iver did not have enough manpower to resist. If it had been in the city or some wilderness, he could perhaps have escaped in the chaos. But the situation now waspletely different. Originally, he had deliberately lured them into this enclosed Underground Temple to prevent Duanmu Huai and others from escaping, but now, he had trapped himself in! In such an enclosed space, enough quantity was sufficient to ovee all quality advantages. Iver found himself in exactly such a situation. Under the all-epassing attack of the puppets, he could not effectively fight back. With every blow of his metallic palm, dozens of puppets would be shattered easily, but the puppets that immediately followed filled the gap and continued the attack on Iver. ¡°Damn¡­ Damn it¡­ Gavi! Help me!¡± The Masked Girl Legion was no longer of any use. At this moment, Iver could only hope that Gavi could give him a hand, but Gavi herself was also knee-deep in a hard fight. Although she had strong AOE clearance ability, Ogis had locked onto this, so Gavi had no chance to help her master. Not only that¡­ ¡°Sir Knight, we¡¯re back!!¡± Upon hearing this icy voice, Iver¡¯s heart sank. He looked towards the gate and saw Lorena leading the Sacred Knights rushing in. Seeing this, Iver felt his heart sinking into a void. Grudgingly, the church in this city was quite efficient, not like in many games where they only arrived for mop-up work after the protagonist had defeated the BOSS. With the help of the church reinforcements summoned by Lorena, Duanmu Huai sessfully defeated Iver ¨C although his Mech Suit ability was strong, he couldn¡¯t handle all the opponents alone. The church was not bound by any gentleman¡¯s agreement and so the Sacred Knights rushed in ¨C at this point, Iver¡¯s only option was to surrender. Gavi was not in a better situation either. Her Puppet was destroyed by Ogis and she herself was bound and hung in mid-air by Ogis¡¯ silk threads. However, unlike Iver, who was dispirited, she was grinding her teeth, ring like a rabid dog ready to bite at any prey that darede near her. ¡°Sir Knight!¡± As the church¡¯s reinforcements held Iver down and captured him, Lorena excitedly ran over. Behind her, was Merlot. ¡°Yo, you guys have worked hard, everything went well, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, things were rather smooth. Thanks to Miss Merlot. If not for her rushing to inform the church, we would not know what might have happened.¡± While saying this, Lorena looked at Merlot, who shook her head slightly. ¡°It was nothing, it¡¯s my duty as a Priest.¡± As she said this, Merlot, with a look of sorrow in her eyes, looked around at the devil statues in the Underground Temple ¡°I did not expect Archbishop Iver to worship the devil¡­¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, it was quite shocking, but fortunately¡­ Everything is over now.¡± Lorena nodded, surveyed her surroundings, and muttered quietly. However¡­ ¡°No, it¡¯s not over yet.¡± Duanmu Huai was staring at the system in front of his eyes, where the task list still hung above. [Special mission ¡°Chasing the Culprit¡±] [Mission objective: Find the real culprit behind a series of events] [You are embroiled in a mysterious murder case, find out who the real culprit is, and uncover the truth] The real culprit. Although Liam made Gavi, he was not the real culprit. He was just deceived and used by Archbishop Evile. So, is Archbishop Evile the culprit? Indeed, no matter how one looks at it, he seems like the real culprit. He used Liam to get Gavi and the Masked Female Puppet Army, and carried out mass killings in the city under the cover of night. He also built a temple for the devil and worshipped evil beings. But in the system¡¯s determination, the real culprit was still not him. So, there was only one answer left. Thinking about this, Duanmu Huai took a step forward, came to Archbishop Evile who was arrested by the Sacred Knights, grabbed his cor and yanked him up. ¡°Wait, what are you going to do?¡± Looking at Duanmu Huai¡¯s actions, the Sacred Knights around were also taken aback, but Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care about them at all, he just stared at Archbishop Evile. ¡°Who told you to do all this?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Killing in the Holy City, building a temple for the Evil God, who told you to do all this! What exactly is the thing you worship?!¡± As a judge, Duanmu Huai was familiar with the habits of Evil God Cultists, these idiots who had lost their minds would hold sacrilegious ceremonies, generally for two possibilities. One is the ¡°Daddy look how awesome and powerful I am, praise me¡± reward-seeking mode. This is also the motive for most Evil God Cultists to hold ceremonies, longing to gain the favor of the gods they worship through these stupid acts, so as to gain strength and rewards. These kinds of ceremonies aremon and disgusting, but generally, unless it reaches a certain stage, it won¡¯t cause too much disaster. But the other one ispletely different. That is¡­ the ¡°your superiors have given you a mission, you mustplete it¡± work mode. Since Archbishop Evile was not a ¡°mommy loves me more¡± mommy¡¯s boy cultist, then there was only one answer. He was here to cause trouble on themand of the Evil God! Therefore, of course, the real culprit was not him! However, Archbishop Evile did not answer Duanmu Huai¡¯s question¡ª¡ªhe could no longer answer anyone¡¯s questions. ¡°Pfft.¡± A huge metal palm suddenly appeared from the shadow of Archbishop Evile, the fingers like ance pierced through his chest, and at the same time, a sweet giggle sounded. ¡°Huhuhu, I didn¡¯t expect that you could get this far, it seems that Archbishop Evile is nothing more¡­¡± Duanmu Huai and the Sacred Knights looked up at the source of the sound. There was a petite figure floating not far above the temple¡ª¡ªit was nobody else but the nun who had led Duanmu Huai and others into the temple earlier. However, her appearance now waspletely different from the innocent and lovely look she had before. A pair of bright red curved small horns were evident on her forehead, and what she was wearing was no longer the simple nun¡¯s clothes from before, but a tight mini-dress like a nightclub girl, a red tail swayed behind her, apanied by bat-like wings, revealing the nun¡¯s true identity. ¡°De¡­ Devil?!¡± Seeing this, Lorena eximed in surprise, while the nun giggled and raised both hands. ¡°That¡¯s right, there are no gods in this temple! In order to turn the human world into a cruel and dark fantasy world, we will invite the Lord from the Ice Hell Abyss!¡± ¡°Attack!!¡± The Sacred Knights at this moment also came to their senses, hastily raising their bows and arrows andunched an attack at the Devil Nun floating in the air, but their arrows didn¡¯t hit the target, instead, they went straight through the nun¡¯s body, then she floated back like a ghost and quietly disappeared into the wall. ¡°Although you moved quickly, unfortunately¡­ it¡¯s toote. The blood and souls of the innocents have filled this city, and the Lord of the Ice Hell is about to awaken!¡± As the nun¡¯s words fell, the next moment, the whole temple violently shook! Chapter 74 - 61: Blocking the Door_1 Chapter 74: Chapter 61: Blocking the Door_1 When Duanmu Huai and his group rushed to leave the temple, everything before their eyes hadpletely transformed. Shortly after they left, the temple was suddenly enveloped by strong, dark, and deep red energy. It no longer retained its original form; on both sides of the twin towers, under the glow of zing red mes, were agonizingly twisted giant faces. Above the church, countless pitch-ck crows let out ear-splitting screams, swirling ceaselessly in the air. What¡¯s more, the cidke that once encircled the church was now frozen, resembling a field of rugged icicles. The once lush trees and grasnd were now shriveled and barren. ¡°How can this be¡­!¡± Lorena¡¯s face fell as she registered this sight. ¡°Cut to the chase. What¡¯s happening now?¡± Duanmu Huai cast a nce at the temple behind him and asked in a low voice. Lorena, trembling, responded. ¡°They¡­ they¡¯ve opened the gateway to Hell! They aim to link this ce with Hell, to summon the Ice Hell King!!¡± ¡°So, have they seeded? Or have they failed?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they certainly didn¡¯t fail. I can feel the aura of Hell spreading¡­ we must report this to the Archbishop immediately!¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t see anything like this in the underground temple, did we?¡± Duanmu Huai was sure if he had seen anything of this sort in the underground temple, he¡¯d have smashed it to pieces with his war hammer on the spot. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but perhaps the underground temple itself was just a trap, the core is likely somewhere more concealed¡­.¡± ¡°What a nuisance¡­¡± Duanmu Huai scratched his head before once again observing the system before him. The task had already changed. [Special Task ¡°Chase the Culprit¡±pleted] [You have found the hidden puppeteer behind everything, but this is just the beginning. Defeat the puppeteer¡¯s scheme and forever seal his ambitions and malevolence!] [Special Task ¡°Extinction Day¡± activated] [Task Objective: Find a solution, close the portal, protect the safety of the Holy City] ¡°Nothing we can do about it now!¡± Reading the system prompt, Duanmu Huai once again gripped his war hammer and headed back towards the temple. ¡°Sir Knight? What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m off to close the portal! It¡¯s only just opened, right? I should shut it down before anything more troublesome happens!¡± Should he actually stand by like in the game¡¯s cutscenes, watching the boss emerge from the open door before the fight begins? If you could simply keep the door sealed before it opens, wouldn¡¯t that prevent so much trouble? Duanmu Huai was now sure that the holy city was destroyed because Iver opened the portal to hell, summoning the Ice Hell King, which led to this city¡¯s downfall. Yet, back then, he was fully prepared; presently, as Iver had perished, the ritual was likely iplete. Even though the nun had initiated the ritual, it most likely had ws. Isn¡¯t now the perfect opportunity to find the portal and destroy it, instead of standing idle outside, waiting for the boss battle? Experience points are not awarded for bosses within soul shards either! ¡°Ogis, let¡¯s go!!¡± Duanmu Huai called out to Ogis and ran back into the temple. Lorena watched their figures recede, clenched her teeth, and then turned to Merlot standing beside her. ¡°Miss Merlot, I must trouble you to notify the Archbishop, I¡¯m worried for Sir Knight, I will go with him!¡± After saying these words, Lorena, following Duanmu Huai and Ogis, re-entered the temple. The temple now hadpletely transformed, the walls were filled with wicked, sphemous statues and patterns that seemed to mock the world. The floor was littered with the corpses of the followers, whose bodies at closer look were emaciated, skin and bones, as if the flesh within their bodies was sucked clean. ¡°Sir Knight, how do you n to find it?¡± Upon entering the temple and witnessing the sight, Lorena let out a gasp of cold air, then eagerly questioned. Duanmu Huai contemted slightly upon hearing her question. ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡­uh¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Lorena furrowed her brows, thinking hard. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not very knowledgeable about this¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s just blow up this temple!¡± Seeing that even Lorena had no viable solutions, Duanmu Huai made a decisive decision, which took Lorena by surprise. ¡°Blow? Blow it up?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­if we can¡¯t find it, let¡¯s just blow it up. I¡¯d like to see what tricks they can pull off then.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai retrieved several grenades from his power armor¡¯s belt. As a closebat specialist Judge, he did not possess many explosives. These grenades were what he initially carried. Duanmu Huai could have produced firearms by constructing the Void Barrack, but he just wasn¡¯t interested, so let it be. However, even a few grenades, if ced correctly, could have enough potency to knock down the temple. Why else would Duanmu Huai have not used them for so long? Chapter 75 - 61 Blocking the Door_2 Chapter 75: Chapter 61 Blocking the Door_2 What a shame that Night Raven ck Star couldn¡¯t be brought along, otherwise, wouldn¡¯t a divinely ordained bombing right at this spot be more dependable? After securing the grenade, Duanmu Huai quickly took aim at a load-bearing pir in the center of the temple. However, just as he was about to go over and fit the grenade into ce, a voice suddenly rang out. ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that, Steel Knight.¡± Upon hearing these words, Duanmu Huai and the others hurriedly looked up, only to see the Devil Nun floating in the air, cheerfully holding a magic wand set with a bright red gem. ¡°This is to be where the great Ice Hell King descends. I wouldn¡¯t want him to arrive in such a disheveled state.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not up to you!¡± No sooner had his words fallen, Duanmu Huai raised his left hand and quickly, a burst of light erupted. The nun elegantly spun her body and avoided the explosion in the air. ¡°Ogis!¡± At the same time, Ogis leapt up towards the nun. Opening her hands, the invisible threads crisscrossed as they shot forward. Quickly, they weaved arge from all directions, wrapping the nun within it like a fish trapped in a fishing. Then, with a forceful pull from Ogis, the threads crisscrossed in the next moment ¨C yet, they didn¡¯t inflict even the slightest injury on the nun. ¡°Oh my, how terrifying!¡± The nun, floating in the void, watched this scene with aughing expression, her face showing a fake fright. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai clicked his tongue secretly. This nun was clearly not a normal being. Although he didn¡¯t know what race she belonged to, it was clear that mere physical attacks had no effect on her. However, now, all Duanmu Huai and his crew had were physical attacks ¨C even Lorena, who was a priest, followed a physicalbat style. In this situation, defeating the nun¡¯s tricks was basically impossible. But who wants to beat your tricks! The more you don¡¯t want me to do something, the more I¡¯m going to do it. Watch me blow up your damn temple, dare you bite me huh!! In the blink of an eye, Duanmu Huai made his decision. He leapt towards the pir, wielding his War Hammer, striking the load-bearing pir relentlessly! ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!!¡± Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s assault, visible cracks started to appear on the pir, and this rmed the floating nun who lost her previous nonchnce. A sudden change in color drained from her face and she swiftly raised her Magic Wand. ¡°You are not allowed to wreak havoc here!¡± Apanying the nun¡¯s words, in the next moment, the shriveled corpses on the ground began to rise one by one. Their hollow eye sockets glowing red, they extended their arms and charged towards Duanmu Huai with furious roars. ¡°Block them, Ogis, Lorena!¡± Without needing Duanmu Huai to speak more, Ogis and Lorena sprung into action. Ogis swung her hands and the invisible threads transformed into des, cutting dozens of corpses into pieces. On the other side, Lorena, holding the Holy Canon, mercilessly smashed the charging Undying spirits, causing their heads to burst open. ¡°Boom!!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s War Hammer mmed into the load-bearing pir once again with such a force that even the temple¡¯s ceiling couldn¡¯t help but tremble. Following that, Duanmu Huai quickly reached for the ready grenade, stuffing it into the break he had made. ¡°You bastard, you can¡¯t do this!!!¡± Seeing this, the nun finally couldn¡¯t hold back. She raised her Magic Wand, taking aim at Duanmu Huai. But just at this moment¡­ ¡°Crash!!¡± Suddenly, the ss shattered, and following it was Gavi, her eyes bloodshot, teeth bared and ws out, as she pounced towards the nun. ¡°You actually dared to kill the master! You dared to kill the master!!!¡± ¡°You useless puppet actually dares to stir up trouble!¡± The nun had not expected Gavi to cause trouble at this time, took a step back in fury. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai hugged Ogis and Lorena and forced them down. Duanmu Huai also bent down. Suddenly, a ray of light burst forth. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Boom!¡± The sound of rolling thunder erupted instantly. The enormous load-bearing column at the center of the temple shattered under the impact. The force continued, causing the marble flooring to ripple like waves. The tall skylight instantly exploded, shards of ss sprinkled down, mixing with dust and debris on the ground. Then the temple began to copse. The towering spires fell like delicate biscuits,nding heavily on the roof of the temple, creating arge hole. The once exquisite and luxurious building now resembled a model roughly handled by a reckless child, beginning to fall apart. The beautiful decorations and exterior wall copsed dramatically, triggering a chain reaction that plunged the entire temple into a state of copse. After some time, as the tremors gradually subsided, heavy ceiling debris several meters thick was pushed aside. Duanmu Huai then stood up, while underneath him were a dust-covered Ogis and Lorena. ¡°Hmm, this looks far morefortable.¡± Duanmu Huai lifted his head, satisfied looking at the ruined temple appearing as though it had been bombed. Unfortunately, only the central part had fully copsed, the towers on either side were still somewhat intact. Even so, Duanmu Huai knew that his actions had certain effects. At least the crimson aura that was prominent before had now dimmed significantly. ¡°You¡­you actually dared to do this¡­¡­¡± The nun¡¯s voice echoed again. But this time her voice was not as artificial as before; instead, it was filled with rage and resentment, reminiscent of the hiss of a viper. Duanmu Huai turned towards the source of the voice, only to see the nun still hovering in the air in a pitiful condition ¨C clearly, she hadn¡¯t managed to escape the explosion. ¡°So what? You got the guts to bite me?¡± Duanmu Huai raised his finger at the nun and gripped his war hammer tighter. The nun¡¯s eyes bulged with rage as she red at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can stop the Ice Hell King like this! If so, I¡¯ll use your blood toplete the ceremony!!¡± As she roared, the nun raised her magic wand. However, at that moment¡­ ¡°¡ª!¡± Suddenly, a sparkling starlight shot across the sky, directly shattering the magic wand in the nun¡¯s hand. This unexpected event surprised everyone. They hurriedly turned to look and saw a small angel with wings, hovering in the sky, staring down at the battlefield. ¡°You winged bastard ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Seeing the angel before her, the nun¡¯s face contorted with anger. At the same time, her body began to transform. Her delicate silhouette withered into anky form, huge ck devil¡¯s wings sprouted from her back, her legs grew sharp bone spurs, and her hands changed into massive gauntlets. ¡°Wow¡­ is it her ultimate transformation?¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huaimented with a sigh. However, the arriving angel remained unfazed in the face of the nun¡¯s transformation. ¡°This is not the world you belong to, leave here, and nevere back.¡± While saying this, the angel slowly raised her hands, aiming. As she did so, several orbs flew out forming a rotating circle in front of her, locking onto the nun. The next moment, countless light arrows rained down from the sky,pletely engulfing the nun in a surge of light. Chapter 76 - 62: Blood Profit_1 Chapter 76: Chapter 62: Blood Profit_1 With that, the cmity that had once swept all over the city came to a conclusion, alongside the eradication of the puppet master behind the scenes. However¡­ Angels and Demons, huh¡­ Recalling the angel he had encountered previously, Duanmu Huai felt somewhat contemtive. This issue was linked to a part of history that had been shrouded in secrets. During the ck Hole project in the past, multiple disputes regarding Subspace and its Evil God were initiated, leading finally to the decision of initiating the ¡°God Creating¡± n during the second phase of the ck Hole project. The central objective of this initiative was quite simple. If Subspace couldn¡¯t bepletely destroyed, and the Evil God couldn¡¯t be exterminated, then they might as well utilise the unique characteristics of faith to create deities that could protect humanity. In essence, use the Subspace god to deal with the Subspace gods. Put simply, if a is taken as an example, the four Chaos Evil Gods of Subspace could be likened to four superpowers ruling the, controlling everything on the with an iron fist, leaving no room whatsoever for other forces to breathe. The ck Hole project was equivalent to obliterating the entire, effectively dissolving the powers of the four Evil Gods. The ¡°God Creating¡± n treated the barren as a territory to establish a regime in, while the four Evil Gods were still attempting to regain their full strength. The n aimed to create a force capable of opposing the Evil Gods. Naturally, the n was not fail-proof. But no matter, if the n did fail, they just had to start over again, repeat the obliteration process until the n was deemed sessful. Given the current circumstances, seems like a part of the n had seeded, with many civilizations and forces ¡°creating¡± their own Guardian God and faith system, riding on the wave of this opportunity. However, the powers of these Indigenous Gods were still too weak. As a result, they ended up either being consumed by the four gods as a mid-day snack, or hiding away in an unknown location¡ªSubspace was infinite, after all. Hiding away would never be an issue. Whereas a cataclysmic war did not transpire, this was what Duanmu Huai had desired. Why else would he gamble with his life and get involved if all he got in return was a final boss to deal with? Of course, Duanmu Huai¡¯s sacrifices were not in vain. Archbishop Le of the Cathedral Church knighted him as a Sacred Knight and dered him a hero of the city for eternity. He was conferred a multitude of titles and honors, along with quite a few material rewards. However, as far as the church was concerned, matters had not settled yet. Since Iver was a disciple of the Ice Hell King, the mechanical religion created by him naturally became a huge problem. During the time Duanmu Huai and others attacked the temple of the Evil Gods, the believers of the mechanical religion did not retaliate, oblivious to the predicament. Even so, interrogation and investigation within the church were essential procedures. However, these no longer involved Duanmu Huai. Now that the matters here had concluded, the next step for Duanmu Huai was to pass through this world fragment and the Chaos Warrior camp, followed by acquiring the Crown of Witchcraft. Just as Duanmu Huai was exiting the church, an unexpected individual appeared before him. ¡°You¡¯ve done well, Knight.¡± Standing before Duanmu Huai was the very angel who had eliminated the demonic nun. This was the first time Duanmu Huai hade face to face with her. From the looks of her, she appeared as an ordinary adorable girl. Apart from the pair of white wings, she did not seem to differ much from human beings. Her short brown hair and the azure eyes reminded one of the sky. Covered in a short-sleevedce dress, she appeared quite adorable. ¡°I simply fulfilled my duty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± The angelic young girl shook her head. She walked towards Duanmu Huai, extending her hand to take his as she gazed at him. ¡°We have always been watching over this ce, observing this cycle of boundless misery. And now, you¡¯ve finally put an end to it all. Please allow me to express my sincere gratitude.¡± The voice of the angelic girl was like a clear spring in the mountains, pleasant on the ears and full of spirit. Despite understanding what she meant, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyebrows twitched at her words¡ª If it had been anyone else, they might not have grasped the angel girl¡¯s speech, but he instantly understood what she was hinting at. Apparently, the city had been destroyed by the Ice Hell King in the real world, and the god who was worshipped here presumably lost as well, hiding in some Subspace corner, barely scraping by. However, due to the connection of faith, they discovered this Soul Fragment World situated inside Subspace. However¡­¡­ ¡°If you had known all this before, why didn¡¯t you resolve it?¡± Gazing at the angelic girl, Duanmu Huai put forward his own question. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s skepticism, the angelic girl shook her head. ¡°We couldn¡¯t do it. This world was trapped in a cycle of nightmares, excessively fragile. If we were to interfere rashly, it could lead to the copse of the entire world. Your involvement caused a divergence from the river of destiny, permitting us to intervene.¡± Upon saying this, the angelic girl lowered her gaze. ¡°We will remember this favor¡­.¡± Leaving behind these words, the angelic girl turned to leave. Watching her receding silhouette, Duanmu Huai shrugged and proceeded to ess the system. The missionpletion notification of the system appeared before Duanmu Huai. [Special Task ¡°Extinction Day¡± Completed] [Task Evaluation: Outstanding Performance!] [Task Rewards: Gained a special skill ¡°Sacred Knight¡¯s Summon¡± (Consumes 3 graveyard cards to summon ¡®Sacred Knights¡¯ to the battlefield, all Servants get a +2/+0 ¡®Rush¡¯ effect during the battle)] [Your reputation in the Soul Fragment ¡°Holy City¡± has reached ¡®Great Respect¡¯] [Your reputation in the Soul Fragment ¡°Heaven¡± has reached ¡®Esteemed¡¯] ¡°[Permanently obtained the World Soul Shard ¡®Holy City¡¯]¡± Excellent! Seeing it, Duanmu Huai excitedly clenched his fists. The greatest reward of this mission would certainly be the World Soul Shard! As mentioned before, soul shards are projections within subspace that show events from a certain ce that have not necessarily disappeared. Nearly every soul shard is ownerless. Essentially, therefore, whoever discovers a soul shard is effectively its master. The mission prompts this time were both World Soul Shards, ¡®Holy City¡¯ and ¡®Heaven¡¯. However, ording to Duanmu Huai¡¯s estimation, ¡®Heaven¡¯ is likely the ce where the angelic girl had previously been, a ce that had previously been unable to establish contact with ¡®Holy City¡¯. Now that it has been able to connect with ¡®Holy City¡¯ through Duanmu Huai, this means that in the future Duanmu Huai canmunicate with the angels situated in ¡®Heaven¡¯ through this link, and even summon a host of angels to battle. Well, this is way better than summoning things like resentful spirits or ghosts. World shards can be divided into twopletely different types. One are the purely functional shards, like the ¡®Puppet Room¡¯, ¡®Ghost Mansion¡¯, and ¡®Sky City¡¯ that Duanmu Huai had previously obtained. They are more like factories. The ¡®Puppet Room¡¯ can produce puppets. The ¡®Ghost Mansion¡¯ can turn destroyed units into resentful spirits. Then ¡®Sky City¡¯ can produce creatures and a series of mechanical soldiers. These are all fixed soul cards. World Soul Shards, however, arepletely different. They represent aplete region, such as the ¡®Holy City¡¯ where Duanmu Huai is currently located. It includes not only the entire city, but also the farms and forests outside the city. It¡¯s almost equivalent to a perfect, self-sufficient region shard. More importantly, once a Soul Walker obtains a World Shard, they can freely traverse within it, and they could even convert everything inside the shard into soul cards to summon. For example¡­ Duanmu Huai stretched out his hand, and soon, a soul card appeared in his hand. ¡°Missionary Priest. Lorena (Gold)¡± ¡°Cost: 3¡± ¡°Attack: 4¡± ¡°Defense: 5¡± ¡°Lorena¡¯s Holy Water (Cost 1): Restores two points of life value to a unit, draws a card¡± ¡°Lorena¡¯s Iron Fist (Cost 2): Deals an attack equal to the ¡®highest attack power among the servants on own battlefield¡¯ to an opponent¡¯s servant¡± With this card, Duanmu Huai can bring Lorena out of the Holy City and summon her to the Major Material World to fight by his side. However¡­¡­ ¡°Damn, that¡¯s rather overpowered¡­¡± Seeing the effect of ¡°Lorena¡¯s Iron Fist¡±, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eye twitched. No wonder that girl, who appeared to be gentle and soft, turned out to be so strong. The highest attacking servant in his own ranks is Ogis, so does that mean Lorena¡¯s punch is equal to Ogis¡¯s attack power? In addition to that, the special ability he gained this time, ¡®Sacred Knight¡¯s Summon¡¯, also very much appealed to Duanmu Huai. This move can summon the heroic spirit of the Sacred Knights by reducing the card count in the graveyard, and it can also give all servants on the field +2 attack. This means that Duanmu Huai can have a strong army offensive in a short amount of time! After all, though Duanmu Huai could previously use the Puppet Room card, the puppets were too weak to attack. They could only take advantage of the situation like before in the Temple. But not anymore! Duanmu Huai even envisioned how to use these cards. Firstly, summon the zero-cost ¡®Puppet¡¯ to fill the battlefield, then initiate an attack. After the puppets are all dead, activate the ¡®Sacred Knight¡¯s Summon¡¯, consuming graveyard cards to summon ¡®Sacred Knights¡¯, and thenunch an attack once more. If the Sacred Knights die too, he could even activate the ¡®Ghost Mansion¡¯ to summon resentful spirits the moment the ¡®Sacred Knights¡¯ are destroyed, andunch a third wave of attack! Combined with the +2 attack effect under the ¡®Sacred Knight¡¯s Summon¡¯ skill, it¡¯s enough to sweep the majority of armies on this continent! More importantly, this is almost at zero cost! Thinking of it, Duanmu Huai felt like the sun had burst out from the clouds, the rain had stopped, and he was in high spirits. This mission¡­ it pays off big time! Chapter 77 - 63: The Next Plan_1 Chapter 77: Chapter 63: The Next n_1 The journey to the Fragmented World had brought Duanmu Huai many benefits, but it had also revealed his greatest weakness. Right now, Duanmu Huai¡¯s team consisted of an MT (himself), DPS (Ogis), and Lorena (Healer + DPS), so¡­what was missing? A Magician. If initially, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t particrly want a Magician, his need for one now was extremely urgent. After all, although Duanmu Huai was a Psychic, he specialized in summoning. One could say that apart from Soul Cards, Duanmu Huai knew absolutely nothing about supernatural abilities like magic. Therefore, he was in desperate need of a Magic Assistant who had dipped into and understood psychic magic. In this respect, Ogis and Lorena were just the same- each specializing in attack and disying absolute unfamiliarity with magic. Duanmu Huai had originally hoped to find a Magician in the Holy City, but regrettably, ording to Lorena, there were almost no Magicians in the Holy City¡­ Though there were jobs like Mages in the Major Material World, Duanmu Huai dared not employ them ¡ª he didn¡¯t want hispanions to suddenly turn into heretics corrupted by demons. So it was best to find a Mage from a Soul Shard, on the one hand, they also had powerful magic, and under the protection of the Soul Shard, they wouldn¡¯t get corrupted by demons. The next question was¡­where to find one. At this time, Lorena did indeed provide Duanmu Huai with a clue; she had heard of a Magic Nation in the north called Manaria. She had heard that this country¡¯s Magic Civilization was highly developed and that it even had a specialized Manaria Magic Academy. If you could find a reliable Magician anywhere, this would be the prime choice. Nevertheless, there were no records of Manaria in the Holy City, so Duanmu Huai had only one choice¡­to return once more to the Empire¡­for clues. By the way, the Crown of Witchcraft was stolen by Duanmu Huai from the treasure vault and used to increase the analysis speed of the Tribunal Library by 10%. Also, by the way, the treasure chamber in the ruins, which the Chaos warriors guard like a precious treasure during the Holy City era, was a big bathhouse ¡ª fortunately, not a women¡¯s bath. Basically, Duanmu Huai walked into the bathhouse, then returned to the main world, and then saw a pile of treasure under the goddess statue in the middle of the bathhouse, along with the Crown of Witchcraft. Duanmu Huai simply took the Crown of Witchcraft and then opened the door back to the Holy City and had a bath before leaving. However, the present Empire was not a good ce either. ording to the refugees found by Duanmu Huai, perhaps because they were fed up with the Ratmen and devotees of the gue God wreaking havoc on theirnd, the Three Emperors finally decided to temporarily put aside their old grievances and unite to deal with the Ratman Army and Evil God Cultists. Under their maintenance, the situation in the Empire¡¯s territory has somewhat stabilized for the time being. By the way, there was also an incident rted to the City of Silver ¡ª when Duanmu Huai took Elisa and her mother and ran away, leaving the territory to fall into the hands of the Evil God Cultists. The remaining two princes seemed to use this as an excuse to me the Great Crown Prince for being unfit to be the Emperor. After all, he had even lost his territory. Shouldn¡¯t he resign as a result? If this happened in Japan, they would probably bow deeply and say, ¡°I am very sorry for inconveniencing you,¡± and the matter would be over. But this Great Crown Prince seemed to be quite stubborn. He personally led an army, intending to take back the City of Silver¡­But this had nothing to do with Duanmu Huai. ording to Lorena¡¯s suggestion, he found two ces that might have a rtionship with Manaria. The Imperial Capital Aldorf and¡­the Cursed City Modheim. Duanmu Huai had heard an interesting story about Modheim from the mouths of refugees who had fled there. During the Three Emperors¡¯ War, Modheim remained neutral, thus escaping the ravages of war. Consequently, it became a city favored by many nobles and rich merchants. They gathered there, using their wealth to indulge in hedonistic pursuits and keep the war at arm¡¯s length. Then, a two-tailedet emerged from the sky. (Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t see this, presumably he was asleep at the time.) But some idiot decided that theet symbolized the grandeur of the divine emperor, dering Modheim the chosen city. The city¡¯s nobles began to live even more extravagantly, spending their days lost in pleasure and debauchery. Of course, there were priests who warned that this was a path to ruin. They saw theet as the war hammer of Sigma, the imperial guardian god, dering it would utterly destroy this city of vice! Then, as if some divine joke was at y, theet actually did strike Modheim during a frenzied celebration. It was an act of divine justice. The city was reduced to a wastnd, a yground for ratmen, thieves, adherents of evil gods, and other unsavory elements. However, just recently, Great Crown Prince Rudolph announced his intent to reim this fallen, cursed city. But with most of his forces pushing towards the City of Silver, how would he deal with Modheim? The prince had a cunning n. He intended to recruit a group of mercenaries to work alongside the Imperial Army and execute aprehensive sweep of Modheim, eliminating the cultists, ratmen, and other oddities infesting it. His call attracted the attention of many mercenaries. Even though Modheim now looked worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki overrun by mushrooms, it had once been one of the richest cities in the empire. The tales of wealth buried beneath the ruins and formidable divine artifacts filled with mystic power held a lethal allure for these hired swords. But Modheim was also incredibly dangerous. The fragments of theet possessed a terrifyingly potent and bizarre force that could warp the human mind and body, turning people into unimaginable monsters. Additionally, the Great Crown Prince was not the only one interested in Modheim. Other factions were gravitating towards the city, trying to exploit the situation to sow discord, weaken adversaries, or fish in troubled waters. As expected, the Great Crown Prince¡¯s first operation ended in failure. Now, he was once again raising the stakes, recruiting brave warriors to venture into Modheim. But perhaps due to the gruesome fate of the first wave of eager volunteers, hardly anyone was ready to blindly rush into Modheim to meet their death. Afterpiling this information, Duanmu Huai quickly devised a n. He would masquerade as a mercenary and join the prince¡¯s Modheim recovery force. He had two reasons for doing this. Firstly, Modheim was now a ruin, and the chances of finding any useful information about Manaria were slim to none. He had already circled over Modheim several times in his cannon boat but still couldn¡¯t locate the entrance to the fragmented Manaria. The only option left was to proceed on the ground and search for clues. And of course, as the prince was nning to reim Modheim, he must have extensive intelligence on the city. That¡¯s precisely what Duanmu Huai needed. Secondly, even if he didn¡¯t find any useful information in Modheim, working for the prince would grant him the credentials to enter the royal city Aldorf. Due to the Three Emperors¡¯ War, all major cities were under martialw, making it impossible for someone as conspicuous as Duanmu Huai to sneak in like a spy or thief. He couldn¡¯t enter Aldorf without the empire¡¯s trust, which he could only earn via official channels. Another reason was that Duanmu Huai was still interested in the holy artifact in the prince¡¯s possession. After all, having found out that the Water God¡¯s gift was indeed a holy object, the Fire God¡¯s Warhammer held by the prince was likely the same. If he could get his hands on that artifact, it would be perfect. So, shortly after making this decision, Duanmu Huai immediately set off. Heading for his next destination ¡ª Modheim. Chapter 78 - 64 Battle Group_1 Chapter 78: Chapter 64 Battle Group_1 The temperature plummeted sharply. The registrar muttered a curse under his breath, wrapping his coat tight around his body and adding a few more logs to the nearby stove. However, this provided no respite. Winter was approaching, and the bone-chilling winds foretold the onset of a cold spell. Yet, for the registrar, this was not the worst part. Cold, famine, war ¨C the whole year offered little hope, yet even so, he would rather brave the harsh weather here than go to the front lines to fight those damned Evil God Cultists and monsters. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± He nced at the empty roll before him. Up until recently, the ce was bustling. Thirsty for adventure, and lured by the promise of both money and power, the mercenaries nearly wore out the doorstep. Back then, some would even bribe him, just for him to scribble their ridiculous names into his registry. But now? The ce was deserted, almost no one visited. Ever since the initial attempt to regain control had failed, very few hade here. The root cause of it all was that frightening city. Thinking about it, the registrar couldn¡¯t help but look through his window at the ominous city at the base of the distant mountains. The Cursed City, Modheim. The registrar shuddered. Simply recalling the name sent chills down his spine. Even though his registration office wasn¡¯t anywhere near Modheim, it still made him uneasy ¨C as if even uttering the name would invite some terrible cmity. With that thought, he nervously looked around, half-expecting a Ratman, or some other creature, to suddenly leap out from the darkness¡­ ¡°Knock! Knock! Knock!¡± The sudden knocking nearly made the registrar¡¯s heart leap out of his mouth. He hastily stood up straight, adjusted his outer garment, and then called out. ¡°Come in.¡± Soon, with his words, the door opened, and the registrar saw¡­ a gigantic figure bending over to enter, making a creaking sound as it moved towards him. What on earth is this thing? The registrar was utterly bewildered by the towering figure that was nearly as high as the ceiling, he lifted his gaze and saw, under the flickering firelight, a pair of twinkling red eyes¡­. ¡°Who, who are you?!¡± If not for his years of military service that had toughened him up, the registrar would have fainted from fear. As it was, he was shaking as if on thin ice, demanding in a loud voice. At the same time, his mind was racing. What is going on? Has the camp been attacked? But why is there no rm or call for help? The guy doesn¡¯t look human, an Orc? Or a Northerner? Damn¡­ this is deep inside the Empire!! As multiple thoughts shed across the registrar¡¯s mind, the figure thrust out a finger and tapped the desk a few times. ¡°Sign up.¡± ¡°What¡­¡­what??¡± ¡°This is the ce, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re recruiting mercenaries for Modheim.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ THAT¡¯S what this is about¡­¡± Upon hearing this, the registrar¡¯s body softened, he almost slipped off his chair right onto the floor. ¡°Goodness, don¡¯t scare me like that¡­ I thought there was something wrong¡­¡± As he spoke, the registrar nced towards the door, only to see a couple of guards outside giving him winks and smirks ¨C no doubt their way of getting back at him for enjoying the fire inside the building on such a cold day while they were exposed to the weather outside! ¡°Ahem, ahem.¡± The registrar cleared his throat, returning to his professional demeanor, picked up the quill and turned his attention to the ck Knight standing in front of him. ¡°Since you¡¯re signing up, I assume you¡¯ve heard about His Majesty The Emperor recruiting mercenaries to explore and cleanse Modheim. But I must make it clear, this is extremely dangerous work. As mercenaries, you¡¯ll be on the front lines, primarily responsible for reconnaissance, assault, and guard duties. In short, if you are called to the battlefield, you will have to fight until reinforcement arrives¡­. Of course, the pay is settled daily and is quite generous. Anything you find in Modheim has to be handed over to the Church. If the items are particrly valuable, we will offer a reasonable price¡­. As for supplies, you may negotiate with Sir Taylor who is in charge of logistical support¡­. Any questions?¡± Normally, the registrar wouldn¡¯t bother exining so much to other mercenaries. But given the terrifying appearance of the one before him, he would rather bber a bit more than have hime looking for troubleter ¨C mercenaries may have a professional code, but they weren¡¯t necessarily soft-hearted. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good, then, are you signing up as a band or as an individual?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°Of course, there is a difference, if you sign up as a band, then you can operate as a separate unit, but if you sign up individually, we will assign you to another band.¡± Chapter 79 - 64: Battle Group_2 Chapter 79: Chapter 64: Battle Group_2 ¡°Then I want to register as a battle team.¡± ¡°Very well, how many members are there?¡± ¡°Five.¡± As the secretary spoke, he saw the ck Knight wave his hand, and four figures emerged from behind him ¨C four beautiful young girls dressed differently. Among them, a girl with pink hair wore a bright and soft smile, and a pure white robe embroidered with gold edges that seemed out of ce in this setting. Beside her stood a tall, silver-haired woman with a hunting gun, and a young girl shrouded in a cloak wearing clothes that hinted at nobility. Following them was a girl with brown pigtails, festooned with white hair bands, dressed simr to a maid. What kind of team is this?? The secretary had his doubts, he did not question the pink-haired girl being a member of the church, her presence alone carried an air characteristic of the clergy. However, he had never seen her style of robe before¡­ As he was lost in thought, his gazended on a Holy Grail Emblem adorning the cloak of the ck Knight. Could it be a Holy Grail Knight?! Upon seeing the emblem, the secretary was taken aback. He rubbed his eyes vigorously to confirm¨C it was indeed identical to the Holy Grail Emblem detailed in text. Could it be then, that he was truly the Holy Grail Knight?! Ah, then beside him, that must be the fairy of theke. Being a citizen of the Empire, the secretary had heard of the neighboring country Bartoni, knowing that the Holy Grail Knight adventured alongside the fairy of theke, battling evil. The adorable and beautifuldy with pink hair indeed suited this description. The Holy Grail Knight seemed a bit¡­¡­.. Stealing a nce at the terrifying helmet, the secretary diverted his gaze. ¡°Err¡­ Excuse me, so you¡¯re registering as a battle team¡­ What is your team¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Pink Little Bunny.¡± ¡°Alright, Pink Little¡­¡­.Huh??¡± As Duanmu Huai and his party left, Lorena¡¯s face was beet red. ¡°Sir Knight, why did you choose that name?!¡± Lorena stomped her foot, turned her head, and through the cracked and twisted wooden door, she could see the secretary still in shock ¨C the impact was so great that he had forgotten all about ming Duanmu Huai for damaging the door frame. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? It¡¯s my battle team, I¡¯m free to name it whatever I want.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but¡­¡± ¡°Besides, with the team being all girls except myself, isn¡¯t it good to have a cute name?¡± ¡°Humph¡­Isn¡¯t it too embarrassing¡­ Why not name it Unicorn, or Pegasus or some such?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what makes it fun¡­ Who said a battle team must have a cool name?¡± ¡°????¡± Even though Duanmu Huai retorted calmly, for some reason, Lorena somehow visualised through his helmet that he was sporting a deeply meaningful grin. ¡°If you don¡¯t like this name, what if I change it to ¡®Fluffy Teddy Bears¡¯?¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll pass¡­¡­.¡± Lorena was summoned by Duanmu Huai. Before this, he had returned to the Holy City to find her, briefly exining the situation. Despite a bit of surprise, Lorena eventually agreed to join his team. As for Merlot, her conditions were a bit unusual. She was currently in a ¡°hold and review¡± phase as a member of the Mechanical Religion, but since Duanmu Huai was quite influential in the Holy City, he was able to plead with the archbishop to let Merlot operate with him. If she could prove herpetence, she could return to duty. The only pity was that her mechanical wings were sealed away as heretical objects. But even so, Merlot was a skilled sniper, and Duanmu Huai did need a long-range attacker. Furthermore, Merlot¡¯sbat capabilities were indeedmendable, evident by her card attributes. [Sin Sniper. Merlot (Gold)] [Cost: 3] [Attack: 4] [Defense: 5] [Guardian] [Entrance Music: Deal X damage to an enemy at the start of each battle, where X equals half the number of charms activated in the battle.] Although Merlot¡¯s special effect is currently useless, her high ranged attack power is ostensibly enough. As for the deranged maid with the fanatical smile trailing them, she was none other than Fina, the core of the Masked Girl Legion that Duanmu Huai had battled with before. [ughter Puppeteer. Fina (Gold)] [Cost: 2] [Attack: 1] [Defense: 2] [Critical Hit] [Every time a Puppet steps onto the battlefield, sacrifice 2 points to transform it into a ¡®ughter Puppet¡¯] [Finale: Randomly transform one of your ughter Puppets into Puppeteer. Fina.] [ughter Puppet (Cost 2): 1/1, (Stealth)] Yes, this is precisely why Duanmu Huai summoned Fina. Just like the card¡¯s description, Fina could transform any [Puppet] entering the battlefield into a [ughter Puppet]. This was what Duanmu Huai had to face when fighting the Masked Girl Legion. Even though their attack power was not high, their ability was exceedingly useful. [Stealth] This was essentially equivalent to invisibility. Cards certain [Stealth] are invisible and cannot be targeted by spells or attacks before initiating an attack. Only when they make a move or face an Area of Effects attack, would they be visible. Otherwise, their shadows remain unseen. For Duanmu Huai, these [ughter Puppets] are the best scouts, spies, and assassins. Though their attack power is low, Fina¡¯s [Critical Hit] ability is sufficient to eliminate any enemy. Furthermore, Duanmu Huai can use them in this way ¨C He would first summon a Puppet to the field, then transform it into a [ughter Puppet]. Leverage the [Stealth] of the [ughter Puppet] to infiltrate any defensively tight ce before sending Fina away himself, transferring her to the [ughter Puppet] to deal with the target. After that, he can transform another [ughter Puppet]. If Fina gets killed after sessfully executing her target, she can transfer again. It meant that as long as the [ughter Puppet] was not entirely obliterated, Fina would never die. Partnered with her [Critical Hit], an immortal assassin is indeed¡­ terrifying. Of course, if we were to discuss potential downsides, it would be Fina¡¯s mental instability¡­ For now, he can put up with it. Now, Duanmu Huai¡¯s squad had their Tank (himself), Healer (Lorena), AOE (Ogis), Ranged damage dealer (Merlot) and Rogue (Fina). They basically covered all the roles needed in a five-man team. Next, they could delve into the Curse City dungeon! Chapter 80 - 65 Curse City_1 Chapter 80: Chapter 65 Curse City_1 After this, Duanmu Huai arrived at the main camp located outside the City of Modheim ¡ª¡ª Judging by the ambience of this camp, it used to house many people. Now, however, it¡¯s bleak and deste. Although there are still some soldiers, it is clear from one nce that their morale isn¡¯t high. As a mercenary group, Duanmu Huai was given a campsite as a supply point. Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not much use to them. Duanmu Huai could always open a door back to Holy City and enjoy delicious food and soft beds there, rather than freezing and starving here. However, before everyone had a chance to rest properly in the camp, the messenger soldier summoned Duanmu Huai into the camp to begin nning the next stage of the attack. ¡°Alright, I know you all have a lot toin about, so do I.¡± General Pasttee Rnd, stroking his beard, looked rather grim on his gaunt face, whether due to the weather or his mood, it was unclear. ¡°But amand from above has been issued. His Majesty The Emperor is very, very, very dissatisfied with our progress. So he has allocated another army to me. Next, we will learn from the mistakes of thest operation and rearrange the n!!¡± Amidst the grumbling andints of others, Duanmu Huai finally figured out the ins and outs of the situation. Apparently, one reason for theplete failure of the first recapture operation against Modheim City was that they were unprepared. Another part of it was a problem with the general inmand. The person leading the army at the time was a nobleman closely allied with the Great Crown Prince. His arrogant nature clearly didn¡¯t make this man take the recapture of such a rundown city seriously. Thus, the simple-minded man issued a simplemand. Direct the army to march in andpletely upy the entire city. Then, it all went wrong. Because they stretched their troops too thin all at once, they were quickly attacked. As mentioned earlier, Modheim City was filled with Ratmen, various kinds of heretics, as well as alien races, including vampires and necromancers. These beings took advantage of the army¡¯s instability andunched a surprise raid, splitting the entire army. Under these circumstances, the Imperial Army couldn¡¯t do anything. Especially since the Great Crown Prince had only sent a reserve army here, they had never seen such horrific and evil bombing. As a result, the Imperial Army, everyone for himself, copsed, most of them were wiped out on the spot, with only a few escaping the disaster with the help of mercenaries. Luckily, the nobleman with the short circuit brain was also among the dead. As for who gave the strike ¡ª¡ª well, let¡¯s just say he unfortunately died in battle. This would be better for everyone. Now, besides mercenary groups like Duanmu Huai¡¯s here, there are members of several organizations from within the Imperial. For instance,bat priests and temple knights from the Sigma Church, witch hunters, as well as wolf spirit priests from Ulrick Church. The rest are the men of the Imperial Army. General Pasttee ranted and raved a great deal. The crux of the matter was to learn from the reckless mistake of thest time, move steadily this time. Therefore, these mercenary groups must be on the front lines, mixing with enemies as much as possible. They will divide each area into separate battlefields and hand them over to different mercenary groups to handle. The army will march in only after the front lines have been stabilized by the mercenary groups and start ¡°steady¡± nibbling and construction from the rear. In a city like Modheim, where street fighting is the norm, the number advantage of the army cannot be put into y, it¡¯s easier to achieve the goal with a few elites. Everyone agreed with this point, after all, those who came here were mercenaries paid to do a job and they knew what they had to do. However, trouble followed. When General Pastte imed that he had made contact with the Nun Association in the city and would receive their assistance, the representative of the Sigma Church immediately jumped up, loudly expressing disapproval. The reason of the Sigma Church was quite speechless ¨C The Nun Association was still considered a part of the Sigma Church of Modheim City, perhaps because of the protection of Sigma God himself, the Nun Association suffered the least damage in the Two-tailed Comet disaster. This however led the Sigma Church to consider the Nun Association as heretical and demanded itsplete annihtion¡­¡­.. Well, to put it straightforwardly, they considered the Nun Association heretical just because they didn¡¯t suffer ¡­¡­ Duanmu Huai also didn¡¯t understand where the Sigma Church¡¯s moronic logic came from. Luckily, General Pastte stood very firm on this matter. They have no extra troops to recapture Modheim at the moment, hence they need arge number of reinforcements. The Nun Association, as followers of Sigma, are residents of the locale, familiar with Modheim, and politically eptable in loyalty. As for the internal affairs of your church, it¡¯s your internal matter. The facts are that we don¡¯t have the luxury to pick and choose. Therefore, cooperation with the Nun Association is a must. In the end, the Sigma Church¡¯s representative stormed off in a huff. Although others in the room didn¡¯tment, their expressions suggested theirck of enthusiasm. However, the war council continued. In the subsequent meeting, General Pasttee assigned each mercenary group their respective tasks. From the map, Modheim City is an ellipse, surrounded by city walls, divided into east and west sections by a river ¡ª¡ª Well, it also looks like a pair of buttocks. Within, the northeastern part is the market area, the southeastern part is the slums. The northwestern part is the aristocratic district, and the southwestern part is the military district. The two regions of the east and west are connected by bridges, all in all, it¡¯s a closed city. The ce where the two-tailedet fell is in the slums, which is the most dangerous area in all of Modheim City. It¡¯s filled with various warped creatures and is impossible to approach. But that doesn¡¯t mean that other ces are safe¡­. ¡°Your task is very straightforward.¡± Pointing at the map in front of him, Pasttee began to yell loudly. ¡°You are to enter from the breach in the eastern wall, recapture the Sigma Temple and City Hall, then the marketce! Clear a path for the subsequent troops! Remember, clear all threats, including the monsters, Evil God Cultists, vampires and such riffraff hiding in the ruins! The Nun Association will assign a team ofbat nuns to join you, to dispel the evil curses in the Sigma Temple! So, the following mercenary groups whose names will be read out will participate in this battle!¡± As he was speaking, Pasttee picked up the list. ¡°Imperial Eagle, ck w, and ¡­¡± As he said this, Pastte nced at the list and suddenly halted. He stared carefully at the parchment in his hands as if there were flowers on it. ¡°¡­¡­Pink Bunny?? Who¡¯s Pink Bunny??¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Duanmu Huai stepped forward, and upon seeing Duanmu Huai, Pastte opened his mouth, looked at the list again, and then at the hulking armored warrior before him¡­¡­¡± ¡°You guys get on with it! Good luck!!¡± In the end, Pastte said nothing, perhaps he didn¡¯t know what to say. After the meeting adjourned, the three named squads immediately gathered. The Imperial Eagle is a squadposed of Imperial mercenaries, the majority of whom are warriors. ck w, on the other hand, is a small team led by witch hunters, including clergy from both the Church of Ulrick and the Sigma Church. Regardless, it was clear they were battle-hardened veterans, andbined with their demeanor and attire, looked like a highly capable squad. On the other hand, the four beautiful girls dressed in light clothes behind Duanmu Huai ¡ª well, to be honest, they didn¡¯t look like they were ready for battle at all. ¡°Hey, brother, we¡¯ll be counting on each other from here on out, let¡¯s get to know each other well.¡± The captain of the Imperial Eagle was a very cheerful and outgoing mercenary, who greeted Duanmu Huai with a smile and Duanmu Huai replied with a wave. The Witch Hunter on the side was silent, standing there like a shadow. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± Everyone was professional, there was no need for pleasantries, nor were there any satirical exchanges before embarking ¡ª everyone knew this was a dangerous mission, either aplished, or ended in death. So, pointless talk was meaningless in such times. They carried their weapons, silently slipping through the cracks in the city wall, entering Modheim. This cursed city. Just stepping into it, a gray oppressive feeling swept over them. Duanmu Huai raised his head and looked ahead. Everything around him looked dpidated at this moment. The entire city was shattered, almost all the houses were in ruins, and there were no intact houses to be seen. Not only that, but on the ground and walls, there were what appeared to be rotten chunks of meat covering them, and even within those chunks of meat, there were eyes moving left and right. ¡°Some of you may be here for the first time, so I should warn you.¡± The captain of the Imperial Eagle turned his head, looked at the others, and spoke in a serious whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate this city, everything here can take your life¡­¡± As he spoke, he pointed to the things on the ground that looked like rotten chunks of meat. ¡°Like these things, don¡¯t step on them, don¡¯t get too close to them, they can spray disgusting and ugly poisonous mist at you, making you be a mentally abnormal idiot. And those nks¡­¡­¡± As he spoke, he once again lifted his longsword and pointed at the dpidated nks ced next to a carriage just ahead. On the surface, it just seemed like a tilted, somewhat shabby nk¡­ if there weren¡¯t any weird texts on it, it wouldn¡¯t seem to attract attention. ¡°That¡¯s a Ratman trap, if you¡¯re not careful and trigger it, you can only pray that you¡¯re lucky enough ¡ª after all, Ratmen are not nice creatures.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Excuse me, what exactly are these?¡± Looking at those entities covered on the walls, hanging under the eaves, like some sort of ugly creature, Lorena asked quietly, and the Imperial Captain shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. In any case, they seemed to have originally been corpses of residents in this city. They turned into such a ghostly state under the influence of the Chaos Force. As for what they are now¡­¡­ probably even they themselves do not know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± This time, no one spoke, and looking at the crowd, the Imperial Captain smiled faintly and opened his arms. ¡°Well, everyone, wee¡­ to Hell.¡± Chapter 81 - 66: Eve of the Battle_1 Chapter 81: Chapter 66: Eve of the Battle_1 As the Imperial Captain said, this ce is nothing but Hell. Everyone looked around as they walked. What they saw was a horrific sight. Strange flesh and blood stuck to the walls and the ground. Beyond that, there were hanged corpses, corpses locked in cages¡­ The whole city looked like a boundless execution ground, which was nauseating. No one spoke; it was as if even one more word uttered here would cause them to breathe in the nearly polluted, toxic air. Lorena had her hands joined, praying in whispers. Meldy next to her had her back towards the rifle, scanning the surroundings with clear disgust and vigncy. Even though they had known the situation of this world from Duanmu Huai, they only realized upon witnessing it, that the darkness this world was facing, far exceeded their imaginations. Only Feiya was walking at the back, her eyes shimmering like an excited mouse who had entered a rice jar. She looked left and right as if everything here gave her a very strong kind of stimtion¡­ perhaps that was indeed the case. Soon, they reached their destination and met with the members of the Nun Association. They were joined by three Combat Nuns. Dressed in nun attire, they held War Hammers and shields in their hands. They looked quite formidable. ¡°If you hadn¡¯te we might have had to reconsider our next action.¡± ncing at Duanmu Huai, the leader of the Combat Nuns spoke to the Imperial Captain. ¡°What is the situation at the temple now?¡± ¡°Very bad.¡± The nuns shook their heads. ¡°In the beginning, this temple was upied by the Ratmen, who attempted to build the ¡®Disaster Bell¡¯ here, to recreate the sin of the Great Disaster.¡± Hearing this, everyone¡¯s facial expression changed. The Disaster Bell was the clock that appeared in the creation legend of the Ratmen. At that time, the clock struck thirteen times, causing a gue Disaster and a Comet. If such a sphemous Disaster Bell is built within Sigma Temple, the consequences would be unimaginable. ¡°But soon, the Chaos Warriors attacked this temple, driving away the Ratmen. However, their n next is¡­to open a portal and summon the Chaotic Demon here¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Everyone looked as though they had a sinking feeling. Clearly, the temple was in a very dangerous situation. Either taken by the Ratmen to ring the bell, or taken by the Chaos Warriors to build a portal, neither were choices they would hope for. After all, if the Chaos Warriors managed to sessfully construct a portal, the Chaos Evil God¡¯s army could wreak havoc within the empire¡¯s territory with terrifying consequences. Although the Chaos Warriors had sealed the temple door after upying the temple, they had also set up heavy guards around. With just three Combat Nuns, they obviously couldn¡¯t break their defense. But it¡¯s not easy to attack the temple either. The Sigma Temple itself had high walls and gates and was very much like the fortress within a city, and it hadn¡¯t suffered any damage. Under such circumstances, it would be too difficult to break through forcefully. The other choice would be to go around from the back, but the guards there were very strict. * ¡°Then leave it to me.¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai stepped forward and said. ¡°You?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the Combat Nuns looked at him skeptically. ¡°What do you n to do?¡± ¡°My army willunch a frontal attack and lure the Chaos Believers¡¯ attention. While they are distracted by me, you can sneak in from the back. What do you think? Simple n right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s straightforward indeed, but¡­¡­ can you guys handle it?¡± The Combat Nun had no doubt about Duanmu Huai¡¯s ability to fight, after all, he looked capable. However, the girls following Duanmu Huai raised some questions in the Combat Nun¡¯s mind- after all, they didn¡¯t look like regr fighters. ¡°No problem, leave it to us.¡± ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s proceed with that.¡± The Combat Nun and the Imperial Captain briefly discussed it and decided to follow Duanmu Huai¡¯s suggestion. Although this n was simple, it was currently the most appropriate, assuming that they can indeed attract the opponent¡¯s attention. Soon after finalizing the n, they split up. The Combat Nuns, along with two other teams, went to the back alley, while Duanmu Huai prepared tounch a frontal assault. Looking at the retreating figures, Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze slightly changed. He softly snapped his fingers, and several invisible ughter puppets silently followed the retreating figures. Although they were temporary allies, Duanmu Huai would never forget to stay vignt around the locals. When a Judgends on a, anybody except himself- old or young, male or female, could potentially be the target of judgement, as they could all be Chaos¡¯s minions and spies. * For example, these Combat Nuns from the Nun¡¯s Association, they could¡¯ve already turned sides and be a Chaos Evil God¡¯s servant. Or, someone from the Imperial Army could be secretlymunicating with the Heretical Demons. Therefore, Duanmu Huai would always keep a reserve against these people. Especially after getting the ughter Puppet, he would rather spend more spiritual energy to summon a few ughter Puppets to monitor them, in the hopes of taking the initiative. ¡°Alright.¡± Duanmu Huai averts his gaze, looking back at the girls behind him. ¡°This will be your first battle in this world. Are you nervous?¡± ¡°Um, somewhat, Sir Knight.¡± Despite seeming a bit unsettled this time, Lorena clenches her fist. ¡°But I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Hmm, no need to worry so much, most of the enemies here are no match for you.¡± Telling the truth, even the power of Lorena¡¯s Iron Fist alone would be enough to crush most of the enemies here, not even afraid of higher demons if they were toe. ¡°What should I do?¡± Merlot appears more calm, perhaps because of her military background, she quickly adapted to this situation. ¡°Find a high ce and snipe those Chaos Believers on the tform when we charge in.¡± Duanmu Huai pointed at the Chaos Believers patrolling with bows and arrows on the tform above the temple. ¡°Of course, you need to be careful as well. As you heard earlier, there are manyplex forces lurking in this city. It¡¯s unpredictable what might sneak up behind you and strike, so¡­¡± Saying this, Duanmu Huai looks towards Feiya. ¡°Feiya, I need you to take a few ughter Puppets and stay here to protect Merlot to avoid her getting hurt.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s order, Feiya is clearly dissatisfied. ¡°Can¡¯t I go up there and kill them all? Master? I want to kill them all! Not a single one left!!¡± ¡°There will be enemies here for you to kill as well, but if I find out you have abandoned your post, you won¡¯t have another opportunity toe out.¡± Duanmu Huai has to admit, the psychiatric issues of this ughter Puppet are quite severe, but as long as she obeys, she can still be utilized as a tool. Luckily, Duanmu Huai is not a Puritan judge, otherwise, he would have gotten rid of Feiya already. In fact, almost every yer can be considered part of the Radical Faction. This deeply influenced the course of the war in thetter part of the game¡­well, it¡¯s too early to discuss that now. After scolding Feiya, Duanmu Huai turns to Ogis. ¡°Ogis, you¡¯re to act with me¡­Ogis?¡± However, this time the Puppet girl did not respond to Duanmu Huai as she usually would. Instead, her eyes were indecisive, as if she was pondering over something. It wasn¡¯t until Duanmu Huai called her name again that Ogis returned to her senses. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, Master. I¡­I don¡¯t know what came over me¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯spletely normal.¡± Duanmu Huai of course knew what Ogis was troubled over. In the previous Holy City battle, Gavi threw herself in a fit of madness at the nun at the veryst moment, preventing her from proceeding any further. As a result, Duanmu Huai sessfully destroyed the temple. But Gavi was caught in the explosion subsequently and shattered into fragments. In the end, Ogis only found half of Gavi¡¯s head. Duanmu Huai saw Ogis stare at that half of a head in her hands for a long while and didn¡¯t know what she was thinking about. Eventually, they both gathered whatever was left of Gavi, burnt it, and buried it. Though the two hadn¡¯t known each other for long, it could be argued that Gavi was indeed Ogis¡¯s younger sister. It was normal for Ogis to be anxious at this moment. Or rather, this was what Duanmu Huai hoped to see as beings could only harbor feelings if they possess a soul and heart. It also indicated that Ogis had indeed grown internally while following Duanmu Huai. On the contrary, if Ogis acted as if nothing had happened, Duanmu Huai might have to reflect on whether there was a problem with the way he utilized her. ¡°I¡¯ll have a good talk with you after this. Now focus on the battle. You¡¯re to act in conjunction with me andy siege to the temple, attract the attention of the Chaos Believers. Any issues?¡± This time, in response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Ogis shook her head without any hesitation. ¡°None, Master.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Hearing Ogis¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai nodded and then gripped his War Hammer. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get started!¡± Chapter 82 - 67: Assault_1 Chapter 82: Chapter 67: Assault_1 To prevent anyone from barging in, the Chaos Believers had naturally made several preparations. They hadpletely closed the doors of the temple and even piled things like trucks behind it to fend off attacks. Under such circumstances, by rights, ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to rush in at all. Well, that¡¯s assuming the other party is ordinary. ¡°BOOM!!!¡± The massive heavy wooden doors shattered open under the fierce impact, and even the trucks and wooden boxes piled behind it were sent flying out,nding heavily on several unsuspecting unfortunate souls. This sudden change greatly surprised the Chaos Believers who were on guard. They quickly turned their heads to look towards the direction of the doors. At the same time, they saw a huge figure rushing out from the smoke, like an enraged bull charging towards them. ¡°ARGHHHH!!!¡± Duanmu Huai smashed down with his hammer, sending the Chaos Believer in front of him tumbling to the ground. Following that, he kicked out and the next moment, the body of the Chaos Believer flew back like a piece of rag, hitting the wall and falling down, motionless. ¡°We¡¯re under attack!!¡± At this point, the other Chaos Believers responded, hastily raising their weapons andunching an attack on Duanmu Huai. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t even give them a nce. He swung his giant hammer, sending these people flying like bowling pins. At the same time, Ogis and Lorena also rushed in with Duanmu Huai, beginning to engage with the other Chaos Believers. Of course, there was no need to mention Ogis. With her strength, all the Chaos Believers who dared to get in her way would be chopped up like steak in a matter of seconds. As for Lorena, she fought diligently. Before the battle, Duanmu Huai had already informed Lorena that the minds and souls of these Chaos Believers had fallen into Chaos and waspletely twisted ¨C there was no chance of saving them. Killing them was the only way, so she shouldn¡¯t show them any sympathy. At this moment, Lorena demonstrated her powerfulbat abilities. Quite a few Chaos Believers who thought her easy to bully tried to cause her trouble, only for Lorena to swing her Sacred Book at them and knock them down within moments. It¡¯s noteworthy that Lorena¡¯s way of fighting was rather peculiar. She basically engaged in close-quarterbat, but did not fight unarmed. Instead, she used the hefty Sacred Book in her hand to pummel people. ording to Duanmu Huai, Lorena¡¯s way of fighting should be categorised as ¡°brick-style¡±. He had once been curious as to why Lorena chose this way of fighting. After all, the Sacred Book was both heavy and inconvenient ¨C didn¡¯t it hinder her during a fight? In response, Lorena exined that the Sacred Book was not only a weapon, but also a holy artifact that purified those evil souls. It could purify their filthy souls and let them fall into tranquillity. Good heavens, she had the whole package of extermination and purifying, sending you straight to heaven ¨C truly, a Holy Priest¡­ Just like now, a low-ranking believer with a double-handed giant axe rushed towards Lorena, raising his axe high, trying to deal a deadly blow to the girl in front of him. Yet at the same time as his axe swung down, Lorena let out a yell, her right hand clutching the Sacred Book and she struck hard against the giant axe. The next moment, with a ¡°thud¡±, the giant axe in his hand was sent flying, and he stumbled backward a few steps. Before the low-ranking believer recovered, he saw Lorena¡¯s petite figure dash towards him, her left fist striking out and sending him onto his knees. As the low-ranking believer raised his head again, what he saw was the girl holding the Sacred Book above her head, smashing it down onto his forehead ¡ª thest thing he ever saw. ¡°THUD¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The Chaos Believer fell face first onto the ground, his body jerking and then going still. At the same time, on a tform high in the distance, another low-ranking believer holding a bow and arrow was aiming at Lorena, getting ready to ambush her. ¡°BANG!!!¡± But before he could let go of the arrow, with the sound of a gunshot, the next moment his head exploded like a watermelon. The headless body, spurting blood, twitched a few times before copsing. In the meantime, several hundred meters away on the roof, Merlot reached out her hand, forcefully pulling the bolt of her rifle. Then, she moved the muzzle again, aiming at her next target and pulled the trigger. ¡°BANG!!!¡± The echo of the gunshot resounded in the city sky and lingered for some time. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought they were capable of this.¡± Hearing the gunshots, the Imperial Captain couldn¡¯t help but murmur. All the Chaos Believers who were originally guarding the back door of the temple had already mostly left, with only a few people standing still in their posts. Seeing this, a glint of light shed in the Imperial Captain¡¯s eyes, and then he spoke in a soft voice. ¡°Should we wait a bit longer¡­..¡± But before the Imperial Captain could finish his sentence, a crossbow arrow shot out, piercing straight through the neck of a Chaos Believer not far away. The believer opened his mouth as if to say something, but fell to the ground before he could. At the same time, the Witch Hunter and his order, who had been hiding in the shadows of the ruins nearby, leapt out and rushed towards the temple. Seeing them spring into action, the Combat Nuns also tightened their grips on their war hammers and trailed after them. Chapter 83 - 67 Assault_2 Chapter 83: Chapter 67 Assault_2 ¡°Tsk!¡± Upon seeing this, the Imperial Captain smacked his lips and drew his longsword. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s join in too!!¡± The back door of the temple was not sealed. After breaking through the defenses, the other two battle teams also prated into the temple and began to engage inbat with the Chaos Believers. Thebat nuns sang praises of the deity aloud, holding war hammers in their hands and engaging in fiercebat with the Chaos Believers. Meanwhile, the Witch Hunter led his subordinates into the battle. Due to their attention solely focused on the main entrance, the Chaos Believers werepletely unaware of the battle team attacking from behind, and for a while, they were caught off guard and forced to retreat repeatedly. ¡°Quickly, you all attack too, take down those bastards!!¡± Seeing this scene, the Imperial Captain who had rushed into the battle was greatly invigorated and promptly gave themand. He then charged at a man holding an eerie staff with a Chaos Insignia not far away. With the Imperial Captain¡¯s experience, of course, he was able to identify at a nce that the man in the ck robe holding the Chaos Wand was a Chaos Sorcerer, the core figure here. In other words, defeating him would cause the morale of the Chaos Battle Team here to plummet, and they might even copsepletely. At this moment, the Chaos Sorcerer, under the protection of two mutant warriors, was being pushed back by the Witch Hunter and the Combat Nuns. Therefore, the Imperial Captain quietly sneaked up from behind, hoping to find an opportunity to strike and kill him¡ª¡ª After all, this guy was the leader, if he could be taken out, it would also yield a good reward! ¡°Bang!!¡± Soon, the two mutant warriors were knocked down by the Witch Hunter and the Combat Nuns, and the Chaos Sorcerer¡¯s body also began to sway. He didn¡¯t even notice the Imperial Captain creeping up behind him. Seeing this, joy surged in the Imperial Captain¡¯s heart. It¡¯s now!! However, just as the Imperial Captain lifted his longsword, intending to take advantage of the Chaos Sorcerer¡¯s distraction and cut off his head, suddenly, something unexpected happened. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The Chaos Sorcerer opened his mouth, and the next moment, a piercing scream erupted from his lips. The Imperial Captain only felt a severe pain in his forehead, as if a dagger was plunged directly into his brain, twisting painfully several times, almost causing him to lose his speech. His knees weakened, and he copsed to the ground. The Witch Hunter and the Combat Nuns were in the same situation. Although they tried their best to maintain bnce, they were unable to continue the attack. ¡°Foolish mortals, you think you can stop the great deity¡¯s n, it¡¯s utterly ridiculous!!¡± As he spoke, the Chaos Sorcerer raised both hands, and the power of chaos began to swirl and spread in his hands. Seeing this, the Imperial Captain¡¯s face went ashen. ¡°Prepare to die! Your souls will be ythings for the great deity and will bepletely destroyed in agonizing pain!¡± Hearing the Chaos Sorcerer¡¯s words, the Imperial Captain¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Wait, wait¡­¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± However, the Imperial Captain¡¯s words had just left his mouth when the next moment, the sealed front door of the temple was suddenly smashed open. A huge shadow whizzed out from it, crashing directly into the Chaos Sorcerer, who had his hands raised high, and carried him to the end of the temple, smashing heavily into the wall. Only then did everyone see that the thing that had busted the door and flown in was a Chaos Abomination, a very terrifying and powerful monster. Yet, such a horrifying, gigantic creature had just burst through the door like a stone and been thrown in. As for the Chaos Sorcerer, he had turned into a pile of ruined flesh under the impact of the Chaos Abomination, no longer capable of uttering any threats. Who did this? At this moment, everyone else couldn¡¯t help but turn their heads to look at the entrance. They saw, under their gaze, apanied by the sound of ¡°thump thump thump¡± heavy footsteps, Duanmu Huai, d in ck power armor and holding a war hammer, stride in. As he looked at the battlefield before him, he was obviously taken aback. ¡°So, is it over?¡± Indeed, the battle was over. After the Chaos Sorcerer was killed, the remaining Chaos Believers¡¯ morale plummeted. It didn¡¯t take long for Duanmu Huai and two other battle teams to wipe them outpletely. Some who were lucky enough to run out of the temple were promptly shot in the head by Merlot on the roof, turning into corpses. After that, the Combat Nuns, despite being covered in wounds, began praying and venerating the Sigma Statue in the temple. Duanmu Huai watched them kneel in front of the stone statues nking the temple, praying silently for a moment before a golden light suddenly appeared, enveloping the statues. The next moment, the statues themselves began glowing, dispelling the dim, foul atmosphere within the temple. At the same time, the filthy flesh-like mucus clinging to the statues vanished. The Combat Nuns busied themselves with purifying the temple, while the warriors of the battle teams began to clean up the battlefield and collect the spoils of war. Duanmu Huai had no interest in this, so he and a few others went to the courtyard to rest. After the battle, Lorena began to take out her handkerchief, meticulously wiping the Holy Canon in her hands. Her Holy Canon, thanks to her fighting style, was hardly stained with blood. Not only that, but the Holy Canon in Lorena¡¯s hand was not an ordinary one; it was a weapon, crafted with a cover of refined steel and pages of cast brass. Honestly, it was much heavier than the war hammers the Combat Nuns wielded. Merlot too was tending to her weapon, her expression calm. Feiya, sitting next to her, seemed not so pleased¡ªMerlot¡¯s gunfire indeed attracted some curious Ratmen, but that was it. For Feiya, slicing open the heads of those Ratmen and pulling out their guts clearly did not bring the puppeteer, who had a penchant for tormenting, any mental satisfaction or enjoyment. Ogis sat obediently on the side, watching her surroundings intently. Duanmu Huai went over and sat next to her. ¡°Alright, Ogis, we can talk now.¡± ¡°Master, I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happened to me. Is it some kind of¡­ mistake?¡± ¡°Of course not. This is emotion, something every living being possesses.¡± At Ogis¡¯ question, Duanmu Huai smiled softly. ¡°I know you¡¯re feeling overwhelmed right now. But just the fact that you¡¯re feeling so much, it means you¡¯re a life form with emotions, with a heart.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s this¡­ terrible feeling?¡± ¡°Of course, pain, sadness, grief, anger, they¡¯re all part of human emotions. It¡¯s normal for humans to feel joy, happiness, and also pain and sadness. As for Gavi¡­ ¡± Upon saying this, Duanmu Huai hesitated for a moment before extending his hand and pulling out a card. ¡°If you want, I can summon her, and you could talk to her.¡± As a possessor of a World Fragment, Duanmu Huai could use the Soul Card to summon Gavi, but he chose not to. After all, this puppet was even more unstable mentally than Feiya, and besides¡­ her rtionship with Ogis was ratherplicated. Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Ogis stared at the card in his hand, fell silent for a moment, and then shook her head. ¡°No, master, I feel¡­ I¡¯m not ready yet. I haven¡¯t yete to understand the feelings she has given me, and once I do, I suppose I can talk to her properly.¡± ¡°Alright, as you wish.¡± With a slight smile, Duanmu Huai pocketed the card and stood up. Just then, a Combat Nun walked towards him. She stopped in front of Duanmu Huai and looked at the man before her. ¡°Steel Warrior, we need your help.¡± Chapter 84 - 68 Hold on_1 Chapter 84: Chapter 68 Hold on_1 For the Combat Nuns, they have purified the entirety of the temple to the best of their ability, but there is still one final step¡­ ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I should rehang this bell?¡± Standing at the top of the clock tower, looking at therge bell in front of him, Duanmu Huai asked the question. Upon hearing his inquiry, the Combat Nuns nodded their heads. ¡°That¡¯s right, we need to let the sound of the bell resound throughout Modheim City once again, bring the protection of Sigma back to this cursed city. The bell has now been purified, the only thing left is to hang it back up, but¡­¡± It¡¯s no wonder they¡¯d asked Duanmu Huai for assistance- while the bell might not be asrge as those that are used in temples, rung daily by diligent monks, it was still not something easily moved by just anyone. The only one who might possibly be able to lift it up and hang it back in ce was Duanmu Huai. To Duanmu Huai, this was as simple as lifting a finger. However, should he do it? Duanmu Huai nced at the others ¨C the Combat Nuns were now waiting expectantly while the Imperial Captain watched with an amused grin. ¡°Please, Steel Knight, this should be no trouble for you.¡± What a fool¡­ Duanmu Huai ignored the Imperial Captain¡¯sments, casting his gaze towards the Witch Hunter. Thetter, suddenly finding himself the object of Duanmu Huai¡¯s attention, paused before silently nodding in agreement. ¡°Alright, leave it to me.¡± Without further ado, Duanmu Huai reached out to the heavy bell before him, lifting it effortlessly and hanging it back in the clock tower. Following this, three Combat Nuns approached the bell, making a circle around it and kneeling on the ground as they began their whispered prayer. As their voices rose in supplication, the bell began radiating a faint golden glow. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai stepped back while tightening his grip on the War Hammer. He noticed the Witch Hunter¡¯s hands fall to his sides, resting near the hilt of his sword, his gaze unblinking as he watched the praying Combat Nuns. The Imperial Captain, unobservant of the subtle actions of the two men, simply watched the unfolding scene with intense concentration. Finally, as the praying Nuns¡¯ voices carried on, the majestic bell glowed even brighter. Then¡­ ¡°Dong¡ª¡ª!¡± The heavy ringing of the bell echoed throughout the entirety of Modheim City. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if a ring of golden ripples emanated from the body of the bell, spine-tingly brilliant, spreading outwards like waves. concurrently, the dim, gloomy aura that consumed the surroundings seemed to somewhat lessen. ¡°Dong¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± The bell tolled again, louder than before. At the same time, the grotesque tumors and chaotic entities that had previously clung to the outer walls of the temple began to silently recede and vanish with the tolling of the bell, much like snow melting under the warmth of the sun. ¡°Dong¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!¡± As the bell rang for a third time, even the thick clouds covering the skies of Modheim trembled. A ray of sunlight, like a piercing sword, broke through the cloudbank, illuminating the temple. Though the phenomenon onlysted momentarily, everyone could sense that the temple was now fundamentally different from before. Not until the ritual concluded did people breathe a sigh of relief. The Imperial Captain quickly dispatched news of the sess to General Pastte who was located at the rear. Upon hearing the news, General Pastte also breathed a sigh of relief, considering they would be engaging in a drawn-out battle in this cursed city. If they hadn¡¯t received the deity¡¯s protection, their operation might have failed even beforemencing. But now, the temple has been reimed, and Sigma¡¯s glory has once again shone upon it. This was indeed a auspicious start worth celebrating. However, it wasn¡¯t the time for celebration yet. The resurgence of Sigma Temple was bound to draw the attention of other hidden forces within Modheim City. It could be said that the reactivated Sigma Temple was like a piece of cheese in a rat¡¯s nest; everyone wanted to take a bite. Therefore, Pastte immediately sent people to clear the roads leading to Sigma Temple, allowing more soldiers to enter the temple for rest and defense. On the other hand, he also demanded the three battle groups to defend the temple with their utmost effort before their arrival. In fact, even without his orders, others would have done the same. Although the blessings of Sigma seemed powerful and beneficial, themotion was so huge that anyone who wasn¡¯t blind could see it. For the forces currently in Modheim City, the revival of Sigma Temple was thest thing they wanted to see. Hence, it was expected that they wouldunch another assault on the Sigma Temple topletely eliminate this threat. The Chaos Believers had just been defeated and wouldn¡¯t be able to spare more manpower in a short time. Necromancers and vampires were naturally restrained by Sigma and wouldn¡¯t dare to act rashly. However, that didn¡¯t mean there wouldn¡¯t be any stubborn fools who would risk death. For instance, Ratmen, a species notorious for their digging ability, strong reproduction rate, and their indifferences towards casualties¡ªjust like cockroaches¡ªwere crafty and loathsome. ¡°I have had enough of these damn rats!¡± Duanmu Huai raised his War Hammer and swung it down with force, sending tens of Ratmen in front of him flying into pieces. However, that wasn¡¯t enough. Soon after the revival of Sigma Temple, these ursed rodents swarmed in as if they had smelled blood andunched a frenzied attack against the Sigma Temple. Soon, the battle group in charge of guarding the temple was put in a difficult situation. The towering city walls couldn¡¯t deter the Ratmen. These rodents were experts in climbing walls and prising open doors. Not to mention that during the previous assault, Duanmu Huai, in his reckless manner, had shattered all the defensive doors. Karma struck faster than he had anticipated, and the tables were soon turned. Their situation had be as miserable as the Chaos Believers¡¯ had been previously. The blessings of Sigma did not have much effect on the Ratmen. More importantly, these creatures were crafty. They always hid in the ruins around the temple andunched surprise attacks when Duanmu Huai and others were off guard. It was undeniable that these damn rats were truly annoying. It seemed that they needed more drastic measures. After smashing another wave of Ratmen into pulp, Duanmu Huai retreated. At this point, he was soaked in blood, with bits of Ratmen flesh and blood covering his Power Armor. Lorena was also injured in the fight against the Ratmen and was currently taking up a defensive position under the protection of Ogis. Merlot stood on the rooftop of the temple, eliminating Ratmen shot after shot. However, her sniper rifle was not a Gatling gun and was limited in its effect against the number of Ratmen. Only Faiya seemed to be enjoying herself at the forefront of the battle. Like a ghost, she darted through the crowd of Ratmen, leaving a trail of fallen rats wherever she went. After all, she didn¡¯t fear death and couldn¡¯t be killed, so all she had to do was keep fighting. Still, that couldn¡¯t suffice. The other two battle groups were still fighting hard as well. Although energized by Sigma¡¯s blessings and not feeling particrly fatigued, it was only a matter of time before they shared the same fate as the Chaos Believers if things continued this way. If that¡¯s the case, they can¡¯t me me for being ruthless. Looking at the annoying rats, Duanmu Huai also hardened his resolve. While swinging his war hammer, he quickly opened themunication. ¡°Mia, can you hear me?¡± ¡°Yes, Master, what can I do for you?¡± Soon, Mia¡¯s leisurely voice echoed in Duanmu Huai¡¯s ear. ¡°Load the Hellfire missiles for an aerial cover. Blow these beasts to hell!¡± ¡°Understood~~!¡± Chapter 85 - 69 God Gives Blessings?_1 Chapter 85: Chapter 69 God Gives Blessings?_1 In the gloomy clouds, Night Raven ck Star Gunboat was stealthily weaving through them. It was like a dark ghost, appearing and disappearing in the shadowy cover, reappearing, and then vanishing again. ¡°Hmm hmm hmm¡­¡­¡­¡± Mia, sitting in the cockpit, silently controlled the gunboat before her, hurrying towards the target as she hummed a lighthearted song. As an Artificial Angel Robot, controlling such a gunboat was not a challenge for Mia. She could even manage and control the weapons more precisely than the built-in mecha servants. ¡°Target found, locking¡­¡­¡± As Mia spoke, the screen before her showed the view of the nearby Modheim, and quickly, one area after another was locked. Then¡­¡­ ¡°Fire~~!¡± The next moment, several Hellfire missiles whistled out and flew forward. No one but Duanmu Huai knew what was happening. Many people didn¡¯t even see the harbinger of destruction, a smoke-trailing monster that had plunged from the sky, because for them, merely focusing on the Ratmen in front of them was already a challenge. Therefore, when the violent explosion and fire rose from the ground, everyone was dumbfounded. The Hellfire missile is a kind of air-to-ground missile with a solid fuel core and a high-explosive warhead, primarily used against armored units. Logically, this is not suitable for dealing with Ratmen ¨C after all, they rely more on numbers rather than quality, and their armor doesn¡¯t require these missiles that can prate star tank armor. But Duanmu Huai was not merely nning to eliminate these Ratmen. ¡°Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom!!!!!¡± A series of fires erupted around the temple. In the intense explosion, the dpidated houses were blown to smithereens. The ground also sted apart, creating a deep crater. With continuous bombardment, these craters connected to form a U-shaped moat that seemed to envelop the temple. However, the moat was filled with raging mes, not water. Yes, this was Duanmu Huai¡¯s goal. Killing Ratmen was meaningless, and they were better at tunneling underground. Therefore, the best way to stop the Ratmen¡¯s attack was to directly prevent them from tunneling into the temple. Nothing could hinder the Ratmen¡¯s further actions better than a moat over ten meters wide filled with impassable fire. Of course, bombing a city might not be a good idea, but since the city was already in this state, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t worried about mistakenly bombing innocent civilians. However, clearly, others didn¡¯t know this. When they saw the fire rising from the ground, the earth trembling as if it were the end of the world, everyone was shaking. But when they saw the Ratmen being blown to bits by the fire and bombardment, retreating one after another, these people started shouting ¡°Praise Sigma¡±¡­ thinking that they had escaped disaster thanks to the protection of a deity¡­ Whatever, anything goes. Anyway, after the bombing, the Ratmen retreated in disarray, other forces remained stationary, either paralyzed with fear or nning something else. Regardless, the crowd could finally rx a bit and rest for a while. ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai walked onto the terrace and sat down, looking at the Modheim before him. Ogis was beside him, the doll-like girl had returned to her original look and was reading a book under the light. Even Feiya had calmed down a lot ¨C she had previously charged into the group of Ratmen, ughtering them before she was surrounded and pierced through the heart by their swords, killing her instantly. It seemed to have somewhat satisfied her. Merlot asked Duanmu Huai to open the door back to the Holy City, saying that she felt the current weapons were not enough to fight the enemy. She nned to ask Kukulu to upgrade them a bit. Meanwhile, Lorena was helping treat others, after all, many people were hurt in the previous Ratmen attack. As a priest of the Holy Church, she naturally wouldn¡¯t ignore these people. Duanmu Huai was not worried about Lorena¡¯s safety since the ughter Puppet was covertly monitoring her. However, all the Ratmen they killed barely gave any experience¡­¡­ Looking at the experience bar before him, Duanmu Huai heaved a sigh. Star Ocean Online game design does not encourage yers to grind monsters, so the experience gained from killing monsters of the same or lower level is very small. Only ying monsters above their level would give a bit more experience. This is to avoid yers exploiting loopholes. After all, if they could grind monsters, they could simply control a warship in low orbit and find a popted area for orbital bombardment. That would essentially amount to gaining experience without lifting a finger. Based on Duanmu Huai¡¯s current level, finding enemies of the same level on this would require facing the elites and leaders of each power, and even higher, the demons ¨C but avoid challenging these types of enemies if possible. ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump!!¡± Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps were heard. Duanmu Huai turned to look and saw Lorena running onto the terrace. Seeing Duanmu Huai, her eyes lit up. Chapter 86 - 69 God Gives Blessings?_2 Chapter 86: Chapter 69 God Gives Blessings?_2 ¡°Thank goodness, Sir Knight, you are here, things went awry! The reinforcements arrived!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the arrival of reinforcements a good thing?¡± Of course, Duanmu Huai had seen the reinforcements, he just couldn¡¯t fathom why Lorena looked like that when the reinforcements arrived. ¡°No, there are people from the Sigma Church amongst the reinforcements, they say they want to arrest and execute those three nuns!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. He was well aware of the conflict between the Sigma Church and the Nun Association. As he had previously mentioned, the Two-tailed Comet had destroyed Modheim, and the Rock Monastery had suffered the least damage. As a result, the Sigma Church had dered the nuns of the monastery as heretics. They had even fallen out with General Pastte over this issue and did not participate in the temple defense war ¨C technically, purifying the temple should have been their job. And now these people came here just to cause trouble? Although Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t particrly acquainted with thebat nuns, they had fought together, and their purification of the temple clearly did not mark them as heretics. Now the Sigma Church stirred things up as soon as they arrived, probably wanting to benefit from the situation¡­ Damn, howe there¡¯s so much trouble from the start? ¡°Let¡¯s go and check it out.¡± With that, Duanmu Huai got up and walked into the temple. When he arrived at the Temple Hall, he saw that the threebat nuns had been tied up by the soldiers and were kneeling on the ground. In front of them stood a senior man d in a bishop¡¯s robe, standing behind the preaching podium in the middle, ring at the nuns. ¡°You have desecrated the temple! You have disobeyed the doctrine! You have fallen into heresy! Now, I dere, in the name of Sigma, you will be executed!¡± ¡°Wait.¡± However, just as the old bishop was about to announce the verdict, Duanmu Huai strode out from the crowd. Upon seeing Duanmu Huai, the old bishop was taken aback. ¡°What, what do you want to do? I warn you, this is a church trial, no one is allowed to interfere!¡± ¡°No, I just want to ask you a few questions.¡± ¡°Questions?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Duanmu Huai stared at the old bishop and began to inquire. ¡°From what you said, are thesebat nuns all heretics deceived by Chaos?¡± ¡°Exactly! When the Disaster Comet descended, they were the least affected, so we have ample reason to believe they may have colluded with an Evil God, submitting to him, falling into heresy.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Upon hearing that, Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°In that case, is there a problem with the purification of this Sigma Temple?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you insist they are heretics, then they cannot possibly receive Sigma¡¯s approval, naturally unable to purify the temple. So ording to you, the purification of this temple should be a sham? Therefore¡­¡± Duanmu Huai made a gesture. ¡°I hope you can remove the curse of the heresy and purify the temple again.¡± ¡°Impertinent!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the old bishop bellowed out in fury. ¡°We will, of course, purify the temple again, but not now! The most important task now is to eradicate the heresy! As for the purification, it can be done tomorrow!¡± ¡°No.¡± Duanmu Huai walked up to the old bishop and red at him. ¡°The most important thing now is to purify the temple. If thesebat nuns are heretics, then the purification of the Sigma Temple is a hoax, and there may be a trap. Are you telling us to spend a night in a temple cursed by heresy? Who will take responsibility if something happens?¡± Upon hearing that, the soldiers were in an uproar. Indeed, if all that the old bishop said was true, and the threebat nuns were indeed heretics, they could not possibly purify the Sigma Temple. This means that the temple may still be hiding some kind of insidious and deadly curse, and logically, shouldn¡¯t the most important thing now be to remove the curse? Once the curse is removed, the usation of thebat nuns being heretics would be proven, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± The old bishop also noticed the gazes of the people around him at this moment, his color fading instantly. But very quickly, he stared fiercely at Duanmu Huai once more. ¡°This is none of your business! This is the church¡¯s internal affairs! You dare to question the church, it is like questioning the deity! Do you also want to be branded as a heretic?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.!!¡± Upon hearing this, everyone else was taken aback except for Duanmu Huai, who remained calm. ¡°Questioning the church is like questioning the deity?¡± He quietly took out the War Hammer and stared at the old bishop. ¡°The church is just the deity¡¯s servant, and yet you dare to put the church and the deity on par?¡± ¡°You¡­¡­¡± ¡°You are being disloyal¡­¡± Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze, the old bishop turned pale. However, at this moment, something unexpected happened! The statues on both sides of the temple suddenly emanated a dazzling golden light, and this golden light directly hit Duanmu Huai. In the next moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s War Hammer suddenly emitted a bright golden light, and simultaneously, a giant apparition appeared behind him! It was the figure of Sigma, the founding emperor of the empire, worshiped by the Sigma Church! Seeing this, almost everyone fell to their knees involuntarily, whereas Duanmu Huai looked confused. He nced at the Thunder Warhammer in his hand, and soon enough, a system prompt appeared before his eyes. [Thunder Warhammer (melee, two-handed, heavy strike)] [15% chance to cause enemies to explode upon death, inflicting area damage equal to 50% of their Life Value (can umte)] [Each attack has a 6.9% chance to cause a knockback effect] [Sigma¡¯s Blessing: Each attack will umte ayer of holy damage attribute] Sigma is showing himself? What the hell? I¡¯m not his follower, why is he contacting me? Looking at the information in front of him, Duanmu Huai was momentarily stunned. However, when he looked at the old bishop, whose face was as pale as a sheet, he seemed to realize something and was taken aback. The deity descends, it wouldn¡¯t be just for show! So there¡¯s only one answer left!! Realizing this, Duanmu Huai rushed forward in a few strides, stretched out his hand to grab the old bishop and lifted him up. Then he reached out with his other hand, grabbed the robe on the bishop¡¯s body, and tore it forcefully! ¡°Crackle!!¡± The bishop¡¯s robe was torn to pieces, and his shriveled body was exposed to everyone¡¯s sight. If it were a beautiful girl, it would indeed be a lovely view, but unfortunately, a shriveled old man¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t draw anyone¡¯s interest. But the point was not there ¨C it was the myriad symbols and signs on the old man¡¯s body! The most eye-catching of which was the mark on his chest, an open eye and a palm! Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes were fixed. ¡°Withered Eye, you are a follower of the God of Trickery!¡± Chapter 87 - 70: A Change in Situation_1 Chapter 87: Chapter 70: A Change in Situation_1 Upon discovering that the elderly bishop was a devotee of the Evil God, the situation took an immediate turn. The soldiers quickly restrained and detained the bishop, their faces awash with shock¡­ Never did they expect the bishop of Sigma Church would be a follower of the Evil God. A Witch Hunter immediately volunteered to interrogate the elderly bishop. The three Combat Nuns, of course, were released ¨C now that it was clear that the bishop himself was an Evil God Cultist, the validity of his words was straightforward. The fact that the elderly bishop was an Evil God Cultist didn¡¯t surprise Duanmu Huai. He knew that followers of the Four Great Evil Gods each had their own domains. The Brutal God¡¯s followers were essentially warriors with brains full of muscles. The followers of the God of Lust tended to concentrate in the realm of culture and entertainment, such as writers, artists, and students of the Humanities and Arts. Although the God of gue can be considered altruistic, its followers were primarily among the lower sses and those in the fields of biology and medicine. If a biologist were to produce a T-virus iming it has the potential to cure diseases, there would be no doubt that he or she was a follower of the God of gue. The God of Trickery¡¯s believers, however, took the upper route, and most of them were powerful elites and spellcasters. They had a knack for turning simple thingsplicated, much like those bored murderers in Conan, who liked arranging fake scenes, inventing killing methods, even adding mechanisms ¡ª¡ª whether they were useful or not wasn¡¯t the point; the critical thing was to make things extraordinarilyplex. If you made it too simple, you shouldn¡¯t even call yourself a Trickery believer; it¡¯d be embarrassing to admit. Hence, the appearance of any Trickery follower signified multyered, intricate, and twisted conspiracies behind them ¡ª¡ª regardless of whether they actually seeded or not. This old man in front of them was a high-ranking bishop in Sigma Church. The infiltration of the God of Trickery was not surprising, but¡­the problemy precisely there. ¡°The interrogation is over.¡± At this moment, the Witch Hunter appeared before Duanmu Huai and muttered in a low voice. ¡°What did you find?¡± Looking at the Witch Hunter in front of him, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and always hiding his face under a turban, Duanmu Huai asked. He trusted this Witch Hunter, who was essentially a localized version of a Judge. They could cooperate well in this area. ¡°He is a member of The Hand of Uzi. His mission here this time was to secretly take over themand of the Imperial Army and then seize control of Modheim. As for what is to be done next, he doesn¡¯t know. If sessful, The Hand of Uzi will send people toplete subsequent assignments.¡± ¡°Mysterious indeed, a typical move for these idiots.¡± When he heard this, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly. ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± ¡°Report to General Pastte truthfully, let him worry about it.¡± Facing the words of the Witch Hunter, Duanmu Huai immediately made his decision. He had dealt with the followers of the God of Trickery for more than a day or two and naturally knew how to handle these bastards. The moment you discovered the conspiracy of the God of Trickery and nned to intervene, you unwittingly stepped onto their chessboard. This was like you trying to find hidden treasure in a castle; the moment you tried to unlock the secret, you¡¯d already lost. So what should he do then? Why not just turn the castle upside down? Against Trickery believers, you can¡¯t y their game. Just flip the chessboard and hit them straight. Once you join their game, regardless of whether you win or lose, you¡¯re still lost. That¡¯s why Duanmu Huai immediately handed over the hot potato. As for how General Pastte will handle it, that¡¯s his business. Of course, there was a possibility that General Pastte himself was a Trickery believer, but¡­based on his previous behavior, Duanmu Huai doubted whether the God of Trickery would have been impressed by him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± The Witch Hunter spoke solemnly, and Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t have much to say. After all, it was an important matter. They couldn¡¯t casually send a lower-ranked soldier to report it, could they? General Pastte¡¯s reaction was much faster than Duanmu Huai had expected. After learning of the situation, he followed the Witch Hunter to the temple overnight. Therefore, Duanmu Huai, yawning uncontrobly, had to attend another emergency meeting held by General Pastte. ¡°I¡¯ve already been informed of the situation.¡± Inside the room, under the candlelight, General Pastte looked very serious. ¡°Who else knows about this?¡± ¡°At least the people here know¡­ What is the issue?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Facing Duanmu Huai, General Pastte frowned, but in the end, he still spoke. ¡°Actually¡­ this time¡¯s n was persuaded by the people of Sigma Church to His Majesty The Emperor, thus we came to reim Modheim¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­..¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai gave a meaningful ¡°oh¡±, suddenly understood what General Pastte meant. The Witch Hunter also snorted coldly and said. ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that The Hand of Uzi has been trying to rece the Emperor and control the Empire. Even the sudden death of the previous Emperor has something to do with them¡­¡± Speaking to this part, the three people present understood what it means. Sigma Church convinced the Great Crown Prince to dispatch people to reim Modheim, and the senior representative in the Sigma Church is a follower of the God of Trickery. Then is the Great Crown Prince also a believer of the God of Trickery? After all, the throne he is currently sitting on is not very stable, it¡¯s possible for him to seek help from the Evil God. Compared to the unremarkable gue God and the mindless Brutal God, the God of Trickery is a better choice. Connecting this together, could the sudden death of the Emperor on the expedition be the doing of the followers of the God of Trickery? Thinking deeper, it could be that the Great Crown Prince has joined hands with The Hand of Uzi, this cult of the Evil God¡­ Well, there is no need to think further. ¡°I¡¯m surprised, I thought you would kill us to silence us.¡± Duanmu Huai looked at General Pastte with some surprise, although there is currently no evidence that the Great Crown Prince has anything to do with The Hand of Uzi and the God of Trickery, there is also no evidence of his innocence. He had originally thought that General Pastte would deal with them covertly while the matter had not escted. ¡°I am an Imperial General and a follower of Sigma, perhaps I¡¯m not so devout, but I¡¯ve not stooped so low as to fraternize with the Chaos Evil God.¡± Pastte stroked his beard and spoke firmly. Of course, for his words¡­ Duanmu Huai just listened. ¡°So, what should we do next?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can be done.¡± Pastte shook his head. ¡°I must take Modheim, that was a direct order from His Majesty The Emperor.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°My family is in Aldorf.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai immediately understood why Pastte, after learning about this, came directly to discuss it with them. ¡°So you mean, let us suppress this matter?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand His Majesty The Emperor¡¯s temper well, he would never admit to being deceived by the followers of the Evil God, even if he knows there¡¯s a problem, he will still persist. And¡­ frankly speaking, I have no other way.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai and the Witch Hunter looked at each other, then Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well then, after all, we have no other clues for now. Let it be for a while, after all, reiming this city and liberating it from the hands of Chaos isn¡¯t a bad thing. As for the problems it may have¡­ we¡¯ll deal with them when the timees.¡± Deal with soldiers if theye, fight the water if it floods. However, Duanmu Huai would rather the Great Crown Prince have connections with the Chaos Evil God. In such a way, when he tries to steal the Holy Artifact, he won¡¯t have any guilt. As for now¡­ Let¡¯s wait and see. Chapter 88 - 71: Gods Selected Mission_1 Chapter 88: Chapter 71: God¡¯s Selected Mission_1 After that, Pastte publicly dered that Archbishop Sigma was an Evil God Cultist, who had fallen into Chaos and was attempting to deceive everyone with his smooth words. He then executed him. He also indicated the mission would continue and would thoroughly investigate the army for any Evil God Cultists. Everyone didn¡¯t have any objections to this ¨C at least for most of the soldiers, this was enough. After that, under the leadership of Duanmu Huai and the Witch Hunters and other squads, they all came together and captured the city hall and the marketce, just barely securing a base for the headquarters. Perhaps it was because they had hit hard previously that they didn¡¯t encounter any obstacles this time. Apart from some short-sighted Ratmen who dared to cause trouble, all other forces held their armies in check temporarily. However, for Duanmu Huai, the troublesome matters were just beginning. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that it woulde to this¡­¡± In his room, Duanmu Huai stared at the system in front of him and sighed helplessly. [God¡¯s Chosen Mission ¡°Sigma¡¯s Glory¡±] [Mission Objective: Recover Modheim] [Return this city to the glory of Sigma and show to the world its divine protection!] Regarding this mission, Duanmu Huai only wanted to say one sentence ¡­ Oh man ¡­ this is really troublesome! To the people of this world, being chosen by God is a very glorious thing. However, for the yers who acted as Judges, God¡¯s chosen missions were very troublesome. That¡¯s because most of God¡¯s chosen missions were long,plex, and those gods were unclear about their own identities. Perhaps the people of this world admired them, but the yers wouldn¡¯t really worship them as gods. Taking a step back, the Judges would only be loyal to order and not to any specific god. If it was a Judge from the Heretic Tribunal, they wouldn¡¯t swear loyalty, not directly crushing these heretic false gods would be considered a tolerance. Of course, God¡¯s chosen missions also had their benefits. Almost every God¡¯s chosen mission would reward special talents and skills, exclusive weapons, equipment, and even grant you some followers. These were quite useful for other Judge professions, but for the Soul Walker, these mission rewards were somewhat insignificant. After all, for things like these, Duanmu Huai could easily gain a heap of them by diving into the Soul Shard. Just like the exclusive skill and reward he obtained afterpleting the mission in the Holy City, they were no worse than those from God¡¯s chosen missions, were they? Therefore,pared to these long and stinking God¡¯s Chosen missions, Duanmu Huai preferred the kind that said: ¡°I don¡¯t know where I am, I don¡¯t know who I am, all I know is I want to kill happily.¡± Enough said, just do it and it¡¯s over. But now that he had epted the mission, what more could Duanmu Huai do? However, there was one thing that caught Duanmu Huai¡¯s attention. This mission was not triggered after he arrived in Modheim, but after Sigma¡¯s Holy Light shone on his body and blessed him. It now seemed that the Great Crown Prince and Sigma had the same goal, but the system only confirmed Sigma¡¯s mission and ignored the Great Crown Prince¡¯s mission ¡­ Well, this was interesting. But that¡¯s also good, since you¡¯ve assigned me a mission, then it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to take some of your holy artifacts as payment, right? Well then, I won¡¯t be shy. Duanmu Huai turned off the system, left his room, and walked out into the square. After regaining the market square, it became the temporary camp for the Imperial Army. The entire market square was a great za, surrounded by shops built in a circle around it. A statue stood in the middle, probably a statue of some noble who initially built the city. At this moment, the soldiers were running in circles around the za. Of course, this was not unusual, the unusual part was the small figure in a white robe running at the front. That was none other than Lorena. At this moment, she was running swiftly around the market square with her fists clenched. The soldiers following Lorena were all out of breath and dripping in sweat¡­ yes, their expressions reminded Duanmu Huai of his ssmates during the long-distance marathon runs in his Physical Education sses. ¡°Ah, Sir Knight!¡± After running anotherp, Lorena finally noticed Duanmu Huai, she smiled and waved at him, then ran over. Seeing Lorena leave, the soldiers immediately copsed on the ground like a pile of mud, unable to move at all. ¡°Such a, such a monster ¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s run a hundredps already ¡­ Is she even human?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do it anymore ¡­¡± The soldiers¡¯ints were heard here and there, but at this moment, a man who appeared to be the captain stepped forward. ¡°What a useless bunch! A group of grown men and you can¡¯t outrun a little girl! If you still have energy toin, then you¡¯re not working out hard enough! Get up and keep running!¡± ¡°Argh ¡ª¡ª¡ª !¡± Amidst the sobbing and wailing of a group of soldiers, Lorena arrived in front of Duanmu Huai. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be affected at all.¡± Looking at Lorena who was just slightly blushing and panting slightly in front of him and then at the nearly zombie-like soldiers who couldn¡¯t get up behind him, Duanmu Huai could onlyment with emotion. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay working out like this?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Lorena nodded vigorously. ¡°If we get injured, it would make the gods sad, so we have to work hard to keep fit and stay healthy! And our efforts will surely be seen by the gods!¡± ¡°Ah¡­well, keep up the good work.¡± Admittedly, Duanmu Huai was left speechless by Lorena¡¯s logic. He could somewhat understand her train of thought. In factpared to those believers who kneel down all day praying for the deity¡¯s mercy, this kind of thinking seemed much healthier. Assuming, of course, you can withstand doing five hundred push-ups and throwing punches every day. ¡°Ah, right. Sir Knight, Miss Merlot was looking for you earlier. She said the Archbishop has something to discuss with you.¡± ¡°Something?¡± Hearing Lorena¡¯s message, Duanmu Huai was taken aback for a moment, then he nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go have a look.¡± After chatting with Lorena for a bit, Duanmu Huai returned to his room. He instructed Ogis (who was reading) not to let anyone disturb him, then he opened the gateway to the Holy City and returned there once again. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Necessarily, the feeling of being back in the Holy City was truly wonderful. Looking at the clear blue sky, lush green grasnd, bustling crowd in the streets, and the clean city, it did stir a desire to stay here forever. As far as living standards go, the Holy City was much better than Modheim, a ce cursed and shrouded in evil filth, gloom, and oppressive clouds. ¡°Ah, Sir Knight!¡± ¡°Sir Knight, long time no see!¡± Everyone on the street greeted Duanmu Huai warmly, as he walked on the road. They were no longer as fearful of him as they had been. After all, he had saved their city and all the inhabitants knew it. Even though Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor looked somewhat intimidating, everybody was still happy to greet him. Duanmu Huai greeted everyone with a nod while making his way to the Cathedral to meet the Archbishop. ¡°I heard you wanted to see me?¡± Looking at the Archbishop, Duanmu Huai curiously asked. ¡°Indeed, Sir Knight, I have a pressing matter to discuss with you.¡± Before Duanmu Huai was a woman with long, wavy tinum hair, dressed in an elegant white dress. She was Relia, Archbishop of the Cathedral. Duanmu Huai did not know her intimately but had spoken to her briefly after the fighting had ended. She had somewhat made an impression on him as dedicated and professional clergy. However, they weren¡¯t particrly close, so Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t sure why she wanted to see him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the Mechanical Believers.¡± Relia looked slightly somber¡­ Well, Duanmu Huai could understand her woes to some extent. After all, having your followers deceived by a devil was nothing to boast about. ¡°We have examined all the Mechanical Believers. Most of them have been misled by Iver, with only a few choosing to follow him on this path of destruction. We have purified them thoroughly¡­ hoping their souls find redemption.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai wanted to express his condolences, but thought better of it given the circumstances, and held his tongue. However, what Relia said next took Duanmu Huai by surprise. ¡°As for the rest of the Mechanical Believers¡­ Can I entrust them to you, Sir Knight?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡± Undeniably, when Duanmu Huai heard this, he was taken aback. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°After Iver¡¯s scheme was exposed, these believers found themselves lost. If the road they have been walking on was just a part of the devil¡¯s n, they wouldn¡¯t even know how to proceed. Especially¡­as they have sacrificed a lot for it.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I understand.¡± Reflecting on his encounter with the Mechanical Believers in the church, Duanmu Huai nodded in agreement. Many of them obeyed the teachings of the Mechanical Religion to the point where they even reced their arms and legs with machinery¡­ This was indeed a huge sacrifice. At the time, Duanmu Huai joked about leading them to worship the God of All Machines and bing Mecha Servants. But¡­ ¡°Why me??¡± Duanmu Huai expressed his confusion. He didn¡¯t even know members of the Mechanical Religion! ¡°When they were lost, they saw you. They believe they have found a new path through you¡­ I hope you can talk with their representatives.¡± Offering this exnation, the Archbishop nced at Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor. The meaning behind her gaze was all too clear. ¡°Um¡­alright, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai was left speechless. As the current master of the World Fragment, he was indeed obliged to manage the affairs within it. If all else fails, he¡¯ll convince them to be Mecha Servants. Chapter 89 - 72: Imagination MAX_1 Chapter 89: Chapter 72: Imagination MAX_1 Truth be told, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t inclined to mess with such a mess. After all, the term ¡°Mechanical Religion¡± sounded a smidge¡­ Well, you know. But since the Archbishop had made it sound so important, he would¡­ give it a try. Upon receiving Duanmu Huai¡¯s agreement, Relia pped her hands. Then, Duanmu saw a priest walk in from outside¡ªthe one Duanmu and hispanions encountered when they visited the Mechanical Religion before. The one whose entire body had been transformed into a Terminator. But at the moment, his facecked the solemnity and calm he¡¯d had before. Instead, he looked haggard, as if he had been up ying games for several days and nights without sleep. ¡°Greetings, Sir Knight.¡± The priest walked up to Duanmu Huai, bowed, and lowered his head. ¡°What do you wish to discuss with me?¡± Duanmu looked curiously at the priest. He himself didn¡¯t believe in any religious faith and knew absolutely nothing about the doctrines of the Mechanical Religion. If this priest intended to have a theological discussion with him¡­ well, he¡¯d rather skip it. ¡°I merely wish to ask you a single question, Sir Knight.¡± The Steel Father lifted his face and stared at Duanmu Huai, scrutinizing the Power Armor he was wearing. ¡°May I ask, why did you don this Armor of Steel? What is your goal?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve misunderstood something, Father.¡± Duanmu didn¡¯t beat around the bush; he simply told it as it was¡ªhe really didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°First off, I don¡¯t have any particr attachment to this contraption. I do notprehend your thoughts, nor do I understand your doctrines. For me, this Power Armor is merely a means for me to achieve my goal. I need to maintain order and eradicate Chaos. I need power, and it gives me power. It¡¯s that simple¡­ I¡¯m sorry if you were hoping to hear something more profound. I simply can¡¯t provide it.¡± Initially, upon hearing Duanmu¡¯s response, the Steel Father seemed a tad disappointed. But as Duanmu continued, the priest¡¯s expression gradually changed. He stared intensely at the Power Armor Duanmu Huai was wearing and murmured to himself. ¡°¡­Purpose¡­ means¡­¡± As he muttered to himself, the Steel Father lowered his head again. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai awkwardly exchanged nces with the Archbishop, unsure of what to say next. However, at that moment¡­ ¡°I understand! Sir Knight!!¡± Suddenly, the Steel Father lifted his head again. His face no longer disyed the previous despair and dejection. Instead, it radiated excitement and fanaticism. ¡°Erm¡­¡± Understood what? Duanmu was totally baffled by the Steel Father¡¯s reaction. He didn¡¯t understand the mindset of these clergy. Their imaginations seemed to run wild, making it hard to guess what they could have gleaned from his words. However, the Steel Father shifted his gaze to the Archbishop with an ecstatic expression. ¡°I understand now! Our thinking has strayed from the correct path. We are servants of the Deity, we should serve him and protect the people! Instead, we¡¯ve been indulging in trivial matters. As the Knight said, whether it¡¯s training or modification¡ªit¡¯s all just a means to a better serve the Deity! But we lost sight of this, solely pursuing the limit of modification¡­ That¡¯s wrong!¡± The Father then turned back to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Sir Knight, thank you for your teachings. Indeed, the most profound truths are always hidden in the most simple of words¡­. Thank you for helping me realize this and find my direction!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ um¡­ you¡¯re wee¡­ that¡¯s¡­ good I guess¡­¡± Listening to the Father, Duanmu was utterly disoriented. The way the man¡¯s imagination had run wild was mind-blowing. He¡¯d only uttered one sentence, and yet the priest had drawn so much from it. You¡¯d surely score full marks on a readingprehension test¡­ The Steel Father appeared to have had a revtion and hurriedly left. Duanmu, realizing that he wasn¡¯t wanted anymore, bid the Archbishop goodbye and left as well. Later, Duanmu discovered that the followers of the Mechanical Religion had undergone an epiphany of sorts after the Father¡¯s exnation. They had made up their minds to use their power of steel to serve the Holy City and its people. They founded an organization called the ¡°Holy Army¡± to patrol Holy City and maintain order, assisting the public whenever possible. They even asked Duanmu to serve as the honorarymander of the Holy Army¡­ but that¡¯s another story. As Duanmu left the cathedral, he saw the clergy milling around. He had to admit that the Cathedral Church, as a religious organization, had a ¡°mighty martial virtue.¡± Its clergy, whether male or female, were all fighters. The male priests and fathers were burly and muscr, their priest robes fitting them like tight clothes. While the women looked small and cute, the long swords, spiked clubs, and war hammers they carried showed a stark contrast to the image of the clergy themon people usually had in mind. In fact, even the followers of the Mechanical Religion didn¡¯t stray far from their doctrines. ording to them, no matter how much humans train their bodies, there was a limit. Machines could easily outperform flesh and blood, and through dedication and sacrifice, they could reaffirm their faith in the Deity. Humans have limitations, so¡­ they quit being humans! That¡¯s why dealing with these believers was so tricky. ¡°Sir Knight.¡± When Duanmu Huai exited the church, a voice called out to him. Duanmu turned and saw Merlot standing quietly at the door, straight as a sentry. ¡°Oh, Merlot, what¡¯s up?¡± Duanmu wasn¡¯t as familiar with Merlot as he was with Lorena. He knew that Merlot was apparently from a military background, with her every move marked by a soldier¡¯s discipline. Usually, she was quiet, only silently following everyone around as a guard should. For someone like her to suddenly hail him like this, it couldn¡¯t simply be a greeting. ¡°Yes, there are some matters I¡¯d like to discuss with you, it¡¯s about the Puppet Zone¡­¡± Merlot didn¡¯t beat around the bush, but concisely exined the issue. After listening, Duanmu Huai finally understood why she had sought him out. It was about the Puppet Zone. It was said before that the Puppet Zone existed due to the Mechanical Religion. Now, with the Mechanical Religion gone, there was no point in the Puppet Zone¡¯s existence. Moreover, the puppet that caused the killing incident in the Holy City was created by a puppet master from the Puppet Zone. As a result, many people there were deeply worried, not knowing if they would face any punishment or be driven out of the Holy City¡­ They heard that Duanmu Huai would be responsible for the members of the Mechanical Religion, so Kukulu specifically sought out Merlot to ask her for help in asking what would be in store for them next. ¡°The Puppet Zone, huh¡­¡± After listening to Merlot¡¯s exnation, Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment. It had to be said that the technical experts in the Puppet Zone were truly exceptional. When Duanmu Huai went to the Puppet Zone with Merlot, although he only had a brief look, it still left a deep impression on him. For Duanmu Huai, he wanted the Puppet Zone to continue existing, as their technologies were considerably useful. The Soul Fragment World was a projection of the main world, and the humans here essentially couldn¡¯t grow further. However, they could create other things, such as the Mechanical Soldier and Creaturess created by Sky City, and the puppet created by the Puppet Room. Duanmu Huai also hoped that the Puppet Zone could continue to exist, so they could create some new Soul Cards for him¡­ which mighte in handy at some point. However, there were some things he needed to rify first. ¡°Merlot, you¡¯re very familiar with the Puppet Zone, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you take me to a doll shop? I want to speak with a puppet technician to ask some questions.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Though she didn¡¯t know what Duanmu Huai wanted, Merlot still agreed to his request and took him to arge shop located in the center of the Puppet Zone. Various wooden dolls were disyed in the shop¡¯s ss showcase. Duanmu Huai followed the Merlot into the shop, then she pressed the bell on the counter. Soon, a voice rang out from behind the counter. ¡°Wee!¡± Duanmu Huai peeked, and saw a 10 year-old boy wearing a uniform standing behind the counter, he was struggling to climb onto a chair. Once he sat down, he greeted Merlot. ¡°Oh, Merlot, what brings you here today?¡± ¡°I brought someone along. Sir Knight wants to ask you some questions.¡± As she said this, Merlot turned to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Sir Knight, this is puppet technician Baddy, his skills are amongst the best in the Puppet Zone.¡± ¡°Among the best?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai looked doubtfully at the young boy in front of him. ¡°But, he just looks like a child.¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± Hearing this, Baddy immediately stood up from the chair, and angrily¡­ still had to look up at Duanmu Huai. ¡°I am not a kid! I may be older than you! You brat!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Mr. Baddy is a dwarf.¡± At this point, Merlot exined. ¡°¡­A dwarf?¡± Looking at the boy in front of him, who looked just like a ten-year-old, thenparing him to the walking, bearded beer casks he had encountered before, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but think¡­ wasn¡¯t there too much of a disparity? ¡± ¡­Yes, boy, what do you want with me?¡± Baddy was clearly dissatisfied with Duanmu Huai seeing him as a child, and sat down furiously. Duanmu Huai thought for a moment, and then spoke. ¡°I want to¡­ see how the puppets are made.¡± ¡°¡­Huh???¡± Chapter 90 - 73 Ordering_1 Chapter 90: Chapter 73 Ordering_1 Although unsure of what Duanmu Huai was up to, Baddy agreed to his request and brought him to the workshop to start making puppets. ¡°Generally speaking, there are two types of puppets made by puppet technicians. One is rtively simple, while the other is moreplex. The simple ones are mainly controlled by the Puppeteer Master through threads, while theplex ones can perform some autonomous actions.¡± While exining, Baddy picked up his tools and began to make the puppet. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the simple ones before, but I¡¯m quite curious about how the autonomous puppets are made.¡± Duanmu Huai had seen the first type of puppet, such as Ogis¡¯s Guardian Puppet, which she controls with her thread. It¡¯s the autonomous puppets that he found it hard toprehend. Although Duanmu Huai had used these puppets more than once, he really couldn¡¯t figure out the principle behind them. Mechanical soldiers were actually easier to understand since they are rted to machinery and have an essential core circuitry. But what about the puppets? ¡°Other than aplicated internal structure, there¡¯s no significant difference.¡± ¡°What about the materials?¡± ¡°Well, most of them are made of wood. Of course, some are made of steel and other special materials, but that¡¯s mainly for special purposes.¡± As Baddy answered Duanmu Huai¡¯s questions, he didn¡¯t stop working. Duanmu Huai watched his hands moving quickly over the workbench, carving a piece of wood into the limbs and body of a puppet in the blink of an eye. Then Baddy assembled some gears, brackets, and springs, then put them together¡­ soon a puppet took shape. Next, Baddy took out a key, inserted it into the back of the puppet, turned it a few times, then Duanmu Huai saw the puppet open its eyes and slowly raise its head. It lifts its head, looks at Baddy and talks. ¡°Hello, master.¡± Seeing the awakened puppet before him, Baddy nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Well, it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, would you?!¡± At this point, Duanmu Huai finally couldn¡¯t hold back. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that how it¡¯s done? Didn¡¯t you see everything?¡± ¡°All I saw was you stuffing a bunch of parts into this puppet¡¯s body?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, so I said, the autonomous puppet is a bit moreplex. If it¡¯s a puppet that¡¯s manipted, you only need to build the limbs and then assemble it.¡± ¡°No¡­ but¡­ ¡± Duanmu Huai knew that pure technology could sometimes achieve some miraculous things, such as wooden oxen and horses, and clockwork puppets that could walk on their own. The ancient craftsmen¡¯s skills were also quite magical. But even if the things they made could move, they were only repeating actions ording to certain rules. However, the puppet Baddy just made can not only walk and talk, but it can also obeymands. This is clearly at the level of a robot, isn¡¯t it?! Where¡¯s its information processing center? Does this thing not have a core?? ¡°Can I take a look at the materials?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Duanmu Huai got up and came to the workbench, carefully inspecting each material. A spring¡­ a regr spring. Gears¡­ regr gears. The other parts were also just simple metal parts. He went back to the newly made puppet, opened its belly, and saw the gears inside constantly turning, driving the rotation of the spindle. Duanmu Huai also carefully inspected its head ¨C besidesponents controlling eye movement and speech, there was nothing else inside. ??? What the hell is this technology? Duanmu Huai waspletely dumbfounded. He really couldn¡¯t understand this thing¡­ where was the power source? Where was the information processor? Why could it obey others¡¯mands and have its judgment? Why could it speak without a sound device? This is not scientific at all! But it¡¯s very magic-like. With this in mind, Duanmu Huai and the dwarf technician had another conversation, which eventually resolved some of his questions. Simply put, this ¡°autonomous puppet¡± can act independently to a certain extent, but that action is dependent on what the creator designs them for, such as a ¡°sales-specialized puppet¡± or a ¡°guard-specialized puppet¡±. These puppets will carry out autonomous actions within their assigned duties. However, if you ask them to dance or cook, they will respond by saying, ¡°I do not possess those functions¡±. As for the issue of ¡°letting puppets possess a sense of self¡±, Baddy gave Duanmu Huai a whole exnation. Simply put, it is indeed a very important topic among puppeteer masters, much like how there are always people researching robots in order to develop ones that are identical to humans. There are currently only two viable methods. One is to take someone¡¯s ¡°soul¡± and insert it into a puppet. Although it turns the human into a puppet, these types of puppets can be controlled. However, most people clearly would not choose this method. On one hand, it goes against moral ethics, and on the other hand, this method is prone to problems. The other method is much simpler and can be summed up in one word: enchantment. That¡¯s right, if the puppets in this world are used for a long enough time, they will gradually develop and awaken their self-consciousness, eventually bing a puppet with a heart and full consciousness. However, this typically requires at least a century to happen and a favorable environment for the puppet. Otherwise, even if you create a puppet and leave it in a box for hundreds of years, it wouldn¡¯t change. In the end, Duanmu Huai gave up on understanding puppet-making techniques. However, seeing the puppets Baddy had made set something off within. ¡°Since you can make moving puppets, what about animals?¡± ¡°Of course, I can.¡± ¡°Then¡­ can you make me a mount?¡± ¡°A mount?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, Baddy was stunned. He looked Duanmu Huai up and down, then had an epiphany echoed on his face. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes, a mount that I can ride.¡± Since the other party had figured it out, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t need to keep it a secret any longer. He indeed currently needed a mount. The two-wheeler he had before could also run, but it was made to human proportions. Riding it felt as awkward as an adult riding a child¡¯s bike, so he abandoned it after only one use. But now, seeing that Baddy could make puppets, and remembering the mechanical dog he saw running in the puppet zone before, Duanmu Huai was suddenly inspired. Indeed, given his stature, finding a suitable mount was no easy task. But¡­he could make one himself! Of course, Duanmu Huai himself can¡¯t make one, but he canmission one! ording to Merlot¡¯s introduction, Baddy is the best puppet technician in the puppet zone, creating a mount should not be a problem, right? ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Baddy crossed his arms, scrutinizing Duanmu Huai. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but it¡¯s going to take a lot of material¡­¡± ¡°Money is not an issue.¡± Duanmu Huai seemed unaffected, after all, the Archbishop had rewarded him with arge sum of money that he hasn¡¯t spent yet. If he could get a warhorse that matches his size, it would be worth it! ¡°Alright!!¡± Hearing this, Baddy pped his hand. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve received such amission. Do you have any particr requirement?¡± ¡°It needs to be fast, agile, and strong¡­ and make it look good.¡± ¡°Good looking?¡± ¡°Yes, appearance is important.¡± Given his size, Duanmu Huai no longer had much hope for change. He decided to focus on the appearance of his mount. If he could make a unicorn or Pegasus, wouldn¡¯t that look much more presentable? It must be said, Duanmu Huai¡¯s request was a bit unexpected for Baddy, but he nodded in agreement nheless. ¡°No problem! Leave it to me!¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯m counting on you.¡± Hearing Baddy¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai rxed. This could be considered a productive visit. Chapter 91 - 74: Undercurrent_1 Chapter 91: Chapter 74: Undercurrent_1 After reserving a mount from Baddy, Duanmu Huai returned to Modheim. The transition from a beautiful tourist area to a filthy slum was indeed unpleasant. ¡°Did anyonee looking for me?¡± Duanmu Huai stepped out of the portal and asked Ogis, who was quietly reading at the table. After thinking for a moment, she nodded. ¡°General Pastte sent someone to inform us that a meeting will be held this afternoon.¡± ¡°Then I will go and have a look.¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the time, caressed Ogis¡¯s head, then turned around and left the house. He arrived at General Pastte¡¯s headquarters ¨C after the market area had been recaptured, General Pastte started using the city council as his base of operations. As the infrastructure was still more or less intact, it wasn¡¯t much trouble to set up here. When Duanmu Huai entered the city council hall, he immediately saw General Pastte and representatives of severalbat groups. There was also a new face ¨C a woman dressed in heavy armor, who was the head of the Rock Monastery, and a high nun. After the previous archbishop was exposed as a cultist, she joined the ranks as a representative. Everyone weed her, as it was indeed more convenient to have a local on board. ¡°You¡¯re here, Steel Warrior.¡± Upon seeing Duanmu Huai, General Pastte nodded and greeted him. ¡°Perfect timing, we were discussing the next operation.¡± ¡°The next operation?¡± Duanmu Huai walked to the table and looked at the map of Modheimid out. ¡°Yes, with the help of thebat nuns from the Rock Monastery, we now have a preliminary understanding of the current situation in Modheim.¡± As he spoke, General Pastte pointed to the map. ¡°From what we can see, the followers of the Evil Gods have each upied a part of the city ¨C the followers of the God of Lust are entrenched in the Aristocratic District, while the followers of the Brutal God are in the Military District. And as for the slums, which were smashed by aet, they have now be the gue God¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°But the situation is quite serious now.¡± At this point, the high nun also interjected. ¡°ording to the information we have obtained, these believers all want to establish a transmission gate based on Modheim to open the way to the Demon Realm, in order to gain the favor and blessings of their insane gods. They are currently collecting dimension stones in the city for this purpose.¡± ¡°This is really¡­¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. The so-called dimension stones were actually fragments that had fallen when theet hit. These stones possessed mysterious and powerful abilities and could be used for a variety of purposes. And the cultists of Evil Gods in this city apparently nned to use these Dimension Stones as a medium to open a portal to the Subspace. These believers are beyond redemption. ¡°Before you arrived, the Chaos Believers in this city were not only trying to build a transmission gate but alsopeting for Dimension Stones. The followers of the Brutal God even tried to exterminate all the other people in the city to use them as sacrifices to open the portal, but they didn¡¯t seed. They had a fight with the followers of the God of Lust, the gue God¡¯s believers and the Ratmen, and they all ended up severely weakened. That¡¯s why the other forces didn¡¯t target the Sigma Temple earlier on.¡± Well, as expected of the followers of the Brutal God, their loyalty takes quite a twisted form. They deserve a medal for their dedication. Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t surprised by this. In general, in the chaotic war of the Chaos Army, the Brutal God and its followers could be considered as half-allies of the yers. ¡°However, due to our arrival, these forces have now elerated the construction of the transmission gate.¡± Well, that¡¯s bad news. ¡°So, our next step is to defeat these cultists of the Evil Gods and destroy their ritual?¡± ¡°More or less, but there¡¯s one more thing we need to do before that.¡± General Pastte extended his hand and pointed at the map. ¡°What we need to do first is to regain control of this bridge and crush the Ratmen ¨C Our scouts have discovered them poisoning the river. If this continues, even our drinking water will be a problem.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the slums be prioritized?¡± In Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, the slums are the biggest threat because that¡¯s where theet fell, and it is also where the followers of the God of gue were operating. Although the rats are annoying,pared to the God of gue, the Ratmen¡¯s threat is not as substantial. ¡°We can¡¯t do it.¡± When ites to this topic, General Pastte also furrows his eyebrows, shaking his head. ¡°The area where theet fell is filled with a terrifying and strange power. Anyone entering it would feel sick or even be ill or mutate. In fact, besides the followers of the God of gue, no one can survive in such a ce.¡± No wonder, after all, the God of gue loves all sorts of mutations. But looking at it this way, the radiation level in the slum should be off the charts. ¡°Then, I will go check the slum.¡± Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai put forth his suggestion, which surprised everyone who heard him. ¡°Can you do it?¡± ¡°Sure, my armor can resist that kind of power, and my subordinates won¡¯t be affected.¡± The Judgement Court Power Armor that Duanmu Huai was wearing is capable of allowing his body to break through the atmosphere, it has first-rate radiation resistance. As for Lorena and Merlot, in a strict sense, they are both considered to be manifestations, and thus they won¡¯t be affected by radiation at all. This goes without saying for Ogis and Feiya ¨C radiation no matter how strong has no effect on wood. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± General Pastte let out a sigh of relief. To be honest, the slum is indeed a problem, but even soldiers do not dare to approach it casually, and they don¡¯t have many good solutions. Now that Duanmu Huai has volunteered to investigate, ites as a great relief to him. However, at this very moment, dozens of meters underneath their feet, a group of bizarre shadows was rapidly darting through a series of tunnels. ¡°Rare stone! Rare stone! Rare stone!¡± A ratman angrily waved his spear around, letting out shrill screams. ¡°Human stuff! Bad stuff! Obstructing the Combat Group¡¯s bad stuff! No rare stone! Lord unhappy! Need more rare stones! More! Human stuff! Bad! They want to exterminate the ratmen! They want us to go extinct! Ratmen tly refuse! Seize the rare stone, and we will be the most powerful Combat Group! The very best Combat Group!¡± Apanying the ratmen¡¯s screeching, the other ratmen also started to raise their heads. ¡°Iron Skin Ghost! Terrifying Iron Skin Ghost! Can¡¯t win! Thick iron skin! Can¡¯t kill him! Human¡¯s Iron Skin Ghost is very powerful!¡± On hearing this, the leading ratman stamped its feet in frustration, but it was helpless. Thanks to their strength, ratmen indeed imed a part of Modheim. However, this doesn¡¯t help much, because the pieces of theet have almost all fallen on the surface, and if the ratmen want to get the Dimension Stones from the other forces, they have no choice but to fight. But, after several battles, they suffered heavy losses. For this ratman n, this was initially an opportunity for them to improve their status, but now, they have been dragged deep into a quagmire. In particr, the terrifying Iron Skin Ghost brought unimaginable fear to the Ratmen. des can¡¯t pierce him, arrows can¡¯t break through, and poison is useless. Whenever the Iron Skin Ghost swung hisrge hammer, several of their brethren were turned into bloody pulp¡ªbones and flesh alike¡ªsmashed into tiny bits! Even their internal organs! They were indistinguishable! ¡°Screeeeeee!!!¡± Just as the ratmen were venting their dissatisfaction in rage, a burst of rapid footsteps suddenly echoed. A scout rat quickly emerged from the other end of the tunnel, pointing excitedly behind him. ¡°Big rare stone! The scout rat found it! A big, big rare stone! Very big!¡± ¡°Big rare stone?¡± Upon hearing the scout¡¯s report, the ratman in the lead brightened. ¡°Good thing! Let¡¯s go immediately! Dig out the big rare stone!!¡± Chapter 92 - 75 Unexpected Discovery (11 Books Will Be On Shelf Tomorrow)_1 Chapter 92: Chapter 75 Unexpected Discovery (11 Books Will Be On Shelf Tomorrow)_1 Early the next morning, Duanmu Huai led the others out of the camp, preparing to start the investigation in the slum. The road to the slum was difficult to traverse. After all, this ce was originally a slum. Just imagining that, you would know what kind of ce this would be ¨C an endless array of low houses, none of whichplied with building regtions, all the houses were crammed together, leaving only enough space for one person to pass through. It was like being in the crowded carriage of a tram during rush hours. Advancing in such a ce was clearly no easy task. This was why General Pastte did not include the slum within his attack scope. The radiation that filled the ce was already troublesome enough, not to mention these endless clusters of houses, which posed the greatest obstacle. ¡°This won¡¯t be an easy task. How are you nning to proceed?¡± Pastte stood beside Duanmu Huai, frowning as he stared at the slum not far ahead. Honestly speaking, simply looking at thisbyrinth-like slum was enough to make his head ache. ¡°It¡¯s very simple.¡± Duanmu Huai responded, then opened themunication channel. ¡°Mia.¡± ¡°Yo~Master, is there something you need?¡± ¡°Carpet bomb the location I¡¯ve marked for you. Just blow up everything there.¡± ¡°Understood~~~¡± Mia¡¯s voice retained its casual andid back tone. She was, after all, introduced as a home-use robot from Sky City¡¯s amusement park; perhaps her tone was programmed that way. After issuing the order, Duanmu Huai held up his War Hammer. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Watching Duanmu Huai¡¯s actions, General Pastte was puzzled. However, the next moment, he heard a whistling sound descending from the sky. ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªBoom!!!¡± Then, the sound of explosions rang out. One st after another swallowed the entire slum, and the immense shock wave instantly turned the low houses into debris. Seeing this, General Pastte and the apanying soldiers were all stunned, with many even dropping to their knees, pressing their faces to the ground and loudly praising the miracle of Sigma. Even Pastte himself was half-kneeling down, his right hand on his chest, looking at Duanmu Huai. ¡°My God, he truly is the chosen one of Sigma! He is the spokesperson for Sigma!¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care about what these people were thinking. He just kept raising his War Hammer to guide the bombing target, while checking the system prompts. [Chaos Believers took 100 points of bombardment damage] [Chaos Believers took 150 points of bombardment damage] [Chaos Believers deceased] [You gain 15 experience points] [Chaos Believers took 30 points of ssh damage] So why bother fighting these people? Just blow them up and be done with it, right? Watching thebat system information shing in front of him, Duanmu Huai seemed rather calm. This was a privilege of the yer. After all, for the people in this world, they won¡¯t know who they¡¯re fighting against. But for the yer, a single AOE strike would usually make everything here clear. Even if they can¡¯t win, at least they would know what¡¯s there. But soon, he found a special system prompt among the rest. [Scout Ratman took 50 points of explosive damage] [Scout Ratman took 85 points of impact damage] [Scout Ratman deceased¡­..] ¡°Hmm?¡± Seeing these messages, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. Ratmen too? Though considering Ratmen are as ubiquitous as cockroaches, it¡¯s not that surprising. Besides, Duanmu Huai also found some other strange things. [Mutated Griffin took 120 points of explosive damage] [Mutated Wild Boar took 90 points of impact damage] [Mutated Cockroach took 35 points of explosive damage] There really is a bit of everything in this ce¡­¡­ Compared to the Ratmen and Chaos Believers, these mutated beasts obviously stood up to the onught better. Some even disappeared halfway through the beatdown ¨C presumably, they dug into holes and ran off somewhere. [Mutated Griffin deceased] [Ratman took 180 points of explosive damage] [Mutated Cockroach deceased] [Chaos Believers took 75 points of ssh damage] [Sacred Relic Box took 30 points of explosive damage] ¡­¡­¡­¡­Hmm??!! ¡°Stop, stop, stop!!!¡± An abnormal system prompt swept in front of Duanmu Huai, which, luckily, he didn¡¯t miss. He hastily dropped the War Hammer and asked Mia to stop bombing. Soon, the bombing stopped, and Duanmu Huai was staring at the system prompt in front of his eyes in surprise. A Sacred Relic Box? How on earth did it get here?! The so-called Sacred Relic Boxes were possessions of the ancient Human Empire. They contained powerful sacred relics from different eras. Some of these even included legacies from the Dark Age and the Golden Age! After the Human Empire was destroyed due to the ckhole Project, these Sacred Relic Boxes disappeared without a trace. And now, I¡¯ve found one here?! Damn, this is good stuff!! Originally, Duanmu Huai had only wanted to check the situation in the slums, but this unexpected discovery altered his ns ¨C he had to get this Sacred Relic Box at any cost! You should know that the sacred relics inside the box were unique and diverse. Apart from a small number of symbolic relics, all other relics had terrifying cosmic powers. If this box ended up with the Chaos Believers, the Ratmen, or any other riffraff, the threats this world would face would be no different from the Apocalypse. With these thoughts in mind, Duanmu Huai gripped the War Hammer, raised his head, and issued hismand. ¡°Move out!!¡± After the bombing, the roads in the slums became much easier to navigate. The low, dpidated houses that had once been obstacles were now reduced to rubble. Crumbling houses had copsedpletely, merging with therge craters on the ground. As for the mutated beings or Chaos Believers that might have been hiding in the houses, they were nowhere to be found ¨C only the asional charred, fragmented remnants suggested they had once been there. ¡°Sir Knight is truly impressive.¡± Following behind Duanmu Huai, Lorena couldn¡¯t help but admire him as she looked at the ttened slums. She knew a thing or two about Duanmu and his powerful metal bird that could fly in the sky. But she hadn¡¯t realized it had such terrifying destructive powers. ¡°It¡¯s useful indeed, but the cost of its usage is troublesome.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. The Night Raven ck Star didn¡¯t have many missiles left. He¡¯d have to find more sacred relics and use the Void Barrack to manufacture and store weapons again. Althoughcking a Mecha Servant was a headache, he might be able to ask the technicians in the Puppet Zone for help, or perhaps order some more puppets¡­ Nevermind, let¡¯s secure the Sacred Relic Box first. Luckily, upon discovering the location of the Sacred Relic Box, Duanmu Huai stopped the bombing right away, allowing him to narrow down the box¡¯s location to the heart of the slum ¨C where theet had initially hit. It wasn¡¯t surprising, as a Sacred Relic Box wouldn¡¯t be found on this. Unfortunately, when Duanmu Huai arrived at the destination, he found they weren¡¯t the only ones there. At the center of the crater created by theet, a group of small creatures was chattering around a translucent green crystal-like object. Oh well, only the Ratmen, cockroach-like creatures, would appear in such a situation. ¡°Take them out!¡± Duanmu Huai would absolutely not allow the ratmen to obtain the Sacred Relic Box, no matter what was inside, it would be disastrous if it fell into the hands of the ratmen! Duanmu Huai leaped up, as the jetpack on his back spewed out a stream of air, he shot high into the sky. Then, raising his left hand, he aimed at the mass of ratmen below. Following that, an explosion of fire. ¡°Boom!!!¡± A violent explosion suddenly erupted among the ratmen. Those who were jumping and screaming around the crystal seemingly didn¡¯t realize what was about to happen, and they couldn¡¯t react when the explosion urred. Soon, the intense sonic waves swept through the entire group of rats. They staggered around like drunken men, seemingly clueless about what they should do. But the answer from Duanmu Huai, who was descending from the sky, was about to be delivered swiftly. ¡°Thud!!¡± The massive War Hammer ripped through the air in a beautiful arc before smashing heavily onto a ratman¡¯s head, easily squashing it into a bloody mess. The frail body of the ratman couldn¡¯t withstand such a violent attack, distorting under the intense impact, then its body began to expand ¡ª¡ª then burst open like an explosive. With one swipe of his hammer, Duanmu Huai smashed a suit of ratmen at once. At the same time, the others alsounched an attack on the ratmen. ¡°Ogis!¡± As Duanmu Huai swung his War Hammer, trying to smash as many ratmen into the ground as possible, he nced at Ogis and issued amand loudly. ¡°Take that green stone and the box inside it away! Quick!!¡± As soon as Duanmu Huai got close to the explosion center, he spotted the Sacred Relic Box sealed within a Dimension Crystal. He didn¡¯t know whether it was intentionally sealed into the ground by someone or it had fallen inside due to some reason. Just a moment ago, the Dimension Crystal was bombed open by an aerial attack, revealing a corner of the Sacred Relic Box, perhaps that was why the damage report was issued. But now, what Duanmu Huai needed to do first was to get hold of the Sacred Relic Box, there was no benefit in entangling with these ratmen here. ¡°Yes! Master.¡± Having heard Duanmu Huai speak, Ogis immediately reached out. A sh of cold light, and the next moment her silken lines wrapped around the massive Dimension Crystal that was two to three meters tall. Then, Ogis mustered her strength and pulled, yanking the Dimension Crystal from the ground as easily as picking a radish. However, almost at the same instant, the ground began to churn, and then a giant Mouse Troll burst out from underground, roaring as it pounced towards Ogis. Damn it! These rats are really good at hiding things underground, why don¡¯t you try hiding a Thunder Beast! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was infuriated. He roared, charging directly towards the Mouse Troll, and then, the two collided. ¡°Thud!!¡± The towering figure in Steel Power Armor collided with the Mouse Troll, causing even the ground to tremble. Even the Mouse Troll couldn¡¯t withstand the impact from the Judge, whimpering as it fell backwards. Then, Duanmu Huai raised his War Hammer, and forcefully smashed it onto its head! ¡°Thud!!¡± However, at the exact moment Duanmu Huai¡¯s War Hammer crashed onto the Mouse Troll¡¯s head, perhaps because of the previous bombing, the ground around him suddenly cracked. Immediately after, Duanmu Huai and the Mouse Troll plunged down, falling into the dark pit! Chapter 93 - 76: Entering the Underground_1 Chapter 93: Chapter 76: Entering the Underground_1 ¡°Crash!!!¡± The ground copsed, and Duanmu Huai and the Mouse Troll fell together into the deep pit. The Mouse Troll howled as it plunged into the abyss below, while Duanmu Huai quickly activated his jetpack to stabilize his body. Looking down, under the re of the searchlight, he saw dozens of sharp stctites in the depths of the cave, pointing directly at him. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡ª¡± Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai instinctively took in a cold breath, then watched as numerous Ratmen wielded pickaxes, desperately racing towards another tunnel. ¡°Iron Skin Ghost! Iron Skin Ghost! Iron Skin Ghost can fly! So scary!¡± You sted beasts! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai became livid, anger rising from his heart, fear gripping him. These damnable Ratmen dared to use such a vicious n against him! Would he stand for anything less than killing off these bastards?! With this thought, Duanmu Huai clenched his War Hammer and quickly switched the direction of his jetpack, rapidly rushing towards the Ratmen! ¡°Iron Skin Ghost! Iron Skin Ghost ising!!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai charge towards them, the Ratmen shrieked, raising their spears directly at him. Yet, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t even dodge. He simply rushed into the Ratmen crowd, his War Hammer swinging out like a golf club, knocking all the Ratmen before him away. The spears held by the Ratmen broke as soon as they touched Duanmu¡¯s Power Armor, not causing any damage at all. ¡°Iron Skin Ghost! Iron Skin Ghost!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack was clearly terrifying to the remaining Ratmen. Screaming, they turned to run, disappearing into the depths of the tunnel in a blink of an eye. ¡°Humph, a bunch of useless lot.¡± Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, and then immediately activated a mental link to connect with Ogis. ¡°Ogis, how is the situation above?¡± ¡°No problem, master, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡­ I found the tunnel dug by the Ratmen over here. These bastards have really dug everywhere¡­¡­¡± Looking at the crisscrossing tunnels in front of him, Duanmu Huai clenched his jaw in a nonchnt manner. Honestly, Ratmen were his most despised enemy. After all, chaos believers are above ground, and you can blow them up if you get pissed off. But Ratmen like to dig underground. It¡¯s not like Dumanmu can blow up the entire¡­hmm? Upon this thought, Duanmu Huai suddenly came up with a brilliant idea. If he remembers correctly, isn¡¯t there a river that passes through this city center? Well¡­¡­ Duanmu Huai knew what to do. ¡°Master?¡± Perhaps because she had not received further instructions from Duanmu Huai, Ogis again asked, and Duanmu Huai snapped back to the situation at hand. ¡°Oh, sorry, Ogis, I was thinking about something. Let¡¯s do this; you cut open these Dimension Stones first, then take them out to the Combat Nuns from the Rock Monastery for sealing. As for that box, you take good care of it, I¡¯ll get it when I return. And, I need you to convey a n to General Pastte¡­¡± Just at this moment, Duanmu Huai suddenly turned around and reached out his hand to grab a Ratman that sprang out from the darkness. It was holding a poisoned dagger, iling around desperately. Duanmu Huai¡¯s left hand held the Ratman¡¯s head in a firm grip, and he slowly tightened his hold. Alongside Duanmu Huai¡¯s action, the struggle of the Ratman Assassin grew more wild, wildly swinging its dagger, leaving marks on Duanmu Huai¡¯s armoured sleeve without causing any damage; then Duanmu Huai gave a hard grip with his left hand. ¡°Squelch!¡± The next moment, the Ratman assassin¡¯s head was directly crushed by Duanmu Huai, turning into a puddle of mud, and the Ratman assassin¡¯s body twitched a few times before it stopped responding. It wasn¡¯t until then that Duanmu Huai tossed away the corpse of the Ratman assassin like trashing garbage. He was determined topletely eliminate these damned creatures. Duanmu Huai¡¯s solution was simple ¨C this city had a river, so why not divert the river water into the Ratmen¡¯s underground tunnels and drown them all? After all, Ratmen can only dig holes, they can¡¯t breathe underwater. Duanmu Huai initially thought General Pastte might hesitate, but after Ogis informed General Pastte, thetter readily agreed to Duanmu Huai¡¯s n and even offered assistance ¨C these were their canals they were going to st, didn¡¯t they care at all? Well, it seems they didn¡¯t care now. For Duanmu Huai, this was not a difficult task, he just had to send the Reconnaissance Servo Skull to scan the underground environment, thenpare it with the surface map, locate the river areas, open a channel by the side and guide the river water in. With his Power Armor, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t worried about getting drowned. But the Ratmen had no such gear, and Duanmu Huai was looking forward to seeing them drown alive in the water. That would surely be refreshing. Of course, General Pastte wasn¡¯t just sitting idly by. Duanmu Huai had heard from Ogis that General Pastte had dispatched Combat Groups and soldiers to the wharf area and the big bridge ravaged by the Ratmen, partly to recover these two areas, partly to distract the Ratmen andy the groundwork for Duanmu Huai¡¯s operation. Wasn¡¯t the General a little too easygoing? Although somewhat perplexed at General Pastte¡¯s actions, his willingness to cooperate was wee, so Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t think much about it and started his operation ording to his own n. Meanwhile, the Ratmen deep in the tunnels were still oblivious to the impending disaster. In fact, their chief was gnashing his teeth at the failure of this operation. ¡°Bad Iron Skin Ghost! Bad Iron Skin Ghost! Blocking the Combat Group¡¯s n again and again! He wants to exterminate Ratmen, he is a Bad Iron Skin Ghost! He must be killed!¡± Felchi, furiously stamping his foot, chopped off the head of a Scout who hade to bring news. In fact, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know that the Ratmen Combat Group hidden in Modheim had a personal connection to him ¨C this Ratmen Combat Group belonged to the Eysin n, and the trump card assassin of the Eysin n, Death Master Sines, had been chopped into pieces by Ogis during the previous underground battle with the dwarves. The Murder-Lord, having lost his reliable assistant, was furious, and the Ratmen below took the opportunity to make their move, trying to take up this position in the absence of Sines. That¡¯s why Felchi led the Ratmen Combat Group to Modheim, hoping to win his Lord¡¯s favor by collecting Dimension Stones, and make him the second Death Master. Unfortunately, his luck wasn¡¯t so good. As Felchi was raging, he received another piece of news ¨C humans were attacking the Ratman¡¯s strongholds at the dock area and the bridge. So, Felchi immediately found himself in a difficult decision. To lead his followers and repel the human onught, or to deal with the Iron Skin Ghost first, and then take care of these nuisances. Eventually, Felchi made a decision. ¡°Kill the human scum, ughter them! As for the Iron Skin Ghost, he can¡¯t leave the underworld! We will take care of himter!!¡± In Felchi¡¯s viewpoint, the humans attacking the strongholds were obviously more threatening. Though the Iron Skin Ghost was powerful, he was alone, and was in the dark underworld ¨C the Ratmen here had countless ways to kill him, and Felchi was even hoping to strip off and offer his Steel Battle Armor to the Murder-Lord, which would surely raise his own status further. In reality, Duanmu Huai, of course, had anticipated all this. If he had just arrived in this world, he indeed might not know how to handle such a situation. But now it was different, with the World Fragment, Duanmu Huai simply wasn¡¯t worried about getting trapped. If those damned rats were nning to trap and kill him underground, he could just open a teleportation portal straight to the Holy City universe when he felt things were going south, and then find another ce to leave. Each side was confident in their own n. But only one could ultimately emerge victorious. Chapter 94 - 77: Firepower is Justice_1 Chapter 94: Chapter 77: Firepower is Justice_1 Duanmu Huai was a man of action. After making a decision, he immediately left to make a trip back to the Holy City. Then, he went to the Puppet Zone and found the shop ¡°Spot On¡±. ¡°Wee to¡­¡­.. oh, Sir Knight, what can I do for you?¡± This cheerful greeting belonged to Kukulu, the shop owner. ¡°Do you have explosives here?¡± ¡°Explosives??¡± On hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, Kukulu paused momentarily. ¡°Yes, I am nning to st open a river course and need some explosives. They need to be powerful, and ideally for directional sting.¡± Duanmu Huai dared not use his own grenades. With their power, they could easily demolish half of a Ratman Tunnel. One wrong move, and the entire Modheim could copse. So, he decided to look for supplies in the Holy City¡ªclearly, Kukulu was a better choice. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­..¡± Kukulu was somewhat taken aback by Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, but after a moment¡¯s thought, she nodded in agreement. ¡°Of course, we have an explosion set for civil engineering works ¡­¡± It¡¯s a set meal? ¡°Then give me one set.¡± ¡°Alright, no problem!¡± Kukulu quickly went to the warehouse and brought out a sting set. It was a half-spherical metallic container that looked like a big bowl. ording to Kukulu, you just needed to attach the t side of the metal bowl to the wall, twist the screw at the top to secure it, and then light the fuse. Moreover, ording to Kukulu, her ¡°set meal¡± included a chain sting mechanism. In simpler terms, numerous packages of explosives were hidden inside the metal bowl, each enclosed by a metal shell. During the explosion, the first explosive would enter the sted hole due to the shockwave and cause a secondary explosion. This subsequent explosion will then push another new explosive deeper, enabling a simple and easy creation of a passage within the dense soil and rockyers. Well, in simple terms, it¡¯s like a modified version of firecrackers? It was definitely an interesting idea. Observing the empty gun shop, Duanmu Huai was suddenly struck by an idea. ¡°How¡¯s business here? Every time Ie by, there don¡¯t seem to be many customers.¡± Duanmu Huai recalled that there were hardly any customers during his previous visits. Even though Merlot was constantly working on adjusting the firearms in the shop, suggesting that Kukulu¡¯s technical skills were quite reliable, it seemed that the shop¡¯s business was not very good. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, Kukulu let out a bitter smile. ¡°Well¡­ as Sir Knight can see, Holy City is rather peaceful and there aren¡¯t many people who use firearms. So, our business isn¡¯t exactly thriving¡­¡± It does make sense. All the clergy from the Cathedral Church were close-quarterbatants, and most of the city¡¯s guards also predominantly used melee weapons. Moreover, the Holy City seldom encountered any danger, negating the need for additional weapons and ammunition. Hearing this, Duanmu Huai came up with a good idea. ¡°Have you ever thought about changing your job?¡± ¡°Changing jobs?¡± Kukulu seemed surprised by Duanmu Huai¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m currently in need of someone who can manufacture weapons and ammunition. If your skills are really good, I would like to hire you to work with me.¡± Duanmu Huai was currently in need of exchanging the Void Barrack and finding someone to manufacture weapons and ammunition. After all, it¡¯s thrilling to bomb, but it drains the inventory. He didn¡¯t n to manufacture Mecha Servants, but to use Puppets in ce of Mecha Servants for some automation tasks. However, more delicate tasks still require human intervention. It wasn¡¯t that Imperial standard ammunition wasn¡¯t good, but the reality was that Imperial standard equipment wasn¡¯t enough to confront Chaos, which is why the game let Judges travel to various worlds, adopt their strategies, and create their own technology trees and development directions. Judges¡¯ fleets in the game would also vary. There were fleets from Magical civilizations, from Mechanical civilizations, from both, and even some Judges who went against the grain and created Biological Fleets topete with Insect Races to see who was more terrifying. There were also some non-mainstream Judges, whether because of chuunibyo or other motivations, who created Ghost Fleets, each with different and powerful capabilities. For example, the Mechanical civilization fleets had high automation capabilities. Although Judges had an agreement not to create self-conscious AI, yers were no less than rats in exploiting loopholes. They created automated machines for different duties, basing their design on assembly-line factory production, and were very skilled at amassing an army. The fleets from Magic civilizations performed exceptionally in Subspace Resistance, even being able to long-distance travel without a Star Torch. Although there weren¡¯t many fleets from Magic civilizations, their quality was incredibly high. One fleet could match thebat power of several ordinary fleets. The Biological Fleet was simply a replication of the Insect Race. yers would integrate some kind of biological matter with their warships to create Biological Fleets. Duanmu Huai had also witnessed this, but frankly, he couldn¡¯t ept the walls covered with slippery muscle tissue, the sensation of stepping on skin and teeth, and the eyeballs rotating everywhere, making the space akin to a nightmare. However, the firepower of a Biological Fleet is indeed powerful, and most importantly, they could strengthen their team on the battlefield by devouring other prey on-spot. As long as you can bear the peculiar aesthetical style of a Biological Fleet, then it¡¯s eptable. Of course, Duanmu Huai thought that as long as most people have normal aesthetics, they wouldn¡¯t be able to ept it. The Ghost Fleet also had its unique strengths. Most importantly, like the Biological Fleet, it could replenish its strength on the battlefield. However, the Ghost Fleet did not depend on devouring organisms, but on seizing souls¡ªyes, the Ghost Fleet would seize the souls of those who were killed in wars and add them to their own fleet. Although the Ghost Fleet could be powerfully stronger this way, it was equally first-rate in attracting hostility because the Evil Gods also needed those souls. The Ghost Fleet was essentially grabbing food from a tiger¡¯s mouth and would naturally provoke the hostility of the Evil God and Chaos Legion. But for yers, it¡¯s mandatory to bring along a Ghost Fleet duringbat, otherwise, after all the trouble, they couldn¡¯t just sit by and let their enemies grow stronger, right? At the moment, Duanmu Huai still hadn¡¯t decided which type of fleet to mainly upgrade. However, he wouldn¡¯t miss out on talented individuals. Being invited to join by Duanmu Huai, Kukulu was somewhat surprised, but she still indicated that she would discuss it with her sisters before making a decision. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai returned to the underground tunnel with the explosive kit. With the help of the Reconnaissance Servo Skull, the underground environment was clear. Upon opening the map andparing the underground to the aboveground environment, Duanmu Huai quickly picked a target area ¨C a tunnel that goes under the river. From the location, it seemed this was a tunnel dug by the Ratmen after they got underground, between the piers and the riverbank, for them to shuttle back and forth. These creatures that burrow everywhere are indeed annoying. But soon, they would be utterly destroyed. Following the map, Duanmu Huai arrived at the side of the underground tunnel. Fortunately, perhaps considering the need for the Mouse Troll to move around, the hole made by the Ratmen was high and wide enough. Otherwise, considering his physique, Duanmu Huai might have difficult time squeezing in. ¡°This is the ce¡­¡± After catching his breath, Duanmu Huai lifted his head to look upward. At the moment, he was under the river, and turbulent water flowed above him, although he couldn¡¯t sense anything here. He reached out, took the explosive kit he got from Kukulu, and pushed it upwards. Afterward, Duanmu Huai took a deep breath, grabbed the screw-like handle protruding from the top, and then heard a ¡°bang¡±. Immediately, four nail-like objects shot out from the corners of the kit and firmly embedded itself in the ceiling. ¡°Alright, let me see, I remember I need to hold here and light the fuse¡­¡­¡± Now, let¡¯s just look forward to the grand spectacle. Meanwhile, under the bridge, the soldiers led by General Pastte wereunching an assault against the Ratmen in cooperation with thebat corps. To the city of Modheim, the bridge connecting the east and west sides was certainly a critical location. If they could capture the bridge, it would prevent Chaos Believers¡¯ further actions and confine them to the western part of the city, signifying half of the mission to reim Modheim was aplished. But it was not an easy task. ¡°Where has that blockhead run off to?¡± The Imperial Captain swung Longsword, fending off the approaching Ratmen, whileining. Honestly, he had hoped that Duanmu Huai would fight side by side with them here, which would lessen his burden. However, to his surprise, Duanmu Huai had gone into the slums, and ording to the report of his subordinates, that big fellow seemed to have fallen underground? Was he dead? Even though the Imperial Captain felt that wearing such terrifying armor, hardly anyone could kill him, there was still a limit to how powerful a person could be. That guy couldn¡¯t fly after all. If he¡¯d fallen into a deep pit several tens of meters deep, he may have already turned into a pile of scrambled meat. ¡°Don¡¯t lose focus!¡± At this moment, the voice of General Pastte suddenly sounded from the side. Hearing his words, the Imperial Captain gritted his teeth and resumed his charge. The Ratmen on the bridge were already cleared out but those in the hole under the bridge pier were still resisting desperately. The Imperial Captain really didn¡¯t want to fight the Ratmen in the cave, which was dark and narrow, and those Ratmen were adept at using poison¡­.. ¡°Pfft¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± As if to fulfill the bad premonition of the Imperial Captain, the surrounded Ratmen suddenly took out several round bottles from behind and threw them at him. The round bottle shattered upon hitting the ground, and the green liquid inside it turned into dense fog, filling the entire tunnel. ¡°Uh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªeh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The pungent and nauseating stench hit him in the face. Just by smelling this, the Imperial Captain felt a sudden darkness before his eyes. ¡°Retreat, retreat¡­¡­!! Uh¡­¡­!!¡± The group almost scrambled out of the hole until they smelled fresh outside air, giving them some relief. ¡°God, that was disgusting¡­¡± The Imperial Captainined while looking into the cave. The Ratmen had taken advantage of the stench to escape. ¡°General, we should stop here. We don¡¯t have any experience fighting Ratmen in a tunnel!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Hearing the Imperial Captain¡¯s words, General Pastte frowned. However, just then¡­. ¡°Thud¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± A dull noise suddenly echoed, leaving everyone startled. They all looked around in surprise, trying to determine the source of the noise. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Where did the noisee from?¡± ¡°It seems to be from underground¡­¡± ¡°Thud¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The noise sounded again, this time everyone clearly heard iting from underground. ¡°Could it be those rats are up to something again?¡± Hearing this, the Imperial Captain¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°General, it¡¯s too dangerous here, we should move to a safer ce¡­¡­¡± ¡°Boom!!!¡± Before the Imperial Captain could finish speaking, suddenly, apanied by a loud noise, everyone saw the water in the river ahead exploding open. Immediately, the turbulent river water began swirling downward, revealing a huge vortex! Chapter 95 - 78 Gravity Gloves_1 Chapter 95: Chapter 78 Gravity Gloves_1 The howling river water sprayed into the tunnels through the breach, instantly sweeping the whole tunnel. The Ratmen had not anticipated this to happen, their shrieks echoed as they scattered in all directions, but just as Duanmu Huai had expected. Perhaps the Ratmen could excavate intricate underground tunnels, but that didn¡¯t mean they could breathe underwater like fish. So, when the raging river came, all the Ratmen could do was shriek and run for their lives. ¡°Run! Run!!¡± Felchi desperately moved his legs, running deeper into the tunnel. Behind him, the ferociously roaring river chased him like a savage beast. Those slower Ratmen had already been swept up by the tide, their screams fading away without a trace. Now, only Felchi was left, still sprinting with all his might. However, despite speeding up, the sound of water was getting closer and closer. To the Ratmen, the usually safe tunnel had be the road to hell. Everything was dim in front of Felchi, he didn¡¯t even know if he was running in the right direction. But he didn¡¯t want to die here. He wanted to live! To be a powerful leader of the Combat Group, to be a Lord!! ¡°Ssh!!¡± A powerful impact came from behind, Felchi felt his body being smashed to the ground as if by an enormous invisible hand. Before he had the chance to get up, the surging river engulfed him. ¡°Gurgle gurgle!!¡± Felchi struggled desperately to break free, but when he opened his mouth, the icy water poured in, making him almost unable to breathe. He waved his hands forcefully, but all he could see were fleeting afterimages. The next moment, Felchi¡¯s head was smashed hard against the wall by the current. Next, the Ratman lost consciousness and disappeared into the depths of the dark tunnel with the river¡­ ¡°What¡¯s going on??¡± Looking at the sight before him, the Imperial Captain was dumbfounded. Moments before, a massive whirlpool had formed in the middle of the river, the water pouring inward. The Imperial Captain and his troop saw the Ratmen, embedded under the fog of poisonous gas, running away. Everyone did not harbor sympathy for the Ratmen. They immediately pulled out their weapons and struck them down. Only after this did they realize that the entire tunnel had been flooded. ¡°It seems the n was sessful.¡± Seeing this, General Pastte seemed quite calm, while the Imperial Captain frowned. ¡°Your Excellency, what n?¡± ¡°Oh, it isn¡¯t much of a¡­ ¡± ¡°Roar!!¡± However, when Pastte was about to exin to everyone, suddenly a huge hand sprang out from the water, grabbing the shoreline. Seeing this, the soldiers were startled and pulled out their weapons while retreating. Then, they saw a huge shadow break out of the water and arrive on the shoreline. ¡°Is it you?¡± Seeing the Steel Knight covered in water nts, the Imperial Captain was quite surprised, while Pastte chuckled. ¡°Hahaha, it looks like your n went quite smoothly.¡± ¡°Not too bad, I was originally worried about something going wrong, but it seems like it was a sess.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded. After sting the hole, he climbed up through it. Despite the pressure from the surging river water being quite substantial, the Judge¡¯s Power Armor isn¡¯t for nothing, after all, it is used in space warfare. If it couldn¡¯t even withstand this little torrent, that would be embarrassing. ¡°With this, it¡¯s like we have eradicated a major internal threat.¡± General Pastte also seemed very pleased. Although this means the underground of Modheim will be full of intertwined underground waterways, on the other hand, it also prevents the possibility of Ratmen digging tunnels again. Without the ability to burrow, the threat of the Ratmen is reduced by more than half, thus it can be considered aspletely driving the Ratmen out of Modheim. Not only that but they also sessfully reimed the dock area and the bridge. Moreover, Duanmu Huai¡¯s aerial bombing eliminated the mutated creatures and Chaos Believers from the slums. Looking at it this way, East City District has basically been fully recovered. The next step would be to eliminate the Brutal God and the God of Lust¡¯s followers holed up in West City District, then, all of Modheim can be deemed as fully reimed. ¡°I will immediately report this to His Majesty The Emperor. I¡¯m sure he is eagerly waiting for this news.¡± It appears that General Pastte has some skills. He knows how to report progress staggered over-time, gathering rewards incrementally. After all, if you only reported the remation of Modheim once, you would only receive one reward. But if you reported separately, ¡°we¡¯ve recaptured the East City District¡±, ¡°we¡¯ve recaptured the West City District¡±, ¡°we¡¯ve reimed Modheim¡±¡­ you may get three times the reward¡­ But there is an issue¡­ ¡°Um¡­ Steel Knight, can you please change the name of your Combat Group?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Facing General Pastte¡¯s request, Duanmu Huai looked at him with a teasing smile. ¡°I believe¡­ the exploits of your Combat Group, they deserve a better name. For example, Sigma des, or the Iron des are good choices¡­¡± ¡°Pink Little Bunny sounds nice.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ But His Majesty The Emperor¡­ ¡± ¡°Just call them Pink Little Bunny.¡± ¡°¡­Okay, I got it.¡± Seeing General Pastte¡¯s desperate capittion, Duanmu Huai gave a satisfiedugh. Otherwise, why would I use this name if not to see your reaction? 1 After that, Duanmu Huai returned to his camp, greeted the others, then took the Sacred Relic Box from Ogis¡¯s hand ¨C luckily, it wasn¡¯t damaged. However, just to be safe, Duanmu Huai took the box to a deserted ce, nning to open it slowly there. ¡°Hmm¡­ I hope there¡¯s something good inside.¡± Looking at the Sacred Relic Box before him, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know what might be inside. However, he could guess from the box¡¯s size and shape. Firstly, the box wasn¡¯t big, so it was unlikely to be a weapon or gun. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t heavy, so it could be some sort of ornament. I hope it¡¯s not something too troublesome. Duanmu Huai prayed silently as he opened the Sacred Relic Box ¨C each box has a certain unlocking order, but luckily, Duanmu Huai knew quite a lot about them and managed to open it smoothly. Just like in a puzzle game where you know the password in advance, there was no need to go on annoying exploration missions, just input the password directly to unlock. Inside the Sacred Relic Boxy a pair of ck mechanical gloves, resembling an exoskeleton. What are these? Seeing the mechanical object in front of him, Duanmu Huai let out a sigh of relief. If this was some sort of spiritual energy product, he would have to be careful. But a mechanical object¡­ at least it wouldn¡¯t be dangerous. Thinking this, Duanmu Huai reached out and picked up the mechanical gloves from the box. Very quickly, the system scan results appeared before his eyes. [Gravity Gloves (Rare Equipment): Area Weapon] [Consumes 3 Spiritual Energy to use] [Shock-Wave, Gravity Maniption, Electromaic Interference] 1 ¡°Oh, it¡¯s this.¡± Reading the introduction, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes lit up. The Gravity Gloves were a well-known piece of equipment to him. Not because they were particrly powerful (though they were indeed quite powerful), but because yers loved to use them as a tool for constructing buildings and bases in ¡°Minecraft¡±, which has be one of the standard usage methods. True to their name, the Gravity Gloves can manipte gravity once imbued with spiritual energy. Not only can they make objects levitate and umte structures just like in any construction game, but they can also be used to destroy buildings and vehicles, making them a standard piece of equipment for anti-building and vehicle purposes. Moreover, using them, one can even build fortresses or walls on a battlefield at the fastest speed. After all, it¡¯s yfully called ¡°Minecraft¡±. The only drawback is that the range of effect isn¡¯trge, only small-scale items are affected. But that¡¯s more than enough. Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai picked up the Gravity Gloves and installed them on the armor of his right hand. The steel exoskeleton quickly secured itself onto the outer side of his armored right hand, followed by a sh of light ¨C then the system disyed that the instation wasplete. Next, Duanmu Huai extended his hand and made a grasping gesture. In the next moment, arge chunk of earth and stone rose from the ground, slowly drifting to the other side under Duanmu Huai¡¯s guidance. With a slight movement of his finger, the irregr mound of earth transformed into a cubic block under the invisible pressure of gravity. Okay, next I¡¯ll build a wall here, then a roof¡­ Yes, I need toy the foundation here, and make a window, tidy up the ceiling¡­ Construction is indeed fun. It¡¯s no wonder that the yers who owned this equipment could build such magnificent cities. This does look pretty fun, doesn¡¯t it? ¡°Master, what are you doing?¡± Just as Duanmu Huai was having the time of his life, Ogis came over. She looked at him curiously and asked. ¡°Oh, Ogis, I¡¯m building a house. How do you think it looks?¡± Duanmu Huai lowered his hand and pped satisfactorily. Ogis listened to Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, looked carefully at the building in front of her, and gave a slight nod. ¡°Very beautiful, Master. Who are you building this tomb for?¡± 2 ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Let¡¯s go back.¡± I knew I wasn¡¯t a gifted builder. Chapter 96 - 79: Nightmare_1 Chapter 96: Chapter 79: Nightmare_1 Duanmu Huai had a dream, before him was a splendid pce. The carpet was soft andfy. Incense burners on the side emitted intoxicating aromas while vague beautiful music resonated in his ears. Looking up, he saw several appealing figures revolving around him. ¡°Sir Knight¡­¡± A woman approached Duanmu Huai, her breath as sweet as orchids. Duanmu Huai recognized her as one of the Combat Nuns he had met before at the Rock Monastery. Now, however, she was not wearing her usual robe but a transparent veil. Through the dim candlelight, her enticing body curves were discernible. Not just her, a few more Combat Nuns werenguidlyying on Duanmu Huai, faces flushed. Their eyes moist, their pale arms danced like snakes on Duanmu Huai¡¯s armor. ¡°You¡­you are our god¡­¡± ¡°We¡­ we are ready to dedicate¡­ everything to you¡­¡± The Combat Nuns whispered, leaning closer. The leading nun reached out her hand to remove Duanmu Huai¡¯s helmet, and then¡­ ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The next moment, the nuns retreated frantically with a terrified scream, the candles surrounding them extinguished simultaneously, and the music ceased. All was plunged back into darkness. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai opened his eyes, his expression somber. ¡°Master, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Ogis, sitting at the table reading by the candlelight, looked at Duanmu Huai, tilting her head inquisitively. As a puppet, she obviously didn¡¯t need to rest. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Answering Ogis¡¯s inquiry through gritted teeth, Duanmu Huai closed his eyes once again. This time, he didn¡¯t dream about anything, and slept until daybreak. However, Duanmu Huai was summoned to themand post not long after waking up in the morning. The Combat Nuns there had serious expressions. ¡°Last night, our sisters were plunged into a dark, depraved dream. We have reason to believe it was the work of the God of Lust. Not only that, but this morning we discovered one of our Sisters, who is also a high-ranking Spiritual Energy Prophet, has disappeared. We believe she may have fallen into the trap of the God of Lust and we need to find her and rescue her ASAP.¡± ¡°Do you know where she might have been taken?¡± ¡°The mansion of Earl Hadel in the Aristocratic District. The God of Lust is likely nning some evil ceremony, which is why he tricked our sister. We have to act immediately¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± General Pastte was somewhat hesitant about the Combat Nuns¡¯ request. After all, they had just regained the dock area and the bridge and eliminated the Ratman threat. ording to Pastte¡¯s n, he originally intended to wait for the supplies and soldiers to be transported over via water, reinforce the guards at the bridge, and then consider further actions. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Seeing General Pastte indecisive, Duanmu Huai volunteered. ¡°Can you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± This time, Duanmu Huai looked determined. He likely guessed what his dreamst night was about, but¡­ Goddamn it, were you scared off when you were halfway through your devious n? Is my face that terrifying? So terrifying you didn¡¯t even dare to seduce me? Do you really consider yourself the God of Lust?! What¡¯s the matter? Not into me? I gave you a chance and you wasted it. Wait and see how I smash your face until it¡¯s covered in flowers! Filled with rage, Duanmu Huai led his squad, together with the Combat Nuns, and they stormed the Aristocratic District. ¡°It feels like Sir Knight is in a bad mood today¡­¡± Watching Duanmu Huai shrouded in murderous intent, Lorena spoke to Merlot in a frightened whisper. Even though Duanmu Huai was intimidating, he was gentle on normal days, so Lorena and Merlot weren¡¯t particrly scared of him after getting to know him better. In fact, they found him quite friendly. Kind of like a bear in the zoo. They knew it was fierce, but they also knew it wouldn¡¯t hurt people. This was something they absolutely couldn¡¯t let Duanmu Huia find out. But today, Duanmu Huai¡¯s terrifying demeanor was like he was about to kill someone¡­ even though they were indeed heading out to kill¡­ Cough cough, no, that¡¯s incorrect. ording to the Holy Church, this would be called redemption and cleansing. The meanings werepletely different. Following the Combat Nuns, Duanmu Huai and his group arrived at the earl¡¯s mansion located in the Aristocratic District quite quickly. The mansion was luxurious, even though the exterior was destroyed, the interior was still intact. There was a round pond in the front yard, and the walls around were covered in rot from Chaos. Moreover, a light pink mist shrouded the mansion, casting it in a sinister pink glow. For some reason, looking at the scene, a familiar voice echoed in Duanmu Huai¡¯s mind. ¡°Underground clubs persist in spite of repeated prohibitions. Under dim lights, postures suggestive, our undercover reporters take a peek into the club¡¯s underbelly¡­¡± Can Ind a demon now? Oh right, I¡¯m the judge myself! Open up! Vice raid!! Even before the Combat Nuns gave instructions, Duanmu Huai kicked open the main door, gripping the Thunder Warhammer and stormed in angrily. ¡°Hehehehe¡­¡± Just stepping into the hall, Duanmu Huai heard a tempting chuckle. He looked up to see two beautiful women draped in revealing attire nking the front door, much like weing hostesses. They looked at the crowd with a softugh and sparkling eyes that held a myriad of emotions. In fact, even the Combat Nuns blushed slightly when they saw these women. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect so many guests. Would you care to join us in exploring the essence of joy?¡± One of the women extended her hand towards the group and spoke. At this moment, Duanmu Huai roared loudly. ¡°Shut up!¡± Along with his roar, Duanmu Huai red fiercely at the woman, whose face turned pale in response to Duanmu¡¯s fierce appearance. [You¡¯ve frightened the Lust Banshee] [Lust Banshee tries to resist fright] [Lust Banshee¡¯s resistance fails] [Lust Banshee enters a state of panic] ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± With a scream, the beautiful girls dressed in revealing clothes, with healthy skin and slender figures melted, revealing their original forms in the smoke. These creatures, with their pale skin and twisted, crab-like arms lifted their hands in horror, as if covering their eyes from an indescribable terror! 1 Die! Witnessing this, Duanmu was even more furious. He rushed forward, the Thunder Warhammer in his hand swept through the air, straight into the soft waists of the two subus, sending them flying like baseball into the heavy back doors. The subus disappeared into a trail of purple light in the air with a shrill scream, clearly returning to their original demon realm. As the door was busted open, the scene inside was revealed ¨C arge dining room. The table wasden with all kinds of food and wine. Tens of scantily dressed, provocative men and women were sitting there. When they saw Duanmu marching into the dining room, their faces changed dramatically and, apanied by smoke, they turned into grotesque demons. ¡°I did not expect that you would be willing to join us for our dinner, dogs of Sigma.¡± A woman with wings and a tail stood up from the other end of the table, next to her was a woman dressed in a provocative and scantily d outfit, simr to a bikini, who stared nkly ahead like a puppet. ¡°Your scheme ends here! Demon!¡± Thebat nun holding two hammers, stepped forward and pointed at the subus, shouting angrily. ¡°I will stop your wicked and dirty ritual, and recover our sisters!¡± ¡°You all just do not understand, what is the real beauty and joy.¡± The subus extended her hand, stroking the chin of the woman next to her like stroking a puppy, and revealed a challenging smile to the fighting nuns. ¡°Barbaric, vulgar, ugly¡­ violent¡­ You are not qualified to behold the glory of my Lord¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you bunch of dirty, disgusting idiots either.¡± Duanmu interrupted her coldly, he noticed that the subus deliberately nced at him when she said thest word. Pei! As if you look great! ¡°You and your androgynous master both are as twisted, disgusting and sickening. I guess, it¡¯s only you who would feel beautiful.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Hearing Duanmu¡¯s words, subus¡¯s face sank. ¡°You dare to disrespect my master¡­..¡± ¡°If that freak is here, I¡¯ll cut off its head and stuff it into its ass! Only you filthy scum would kneel before such a pervert!¡± ¡°Good.¡± At this moment, the expression of the subi quickly became fierce and angry. ¡°I will make you experience, what true pain and despair are!¡± ¡°Before that, I will smash your head!!¡± Duanmu roared loudly, wielding the Thunder Hammer, he charged at the subus! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 97 - 80: Atrocities_1 Chapter 97: Chapter 80: Atrocities_1 Duanmu Huai stormed into the restaurant like a brute, flipping over the table before him and charging towards the subus like a robber. Thetter, in fury, started whipping at Duanmu Huai. Meanwhile, the rest of the group also joined the fight, engaging with the other enemies. While ying the game, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t particrly despise any of the Evil Gods. But now, he found that those he loathed the most were the Followers of the God of Lust. ¡°Damn you, dare to look down upon me? Do you think you are so pretty? Look at your unconventional pigtails, your disgustingly rat-like tail, your goat-like hooves, and that ugly face of yours that requires illusion techniques to be presentable. You still dare to belittle me? You really think you¡¯re attractive, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Damn sow!¡± ¡°Boom!!¡± With a swing of the hammer, the subus dodged by a hair¡¯s breadth. The Thunder Warhammer whistled past her, crashing into the wine barrels behind. Immediately after, the subus raised her hand to attack with her whip, hitting Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor ¡ª with no effect, of course. Among the four cultists of the Evil Gods, the Followers of the God of Lust specialized in mental and spiritual attacks but were quite average in physical attacks and extremely poor at piercing armor. Apart from using illusion techniques for cosmetic purposes and running fast, these pathetic creatures had nobat power at all. The subus, having failed her attack, nned to flee. Normally, it would be difficult for Duanmu Huai to catch her due to his low agility. However, he currently possessed something to neutralize the subus, thanks to Sigma¡¯s protection. Gravity Gloves! As the subus strove to flee, Duanmu Huai raised his right hand at her and made a clenched fist. The next moment, an invisible wave of gravity increased drastically, pinning the subus to the ground. Before she could react, Duanmu Huai opened his right hand, and the subus, as if caught by a ma, was drawn towards him. He then grabbed her hoofed leg, raised her high, swung her around, and then mmed her onto the ground! ¡°Bang!!¡± The subusnded heavily on the floor, her upturned nose crushed to pieces, while her sharp teeth shattered from the violent impact. But Duanmu Huai was not done with her yet. He held onto the subus¡¯s leg, brandishing it mercilessly to the left and to the right. ¡°Thud! Thud! Thud!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s actions were relentless as he swung the subus around, treating her like a rag. This sight not only made the surrounding subi tremble with fear but also instilled terror into Combat Nuns and other people, keeping them at bay. ¡°Woah ¡­ Sir Knight is really scary when he¡¯s angry ¡­¡± Lorena shrank back a little, whispering to Merlot, who silently nodded in agreement. Only Ogis remained calm. She had wanted to help, but Duanmu Huai had asked her to stand aside. So, she just stood nearby, watching his master swing the subus around. Swinging her around, smashing her up and down. It must be said that this subus was quite sturdy. It took repeated blows from Duanmu Huai before she finally transformed into a purple light and vanished into thin air. But not long after, she reappeared in front of Duanmu Huai and hispanions. ¡°Foolish ¡­ mortals ¡­¡± The subus, apparently having recovered to her original state, red at Duanmu Huai with seething rage and roared. ¡°You can never kill me, this is the power of my master, you can never annihte me!!¡± ¡°It seems this mansion has been affected by some sort of malevolent magic from the subus.¡± The Combat Nuns spoke up this time. ¡°As long as her magic continues to take effect, I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult for us to kill her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect then¡­¡± Duanmu Huai dropped his war hammer, clenched his fists, and gazed at the subus before him, his grin as ghastly as a Texas chainsaw murderer. ¡°It looks like we can have some fun, Miss Subus¡­ As for dispelling the dark magic, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-!¡± The subus¡¯ expression dramatically changed upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words. She immediately turned to flee, but Duanmu Huai merely extended his right hand. Quickly, invisible gravity restraint the subus once again, pulling her back to Duanmu Huai¡¯s side. Duanmu Huai grabbed her by the throat and lifted the frail subus into the air, ring into her eyes fiercely. ¡°Listen well, you trash. I will break your nose, shatter your teeth, explode your head, and show that dead subus you worship just how hideously mutted her faithful follower will be. But let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. You and your disgusting subus of an Evil God weren¡¯t that appealing to begin with. You had to resort to illusion techniques to even show your face; you dare to judge me?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ uhh¡­ ¡± ¡°Taste this!!!¡± Next, Duanmu Huai grabbed the back of the subus¡¯ head and directly mmed her face into the ground, forcefully rubbing it back and forth. ¡°AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡± The subus¡¯ screams echoed into the heavens, making everyone around involuntarily quiver. It wasn¡¯t until thebat nuns had purified the dimension stone in the mansion, dispelling the dark magic of the subus, that she was finally released. After a barrage of agonized wails, she returned to the demon realm; however, it was safe to say that the trauma she suffered would probably haunt her for the rest of her life. By taking down this subus, Duanmu Huai had let off some steam. He realized that the God of Lust was his true nemesis. The other Evil Gods weren¡¯t any better, but the God of Lust was more disgusting. If you resembled a human being, I could understand if you despised me. But you¡¯re not even that, you¡¯re hideous, relying on illusion to alter your appearance into something tolerable, and you dare to judge how ferocious I look? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know ¨C none of you bastards are even human! So I¡¯ll show you how fearsome I can be! I¡¯ll show you true savagery! By the way, perhaps intimidated by Duanmu Huai¡¯s brutal treatment of the subus, the remaining followers of the God of Lust scattered. None of them dared to stay except for a few distorted perverts who were crushed to death by a blow from Duanmu Huai. Consequently, the mission to reim the aristocratic district was sessfullypleted. Not only that, but they also found a clue from a spirit prophet that had been captured by the followers of the God of Lust ¨C not long ago, a Sigma Pdin who had intruded into their area had been captured by followers of the Brutal God in the southwestern military district. They killed the pdin and used him to initiate a ritual to open a portal to the Brutal God¡¯s realm. Logically speaking, their next step should be to break into the military area and interrupt the ritual. However¡­ it¡¯s not that simple. Unlike the other Evil Gods, the Brutal God enjoys battle. If Duanmu Huai and his group rushed in to fight, any deaths on either side would only strengthen the power of the portal. They may even open the portal by ughtering all the followers of the Brutal God, given that the Brutal God thrives on blood and battle and creates power from them. But if they did nothing¡­ For a moment, everyone was stuck in a dilemma. But for Duanmu Huai¡­ he had his own solution. Chapter 98 - 81: The Mountain Stronghold_1 Chapter 98: Chapter 81: The Mountain Stronghold_1 While Duanmu Huai and the others were fighting fiercely on the front lines, General Pastte was not idle either. As he had previously stated, the fighting groups are responsible for assaulting and breaking the enemy¡¯s core, leaving the other parts to the army to recover. Without their leaders, the scattered troops hidden in the ruins naturally stood no chance against the organized military. Most of Modheim had already been reimed, and theplete recovery of the city seems to be just around the corner. However, General Pastte looked discontented, the reason for which was the letter in his hands. This was the reply that came with the reinforcements after General Pastte had reported to the Great Crown Prince. In the letter, the Crown Prince first praised General Pastte greatly and urged him to persist until Modheim was fully reimed. Then, he stated that in order to avoid further troubles, he demanded that General Pastte confiscate all the Dimension Stones in Modheim and to transport them for storage in Aldorf. If it had been before, General Pastte wouldn¡¯t have found this order inappropriate, but now¡­ something felt odd. Dimension Stones are of great importance, and Modheim is far from Aldorf. For safety¡¯s sake, they should have been sealed on the spot. Why should they be moved back to Aldorf? Moreover, His Majesty the Emperor emphasized in his letter that this was of paramount importance even implying he¡¯d rather give up Modheim than fail to get the Dimension Stones to Aldorf. The hidden meaning of this made General Pastte feel somewhat uneasy. As for the Dimension Stones themselves, General Pastte had seen them. They were indeed stones imbued with a mysterious power. However, his impression of these stones was not good. After all, sinceing to Modheim, every time he saw these Dimension Stones, they were being used for some evil ritual. Like the Desecration Ritual the Chaos Believers enacted in the temple, the portal that the Followers of the God of Lust tried to open, and now the Brutal Believers¡­. umm? At this thought, a chill ran down General Pastte¡¯s spine as a realization hit him. Could it really be as he suspected, that His Majesty the Emperor had defected to the God of Trickery? Could he be nning some sphemous ceremony in Aldorf using these Dimension Stones?! In the past, General Pastte wouldn¡¯t have dared imagine such treasonous thoughts, but now, his views were changing. Especially since in General Pastte¡¯s previous report to the emperor, he had specifically pointed out that the Archbishop of Sigma Church was a follower of the God of Trickery, and urged the emperor to be cautious. But in thistest reply, the Emperor didn¡¯t mention anything about this Cultist of the Evil God. In addition, as amanding officer stationed in the city, General Pastte was aware of some of the current internal affairs of the empire, and knew that the Emperor¡¯s position was not secure. Although he was indeed the Great Crown Prince and should have inherited the throne, his overly eager attitude had led to a lot of dissatisfaction. The previous Three Emperors War seemed heated on the surface, but in reality, it was just the three princes and their supporters shing while most of the lords remained neutral. Moreover, there were many in Aldorf, like General Pastte, who suspected that the Crown Prince had something to do with the Emperor¡¯s demise. After all, the imperial subjects serve the emperor, and the sudden death of the emperor, especially by assassination during arge expedition, was unthinkable. Moreover, the Crown Prince¡¯s reaction was too quick. Almost as soon as the news arrived, he dered ¡°a country cannot be without a king for a day¡± and ascended the throne. It gave people the impression that the Crown Prince had been waiting for this news. As a result, many high-ranking officials in Aldorf City, although they outwardly supported the Crown Prince, they either disobeyed his orders secretly or found excuses to dy them. It could be said that the Crown Prince¡¯s tenure as Emperor was not secure at all. So, could he have some thoughts he shouldn¡¯t have? General Pastte was well aware of this, as he was one of them. In fact, if it wasn¡¯t for theck of avable people for the Emperor, he wouldn¡¯t have been sent here from Aldorf. Hence, after learning that Duanmu Huai and others had sessfully eradicated the Followers of the God of Lust, he immediately invited Duanmu Huai and the others to discuss a strategy. ¡°He wants the Dimension Stones?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, General Pastte nodded bitterly, realizing that he might be a pawn in this bigger game. Now in the city, the God of Lust, Brutal God, gue God and Ratman were all fighting over the Dimension Stones, and they represented one side too. But the question is, do they represent the Empire or the God of Trickery? ¡°This ¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing this, the Combat Nuns and the Witch Hunter also furrowed their brows. They agreed with the idea of sealing the Dimension Stones on the spot in the monastery, but what did the Emperor want the Dimension Stones for? ¡°Did you report the amount? The number of Dimension Stones we have confiscated is not small.¡± Duanmu Huai had previously gone to the slums and had Ogis cut arge Dimension Stone from the center of the meteor pit and brought it back. That Dimension Stone was three to four meters high and veryrge. In addition, during the process of eliminating the Ratmen and Chaos Believers, they had also confiscated many Dimension Stones, and the amount of Dimension Stones fragments found by the army in the city was also not a small number. ¡°Of course, His Majesty said that all of them should be transported to Aldorf and kept by the Academy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, both the Combat Nuns and the Witch Hunter seemed somber. They¡¯d naturally heard of Aldorf¡¯s Magic Academy, as many of their Empire¡¯s wizards were students there. That, however, did not mean that they were not a danger. In fact, as members of the clergy, they all held quite the grudge against wizards. Especially the Witch Hunter ¨C his job title alone suggested that eight out of ten of his targets were wizards. To let this mad bunch guard the Dimension Stone? Wouldn¡¯t that be the same as the fox guarding the henhouse? ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± However, Duanmu Huai seemed nonchnt. ¡°If they want it, then give it to them ¨C only not the real one.¡± ¡°Not the real one? Are you suggesting we give them a fake one?¡± Hearing this, the Combat Nun questioned, puzzled. The Dimension Stone wasn¡¯t just some ore but a stone imbued with magic power. It was green in color and even glowed. How could they possibly fake it? ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. Grind some smaller Dimension Stones into powder and apply the powder onto stones, then deliver them over.¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s idea was quite straightforward. He was equally skeptical of the Emperor¡¯s actions. Frankly, if Duanmu Huai weren¡¯t currently barred from entering Aldorf, he would have gone straight there with the hammer to judge the Great Crown Prince himself. Another option would have been to bring the Dimension Stone to the Royal City and discreetly watch over it there; once the Prince decided to use the Dimension Stone for something, they¡¯d instantly expose him. But then again¡­ who specified that it had to be the real Dimension Stone? We could simply present a counterfeit. Just like gold nes, they all look more or less the same on the outside, but who could say which was pure gold and which just gold-ted? ¡°That¡¯s a good n.¡± Hearing this, the silent Witch Hunter suddenly nodded in approval. As a Witch Hunter, he excelled at dealing with wizards and naturally was well versed in magic. ¡°As long as we find some rubble, grind some fragments of Dimension Stone into powder, and smear it over the rubble, we could deceive most of the wizards.¡± ¡°No problem, we can help.¡± At this point, the Combat Nun also nodded in approval. Within the stocks of Dimension Stones they were tasked with sealing away, many were pebble-sized fragments of Dimension Stone. Frankly, the Combat Nuns found these fragments quite troublesome. Discarding them was risky, but properly sealing them away felt wasteful. It would be better to grind them into powder and use that to dress up stones ¨C at least that would put them to some use. As an aside, throughout the whole conversation, none of the people present saw anything inappropriate in their n. They didn¡¯t see anything wrong with deceiving the Emperor ¨C indicating that the Great Crown Prince, their Emperor, really didn¡¯t have much of a presence. Soon, they made a decision. The Combat Nuns from the monastery would be responsible forpleting this mission. After all, if soldiers were to carry it out, there was a risk of a leak. The Combat Nuns, on the other hand, were capable and staunch believers, so there was less risk of a leak. Also, the Dimension Stones are usually handed over to the monastery for sealing, so this only made sense. However, the only problem is that if the truth were toe out, the Rock Monastery will instantly be a target. But then again¡­ if the truth did emerge, it would mean that the Great Crown Prince was really trying to use the Dimension Stone for something. At that moment, Duanmu Huai could confront him with a song of loyalty. After sorting out this issue, General Pastte only had one concern left. Those were¡­ the followers of the Brutal God. ording to the Prophet, the followers of the Brutal God had already used the remains of the Sacred Knight to set up a barrier in the military camp. Anyone who died inbat within the boundary would enhance the strength of the opponent, and eventually open the portal to the Demon Realm. However,pletely avoiding battle was not possible as the barrier continued to expand. Were they supposed topletely abandon Modheim? ¡°That¡¯s not a problem.¡± Naturally,pared to General Pastte¡¯s worry, Duanmu Huai appeared quite rxed. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it personally. When the timees, we¡¯ll go together andpletely annihte those Chaos Believers!¡± If this had been some time ago, Duanmu Huai might have found the task a bit daunting. But now, things were different. He had the Gravity Gloves ¡ª if not for battling, couldn¡¯t they also be used to destroy structures? After all, one of the methods that yers used the Gravity Gloves for in the game was to dismantle buildings, and now, it was finally Duanmu Huai¡¯s turn to have that thrill! Chapter 99 - 82: Destroying the Family_1 Chapter 99: Chapter 82: Destroying the Family_1 Compared to other ces, attacking the Followers of the Brutal God¡¯s camp was the most troublesome task for General Pastte. Although their battle teams had previously upied temples and fought against the followers of the God of Lust, these were different circumstances. The Sigma Temple may have some defenses, but its primary function was as a religious institution. The noble mansions upied by the subuses and subi of the God of Lust were indeed luxurious, but theycked any real defensive measures. However, a military camp was a different story. It was a military stronghold, even within the city walls, one of the most difficult fortifications to capture. What made it even more concerning was that during the previouset disaster, this military camp hadn¡¯t suffered any significant damage. But its soldiers, their spirits lost due to the prolonged corruption and decadence, had deserted the fortress when faced with the catastrophe, effectively handing their well-fortified encampment to the enemy! Hence, as he now gazed at the nearby military camp and guardian patrol above, General Pastte was grinding his teeth. If he could, he would round up all those damn deserters and cut them all down! Of course, if it was simply about attacking a military camp, General Pastte wouldn¡¯t be too worried. After all, this was just an urban military camp and the Followers of the Brutal God were limited in number. Even if they summoned a few demons, under the current situation, it wouldn¡¯t make much of an impact. But the problem was¡­ that barrier. General Pastte looked up, staring at a blood-red barrier outside the military camp. It was not a shield against the outside world, but a massive Magic Circle. Anyone who fought and died within it would have their strength and soul consumed by the Brutal God, empowering the stronghold and eventually establish a gateway to the Demon Realm. At that time, a horde of Brutal Demons would surge out. Therefore, this wicked barrier had to bepletely destroyed. But¡­ how could the barrier be destroyed without a fight? Should we attack directly? Upon this thought, General Pastte shook his head. He was an average general, half of his position secured by his family lineage. His ability to conduct wars was mediocre at best. He could analyze the current situation but could note up with any solution. His previous methods were hardly ingenious, merely standard strategies of steady advance ¨C if it weren¡¯t for Duanmu Huai and his Pink Bunny Battle Team outperforming their task, General Pastte might still be stuck in the swamp of problems. So, General Pastte didn¡¯t think much further; he would let the tall ones handle it when the sky fell. He turned his head and looked at Duanmu Huai by his side. ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± Duanmu Huai had previously stated that he had a way to break the barrier, which was why everyone came here in the first ce. Apart from the Imperial Battle Teams, the Combat Nuns, Witch Hunters, and the Imperial Army had surrounded the ce, ready to wage war at a moment¡¯s notice. Of course, if they chose to do so, it would be just as the Followers of the Brutal God wanted. They crave the enemy¡¯s onught, and a bloody flesh-and-blood confrontation. After all¡­ ¡°Blood for the blood god, skulls for the skull throne!¡± Hearing the slogan shouted from the city¡¯s walls and seeing the Followers of the Brutal God fiercely waving their Battle Axes, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. A bunch of muscle-brains. ¡°Leave it to me; it¡¯s high time those muscle-brains got a taste of their medicine.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai stepped forward and extended his right hand, pointing it at the military camp. The Followers of the Brutal God mocked and shouted even louder at this sight. But Duanmu Huai did not care about the provocation of these simpletons; he focused only on the camp ahead, then channeled his spiritual energy into his Gravity Gloves. The next moment, an unbelievable scene urred. Under everyone¡¯s gaze, the solid walls of the military camp suddenly copsed. The bricks shattered and flew up into the sky, and then fell to the ground. Following that, the interior of the camp began to copse ¨C the buildings made from heavy bricks began to shake uncontrobly, then suddenly cracked open. It was as if an invisible hand had gripped the whole structure and was forcefully shaking it apart. The imposing military fortification crumbled in the blink of an eye, like a toy building destroyed by a mischievous child. Duanmu Huai merely waved his hand and cleared the heavy outer wall, revealing the interior rooms and furniture, and even some corpses. Seeing this, everyone was stunned. The Imperial Captain fell to his knees, trembling and speechless. The Witch Hunters looked at Duanmu Huai in astonishment, not uttering a word. The Combat Nuns joined their hands and whispered prayers. As for themon soldiers and battle teams, they showered praises and cheers for the glory of Sigma. On the other hand, the Followers of the Brutal God inside the fortress were both frightened and furious. Regrettably, they had no adequate countermeasure against this mysterious power ¨C if they were the followers of the God of Trickery, they might have used some ancient, or even a sealed evil technique as a countermeasure. However, those stationed here despised magic the most among the devotees of the Evil Gods, and when faced with an attack of mysterious power, these Followers of the Brutal God were patently overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai was not looking too good, either. Although the Gravity Gloves were useful, he still needed to use his spiritual energy to maintain their operation. Duanmu Huai could tell without looking at his status bar that his spiritual energy heat was umting rapidly. Theoretically speaking, psychic users utilizing subspace powers could use their spiritual energy indefinitely. However, much like how a machine gun would stop firing when overheated, if a psychic user overused their spiritual energy, it would only cause more trouble. Fortunately, he found it! After once again clearing a portion of the military camp, Duanmu Huai, hidden among the ruins of the camp, discovered a Sacrge Altar full of bloodstains and scattered bones, and emanating an ominous aura. This was it! Duanmu Huai stared at the altar, then clenched his right hand tightly! ¡°Crack!!¡± Under the invisible gravitational pressure, in the next moment, the Brutal God¡¯s sacrificial altar was wholly shattered. Simultaneously, the red barrier that enveloped the entire military camp disappeared. Seeing this, General Pastte¡¯s eyes brightened. He drew his Longsword and held it high in the air. ¡°Everyone! Charge!!!¡± There¡¯s not much to borate in the subsequent battle. With no military camp as a barricade and the barrier being shattered, the remaining Brutal Believers were no match for the overwhelming Imperial Army and battle team. They were swiftly chopped into pieces. When thest Brutal Believer fell, and the soldiers¡¯ cheers echoed, a task notification from the system appeared before Duanmu Huai. [Chosen by God Task ¡°Glory of Sigma¡± Phase One Completed] [Task Evaluation: Outstanding!] [You have demonstrated the glory of Sigma, and reimed this cursed city! It will rise again from the ruins, regaining its past radiance!] [Acquired 35000 Experience Points, an extra 18000 Experience Points, level up to 28, +3 Specialty Points, +3 Attribute Points] [Received extra skill ¡°Soul me¡± (Erupt a sacred fire around yourself, burn the enemies)] [Chosen by God Task ¡°Glory of Sigma¡± Phase Two Initiated] [Task Objective: Revitalize the Empire] [This country is currently shrouded in the shadow of Chaos. You will wield the hammer of Sigma¡¯s glory, eradicate this darkness and rejuvenate the Empire!] Upon seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s first reaction was¡­ Hey, you¡¯re sticking onto me again?! If Sigma had been here, Duanmu Huai would have grabbed him by his cor and questioned, why the hell should I care about your Empire¡¯s misfortune? Why should I save your Empire? We don¡¯t even know each other dude! If it was Zhen Dan, Duanmu Huai might begrudgingly lend a hand. But as for the Empire? He had no rtionship or connection to it. How could you have the audacity to ask me for help? Honestly speaking, Duanmu Huai felt his intervention in Modheim was simply a mutual exploitation with Sigma. In fact, the Empire¡¯s Guardian God didn¡¯t really do much. Aside from showing some mboyant hologram in the Sigma Temple, he was basically inactive. Duanmu Huai did everything himself, whether it was the capture of the temple, breaking the plot of the Chaos Believers, or exterminating the Ratman, all without using Sigma¡¯s powers. Even the bombardment consumed his own ammunition! Yet, people around were attributing everything to the glory of Sigma ¨C alright, Duanmu Huai endured that much, but you can¡¯t always exploit a sheep for wool, right? It¡¯s nice of him to help once, but surely you don¡¯t actually expect me to be the Emperor! You think I, the Judge of the Tribunal, would really y house on this medieval? A judge oftentimes assumes the responsibility more like that of a fire brigade captain. For instance, they would get involved in investigating, judging, and executing whenever signs of Chaos guing a were detected or some special circumstances arose on a. The follow-up work, however, was generally handed over to the local Governor or Ruler to sort out. Of course, some judges would choose a to station and conscript resources and soldiers. But as a Soul Walker, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t need a conscripted. He only needed to expand his own Soul Fragment World. After all, the Soul Fragment World was located in the subspace. As long as Duanmu Huai anchored its coordinates to his space station, it basically provided him a portable world for his personnel and supplies that couldn¡¯t be attacked or invaded by the Chaotic Demon. ¡°I refuse.¡± So, Duanmu Huai resolutely chose to refuse. However, soon after, a system prompt popped up again in front of him. [Chosen by God Task ¡°Glory of Sigma¡± Phase Two Initiated] [Task Objective: Revitalize the Empire] [This country is currently shrouded in the shadow of Chaos. You will wield the hammer of Sigma¡¯s glory, eradicate this darkness and rejuvenate the Empire!] [Task Reward Doubled] ¡°Well¡­¡­..¡± Seeing thest line, Duanmu Huai fell into silence. Task reward doubled, huh¡­. It didn¡¯t only mean the experiences doubled, but it also meant the levels of other skills would increase. It seemed Sigma was really adamant about sticking with him. For Duanmu Huai, the experience was quite useful at the moment since leveling up was important as well. As for revitalizing the Empire¡­ Duanmu Huai did have a solution. It wasn¡¯t possible for him to be an emperor himself, but¡­ he could appoint someone else as the emperor. As Sigma¡¯s Chosen, his words were effectively Sigma¡¯s words. So, whoever Duanmu Huai appointed as the emperor would have to be the emperor, right? Coincidentally, Duanmu Huai had someone in mind for this. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Although Duanmu Huai wondered if the reward would be doubled again if he refused another time, he remembered not to push his luck too far. So, he reluctantly nodded epting the task. After all, he was at no loss, right? Chapter 100 - 83 Mount Acquisition_1 Chapter 100: Chapter 83 Mount Acquisition_1 Although Duanmu Huai truly didn¡¯t feel much like working for a local indigenous god, as long as the other party was willing to pay him for overtime, he reluctantly agreed to it. Of course, he did not forget to continue to allocate the remaining points on strength, intelligence and physical attributes ¡ª¡ª after all, he couldn¡¯t add any to charm. He pondered; if Sigma was to give himself a special ability that increased charm, then who knew, perhaps he would be more proactive towards him. It¡¯s clear that Sigma doesn¡¯t understand what people want. As for the specialisation points, Duanmu Huai devoted all of these into [Psychic Combat Training], levelling it up to ten and transforming it into [Great Psionic Combat Training]. Furthermore, he also gained the special skill called [Psychic Combat]. [Psychic Combat: Every 1 point of subspace heat will increase weapon attack damage by 1%] In simpler terms, this is a skill that condenses the heat consumption of the subspace to enhance the damage of the weapon. However, for regr psychics, this doesn¡¯t have much meaning. While they do consume spiritual energy to release subspace heat inbat, once their spiritual energy is exhausted, the subspace heat will gradually cool down, like a machine gun cooling down after continuous firing. However, a Soul Walker is different. The Soul Card will permanently upy the upper limit of the subspace heat. Meaning, when Duanmu Huai is surrounded by arge group of enemies, he can summon arge number of Soul Cards through [Wrath], [Winning With Few Against Many] and then, add [Psychic Combat] which can forcibly raise his subspace heat, and then¡­ Well, when he swings his hammer down, it¡¯s going to hurt a lot. If he had had this special skill back in the Holy City, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to wait for the Cathedral Church¡¯s Sacred Knights, as a single strike from him would have killed the heretic Iver. Next, everyone takes a temporary rest in Modheimer City, and General Pastte reports to the Great Crown Prince again. Although Modheimer City has already been imed, but what should we do next? Completely purifying this city is a difficult task, almost equivalent to rebuilding the city from scratch. Of course, there is also the possibility¡­that the Great Crown Prince¡¯s scheme to reim Modheimer City is just a smokescreen, and his true goal is the dimension stone here. But that¡¯s none of Duanmu Huai¡¯s business anymore. Because Merlot brings him good news: the mount he had ordered from Baddy was finallypleted! Hearing the wonderful news, Duanmu Huai immediately returned to the Holy City, filled with anticipation, and brought Ogis, Lorena and others with him to the Puppet Zone to meet Baddy once again. ¡°I heard you¡¯re all done?¡± Upon entering the shop, Duanmu Huai started with this question when he saw Baddy. At the same time, his eyes darted around, trying to spot his new vehicle ¡ª um, it didn¡¯t seem to be in the store. ¡°Ha ha ha ha, of course.¡± Baddy seemed to be in high spirits as well, and undoubtedly, he took great satisfaction inpleting this order. ¡°Stop looking for it, it¡¯s not in here. With your size, the custom-made mount won¡¯t fit in here. Follow me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded his head, following Baddy and they all exited the shop, walking down the road. Along the way, Baddy kept himself busy by exining the thought process and procedure behind crafting this mount to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Truth be told, you sure know how to give me a challenge. You wanted the mount to be tough but also require nimble and lightweight movement. It¡¯s not easy to craft such a thing. And as you know, considering your physique, the size of the mount has to berge. As you can see right now, it would be infeasible to use it within a city, it can only be used outdoors.¡± ¡°I understand that.¡± Duanmu Huai was not bothered in the slightest, seeing that he was quite like what Baddy had described. His body took up the space of three people on the road, even before his transformation. He desired to buy a car, or even a bike or an electric bike, but couldn¡¯t find any that he could fit in. Even getting on the subway was a struggle; he couldn¡¯t pass the ticket inspection gate without sidestepping. One of the reasons Duanmu Huai always wore his Power Armor was because even if he took it off ¡ª he didn¡¯t have any clothes to wear, they all had to be custom made! Asking for a mount was primarily for the convenience of fighting. As for moving around in the city¡­forget it. Even he alone took up a lot of space while walking. Yet, if modern society was like a sixne road from both ends, it wouldn¡¯t matter. However, the roads inside the Medieval City were¡­ some ces that Duanmu Huai had to sidestep to even squeeze into. However, luckily, medieval cities were generally notrge. For instance, the Holy City, whenpared to the cities that Duanmu Huai had been to before his transformation, was about the size of one or two districts. It still was possible to get around mainly by walking. ¡°On the aspect of materials, I had to go through quite a bit of trouble before I found some refined mithril from the church¡¯s warehouse. Originally, the church didn¡¯t n on selling these materials. But after hearing that it was to be used to craft a mount for you, only then did the Archbishop consent.¡± ¡°Ah, I really am grateful to her.¡± It had to be said, Duanmu Huai was enormously thankful to the Archbishop, and he also gradually had more expectations for the mount. Baddy said that his mount was made of Mithril, so naturally, it ought to be something that shimmered¡­ It certainly wouldn¡¯t look too bad! After all, fair skin could veil ugliness. Meanwhile, as they talked, they arrived at a warehouse at the back of Puppet Zone. Baddy then took his key to unlock therge door, inviting everyone inside. However¡­the whole warehouse was pitch-dark, and nothing could be seen clearly. ¡°Mister Baddy, where¡¯s my mount?¡± Duanmu Huai, puzzled, stared at the dim warehouse in front of him, curiously inquiring. He had a vague vision of a shadow, but Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t sure what it was. ¡°Ha ha ha, watch this.¡± As he said that, Baddy turned a switch on. The next moment, the warehouse brightened instantly, and immediately after that, a gigantic figure presented itself in front of everyone. Was that¡­a dragon? No, not an ordinary dragon. Its shape resembled a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with a streamlined gigantic body, two robust hind legs and a long tail. However, its front paws were somewhat smaller, although not as tiny as those of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Butpared to the robust hind legs, they did appear small. Moreover, along its body on both sides, there were two pairs of folded metal wings! In simple terms, it looked like a Transformer version of a winged Tyrannosaurus Rex! However, the head of this T-Rex wasn¡¯t that of a dinosaur shape, but was closer to the pointed triangr head typical of the dragons in this era. What¡¯s more, the dragon was entirely ck, its two eyes emitting a bright red glow, matching its steel-jawed mouth ¡ª it was terrifying no matter how you looked at it! Lorena was even so frightened that she hid behind Duanmu Huai! ¡°What do you think? Kiddo!¡± pping the three to four meters tall metallic giant dragon, Baddyughed heartily. ¡°Looks awesome, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± When he first saw this giant metallic dragon, even Duanmu Huai was shocked and had his War Hammer ready. Now, upon hearing Baddy¡¯s question, he was rendered speechless. ¡°Mr. Baddy, didn¡¯t I ask you to make it look nice?¡± ¡°Well, it is nice. It¡¯s a giant dragon! Wouldn¡¯t it be great to be a Dragon Knight?¡± ¡°But¡­ why is it ck??¡± Duanmu Huai was nearly speechless. He could already imagine what would happen if he showed up in front of others riding this beast. But wasn¡¯t Baddy supposed to use mithril? What¡¯s the deal with making it look like Death Wing? ¡°Oh, this is to match your armor, kiddo. Otherwise, one would be silver and the other ck, which wouldn¡¯t match. Plus, its eyes, I specifically made those match the color of your helmet. Great, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s perfect.¡± Thanks a lot! Duanmu Huai felt like crying. To be honest, his first instinct was to have Baddy redo it. He wondered if Baddy was a spy sent by the Brutal God to make him look more fierce. Baddy is a man after all, and he forgot that men and women have different tastes. He should have asked a female Puppeteer Master to create it; maybe it would have turned out prettier. Although he thought so, but¡­ when Duanmu Huai saw the card effect of this mount, he couldn¡¯t bear to let it go. [Rare Metallic Secret Dragon (Gold)] [Cost: 4] [Attack: 5] [Defense: 5] [All damage received by this servant is reduced to 0] [Units attacking this servant will receive a -1/-1 effect (servants with defenses below 0 will be destroyed)] [Rider¡¯s intimidation level +1] Darn, this mount is more impressive than himself! Not only does it resist physical damage, but it also inflicts rebound damage? If it were just a normal mount, Duanmu Huai would have wanted Baddy to melt it down and redo it, but¡­ after seeing the special effects of this Soul Card, he again felt reluctant to let it go. Immunity to physical damage and reflecting damage, it¡¯s simply the perfect mount for charging into the enemy¡¯s ranks. With how it looks¡­ Why is the intimidation also +1?! If it keeps increasing, he might be scarier than the Evil God! By then, he might be the sixth Evil God of Subspace just by relying on this intimidating skill alone! Huh? Why the sixth? That¡¯s a secret. Although he was speechless inside, after riding the metallic secret dragon as Baddy instructed, Duanmu Huai found it extremely useful. Using a bunch of handlebars, like reins, he could freely control the dragon and make it do any actions. When necessary, the dragon could even spread its wings for short range flying. And Baddy¡¯s design was just perfect; even while riding the metallic dragon, Duanmu Huai could swing his War Hammer to attack enemies. Despite its huge size, against a real giant dragon, it was still a smaller version ¡ª¡ª plus Baddy didn¡¯t have that much Mithril at his disposal. So riding this metallic secret dragon felt the same as riding a war horse, from this perspective, Baddy had indeed perfectly fulfilled Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectations. It¡¯s just that its appearance really is a bit¡­ Duanmu Huai thought about talking to Baddy, maybe they could paste a bishoujo character from some anime on the Metallic Secret Dragon, at least then it¡¯ll be a cute dragon! Chapter 101 - 84 What do you want to do?!_1 Chapter 101: Chapter 84 What do you want to do?!_1 In the end, Duanmu Huai did not let Baddy affix the two-dimensional mark on the Metal Secret Dragon, he was already feeling somewhat desperate. That was it, just like that, what else could happen? Anyway, it was quite useful, anyway, he didn¡¯tck this one¡­ At this time, the reply from the Great Crown Prince also arrived, and as expected, he requested General Pastte to immediately return to the Royal City of Aldorf with all the Dimension Stones, he wanted to personally reward everyone. As for Modheim, the Great Crown Prince simply requested that it be thoroughly purified ¡ª¡ª in other words, to clean it up with a fire. So, so many people suffered and died to retake Modheim, just to burn it down? Even if General Pastte wasn¡¯t a smart man, he could tell from the letter that it reeked of ¡°conspiracy¡±. If it was to be burned, why not do it earlier orter, why only after they had acquired the Dimension Stone? Thinking of this, deep inside, General Pastte had a daring n¡­¡­ ¡°General Pastte has something to discuss with me?¡± After returning to Modheim again, Duanmu Huai initially nned to have a good rest, but he didn¡¯t expect to be woken up by General Pastte¡¯s messenger soldierte at night, stating there was an important matter to discuss. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know what the general was up to, but still, he followed him to the City Hall. However, to Duanmu Huai¡¯s surprise, when he entered the conference room, he only saw General Pastte, the High Nun of the Rock Monastery, and the Witch Hunter standing there. Apart from that, there was not a single attendant or guard in the vast meeting room. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What do you need from me at thiste hour?¡± Duanmu Huai asked while looking around in puzzlement, he initially thought that General Pastte was nning to rid of him once his use was done, but after looking for a while he didn¡¯t find any evidence of it, let alone a horde of henchmen, there wasn¡¯t even a dead body around¡­ What was going on? ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­ Not long ago, I received a reply from the Great Crown Prince¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing what General Pastte said, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow. He of course noticed how the other party had changed their referring. General Pastte had referred to the Great Crown Prince as His Majesty the Emperor, but now he¡¯s back¡­ What did this mean? After hearing the content of the letter from General Pastte, Duanmu Huai narrowed his eyes. Yes, the thick, odd, and nauseating stupidity emanating from this letter was palpable. But that wasn¡¯t the main point. ¡°So, what are you nning to do?¡± After reading the letter, Duanmu Huai looked at General Pastte. Thetter was silent for a moment, then suddenly knelt down in front of Duanmu Huai. At the same time, the Combat Nuns and the Witch Hunter also knelt down together. ¡°??? What are you guys doing??¡± Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai was dumbfounded. ¡°Great Chosen One, we hope you can lead us to rejuvenate the entire empire! The bloodline of thete king has been defiled, they are no longer worthy to rule the empire! And you¡ª¡ª¡ª are the beacon of hope chosen by Sigma in this era! We are willing to follow you to fight against the Chaos Believers who have surrendered to Chaos, and let this country return to greatness under the glory of Sigma once again!¡± ¡°???¡± Hearing what General Pastte said, Duanmu Huai was stunned. Good grief, what kind of drama was this? Was this a military mutiny at Chen Bridge? Are they nning to put a yellow robe on me and call me emperor? Was this even possible? ¡°You have shown us the miracles of Sigma.¡± The Combat Nun also chimed in at this moment. ¡°May Sigma bless you, and guide you in reiming this wicked, sphemous, cursed city, bathing it anew in Sigma¡¯s glory. As our Empire is in chaos, only you can lead us out of the shadow, of Chaos and darkness, onto the right path.¡± The talks were getting more profound, and Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t deny what they¡¯ve said. After all, his task was still hanging in his system. ¡°I understand what you mean.¡± Fortunately, Duanmu Huai was well-prepared for this. He wasn¡¯t sure if Sigma had appeared in their dreams out of boredom, or if they wanted to start a rebellion. But what¡¯s clear was that Duanmu Huai knew how he ought to handle this situation. ¡°I will certainly push back the invasion of Chaos. If your Great Crown Prince indeed is one of the Chaos Believers, I will kill him without hesitation. But¡­..I don¡¯t intend to be the Emperor as you hope.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing this, the three of them were taken aback and looked at Duanmu Huai in surprise. They suggested this idea partly because of their faith, and partly because of the so-called ¡°justifiable reasons¡±. After all, lineage and family matters were profound in the Empire. Slogans like ¡°The old world is dead and the new world is about to rise¡± or ¡°Potentates, be they born or made¡± would have been branded heretical and resulted in immediate execution. These three men dared toe up with this idea mostly because Duanmu Huai was chosen by Sigma and had his protection. But from Duanmu Huai¡¯s point of view, their devout faith might not be so. He had seen a joke on a game forum where the followers of Sigma persecuted the followers of Ulrick, even though the founding emperor of the Empire, Sigma, was a devout Ulrick follower. He may as well have been blessed by the god Ulrick himself and built the Empire with the strength he received. And yet his descendants took Sigma as a deity and oppressed Ulrick. If Sigma knew about this from the underworld, he would likelye back to life to smack these bastards himself. Of course, even if Sigma himself was reborn, it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. If he were to announce that Ulrickism is the national religion and dissolve Sigmaism, he would probably be burned as a heretic by the archbishop of Sigmaism. This goes to show that regardless of the world, or the existence of a deity, humans always believe what they want to believe. ¡°Did you forget my other identity?¡± As he said this, Duanmu Huai, pointing to the Holy Grail Emblem on his chest, elicited an expression of realization from the others. Right! In addition to being the chosen one of Sigma, Duanmu Huai is also the Holy Grail Knight of the Lake Goddess! Had he been an ordinary chosen one, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered, but the issue here is that the Lake Goddess is the national religion of Bartoni, and having the Holy Grail Knight of Bartoni be the king of the Empire would be considered treason by many. Rtions between Bartoni and the Empire are shallow, divided as they are by the Gray Mountains andck of particr rapport. There¡¯s a level of disdain for Bartoni in the Empire, and it¡¯s an impossibility for the Holy Grail Knight to serve as the Emperor. However, conversely, this also proves Duanmu Huai¡¯s innocence. After all, he is the chosen one of both Sigma and the Lake Goddess, which is effectively an endorsement from both. Who else to rely on if not him? ¡°About the issue of the Emperor, you don¡¯t need to worry. Sigma will provide the answer when the timees.¡± Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t worried about this issue as he had a suitable candidate in mind, though he didn¡¯t intend to reveal it yet. Although the people were somewhat uneasy with Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, they eventually decided to trust him. After all, he was chosen by Sigma, who undoubtedly wouldn¡¯t cheat his believers. Since the Chosen has said so, they were willing toply. Thus, they quickly began preparing for the next steps. The Combat Nuns mixed some Dimension Stone shards with stones smeared with Dimension Stone powder, pretending to transport these Dimension Stones out of the monastery. For extra assurance, Duanmu Huai even specifically brought the Large Dimension Stone he originally found at the center of the Meteorite Pit. After seeing such arge Dimension Stone, the smaller stones might just be ignored by the others. And if they have ns for thisrge Dimension Stone¡­. Heh heh heh, then it would be exciting. After everything was prepared, they set off towards Aldorf. However, behind them, another secretive shadow was quietly watching them. Chapter 102 - 85: Dark Shadows_1 Chapter 102: Chapter 85: Dark Shadows_1 Everything was ready. Upon learning from his subordinates that the garrison of Modheim had set off for Aldorf, Manfred von Carstein revealed a cold, triumphant smile. As the sole remaining, and most powerful, Vampire Count of the Carstein family, Manfred naturally coveted the Dimension Stones within Modheim City. He aspired to acquire these stones and with their power, revive the greatest Necromancer in history, the creator of all Undead Creatures¡ªNagash. By leveraging his strength, he hoped to turn the world into a homestead ruled by death and the deceased. Initially, Manfred¡¯s target was the Crown of Witchcraft, for it was a Divine Artifact created by Nagash, within which even fragments of Nagash¡¯s consciousness existed. But after he painstakingly arrived at the ruins of Toddheim and summoned the Army of the Dead for a battle against the Chaos Warriors stationed there, he could not find the Crown of Witchcraft that supposedlyid at the site. Indeed, Manfred could hear Nagash¡¯s roar from the depths of hell at the time, so he had to change his ns and aim for the Dimension Stone in Modheim instead. Back then, Manfred didn¡¯t act immediately but chose toy low, aware of the undercurrents running within present-day Modheim City. So, Manfred decided to bide his time and let the other parties in Modheim City fight amongst themselves before swooping in to steal the fruits of the battle. Manfred was undoubtedly aware of the Imperial Army¡¯s arrival, as it was a well-known happening. Yet what he did not expect was that the Imperial Army would consecutively defeat the other Chaos Believers and the Ratmen, ending up as the final victor. Manfred had initially nned to wait a little longer and assault the Rock Monastery with his undead after the garrison withdrew. But unexpectedly, he learned from his binnen the army that His Majesty The Emperor ordered all the Dimension Stones to be immediately transported to Aldorf! Upon hearing this, Manfred was extremely delighted. It¡¯s understandable because storming a temple and monastery within a city was a concern for him. However, things were different in the open. Manfred couldy traps with his Undead Army and ambush the enemy,pletely annihtion them and taking away the Dimension Stones! At that moment, hey in ambush on the road from Modheim City to Aldorf, waiting for the army to pass. Manfred had a perfect n. As soon as the army arrived, he would strike instantly! The opposition most likely wouldn¡¯t suspect the existence of an enemy, causing them to panic and subsequently be defeated by Manfred! The advantage is mine! This is a sure win! Just then, Manfred saw an army slowly advacing on the road not far away. His eyes glowed with a bright red light. Imperials, you are far too far from home. Allow me, the rightful ruler of the empire, Manfred von Carstein, send you¡­what is that thing?! Just as Manfred was about to awaken the Undead Army beneath the ground to encircle and strike the Imperial Army, he suddenly saw a gigantic, eerie, terrifying shadow at the forefront of the army. At the head of the army, a massive beast stood cloaked in pitch-ck, steel-like skin was striding forward while a tall figure covered in ck steel armor, clutching a War Hammer, sat on its back. The armor was adorned with patterns of white skulls and blood-red crosses, which was disconcerting and sent chills down one¡¯s spine. From where did this Champion of Chaos Warriore? For a moment, Manfred thought he had targeted the wrong group ¨C could this be a Chaos Legion that had prated deep into the Imperial territory? Yet, upon closer inspection, soldiers carrying the banner of the empire followed behind him. In addition, within the army, there were indeed a number of carriages loaded with Dimension Stones. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Manfred was momentarily confused. Could it be that someone had attacked this Imperial Army before him? It didn¡¯t seem so. Moreover, his scout didn¡¯t report that this army had been ambushed. Never mind, forget about it! Manfred promptly put his doubts aside. Regardless of the situation, he was determined to obtain the Dimension Stones! Now, let the game begin!! Manfred raised his hands high, and with this gesture, the Undying spirits lurking beneath the ground began to act! ¡°Wham!!¡± The ground cracked open, and dozens of shriveled hands reached out from beneath. The next moment, hordes of skeletons and zombies crawled out from under the ground, surrounding the Imperial Army! ¡°Ambush!!¡± Faced with the sudden attack, the soldiers were taken aback. While shouting, they quickly raised their spears and shields, and lined up on both sides, halting the further advance of the Undead Army. An ambush? Duanmu Huai, who was riding the Metal Secret Dragon, saw these Undead Creatures. He furrowed his brows and halted the Dragon. He looked around and saw a bald man standing on a nearby hill, looking this way in a pompous and arrogant manner¡ªas if only the words ¡°I am the BOSS¡± were missing from his face. ¡°Ogis, Lorena, Merlot, protect the transport carts. They mustn¡¯t snatch the Dimension Stones! Feiya, make sure you die less!¡± Duanmu Huai quickly issuedmands, particrly to that abnormal puppet. She was decent against normal life forms, but against undead creatures, she held little advantage. Therefore, when Feiya attempted to charge into the undead army, Duanmu Huai promptly stopped her from acting further. After all, undead creatures are not fearful of critical hits, and without her critical hit, Feiya posed little threat to a horde of zombies and skeletons. ¡°Understood, Sir Knight!¡± In that moment, Lorena gripped her holy canon tight and responded loudly. Whereas, Ogis gave a slight nod, raising both hands simultaneously, and soon, invisible wires drifted silently in the air, forming a solid defense line. As for Merlot, she reached out to retrieve a shotgun from behind ¡ª the improved equipment she got from Kukulu for close quarterbat. While not fully effective against these undead creatures, it was better than nothing. ¡°What about you, master?¡± While Ogis was dismembering the undead creatures in front of her with her wire control, she asked. In response, Duanmu Huai stared at the bald-head in the distance, steering the metal secret dragon to turn around. ¡°I will decapitate their leader!¡± As soon as she said that, Duanmu Huai drove her metal secret dragon straight into the undead army, charging towards the bald head! Hmph, just what I expected. While observing Duanmu Huai charging straight at him, Manfred von Carstein showed a cold smile. Then, he waved his hand once more and the surrounding zombies and skeletons immediately charged at Duanmu Huai, intending topletely drown their enemy in sheer numbers. However, the reality was unexpected for Manfred. He saw his undead army charge at the metallic monster, attempting to attack it with their weapons. Yet, their attacks proved to be ineffective, leaving no mark on the metallic monster whether they used long spears or sharp des. On the contrary, the impact of the metallic giant dragon was unstoppable like a flood, crushing all enemies daring to stand in its way into pieces! But it did not stop there! Facing enemies from all directions, Duanmu Huai held her war hammer high. The next moment, a sacred intense white me erupted from her body, instantly spreading across the entire battlefield. Under the bombardment of the white me, the undead spirits instantly turned into ash! Soul me!! The bright glow even forced Manfred, who was standing afar, to raise a hand to shield his eyes. At this moment, he finally recognized the identity of his opponent. Yet, the heart of this Vampire Count was filled with surprise. This bum is a sacred knight of Sigma?! You dress like a Champion of Chaos, how did Sigma recognize you?! Although Manfred felt speechless inwardly, he was also able to confirm that the enemy in front of him was themanding officer of this army. As long as he could eliminate him, this entire army wouldpletely copse! Upon this thought, Manfred raised his magic wand once again. Shortly, countless undead banshees materialized out of thin air. They let out a sharp, ear-piercing screech while rushing towards the sacred knight with a glimpse of dying desperation. This was Manfred¡¯s unique trick, summoning the spirits of those who died in agony to harass his enemies. The screeching sound of these undead spirits could potentially send shivers down anyone¡¯s spine! However, when these undead banshees were right in front of Duanmu Huai, they shrieked as if they saw a horrifying creature. The very next moment, Manfred saw his own summoned spirits retreat as if fleeing, and then disappearpletely. ??? What happened? Baffled by this scene, Manfred was having a hard time understanding. Spirits were supposed to be fearless, and the sacred knight seemed to have not used any divine arts, why would his summoned banshees suddenly retreat? Yet, now was not the time to figure out the answer, because Duanmu Huai had already charged across half the battlefield and was about to confront Manfred directly! No choice! Staring at the approaching giant shadow, Manfred¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. Then, he made up his mind and whistled loudly. Right after that, a gigantic monster unfurled its wings from the gloomy sky and descended with a roar, revealing ferocious fangs as it charged towards Duanmu Huai! That was Manfred¡¯s trump card ¡ª the Fear Beast! Chapter 103 - 86 Unexpected Joy_1 Chapter 103: Chapter 86 Unexpected Joy_1 The Fear Beast is a creature that resembles, but isn¡¯t, a dragon. It looks quite like a dragon, with wings, legs, and a lizard-like body and tail, but it¡¯s not part of the Dragon Race. The Fear Beast is more like an entity reanimated from a mashup of various animal corpses using Necromancy Spells. Indeed, though it¡¯s not a dragon, it possesses formidable Strength. Apanied by a furious roar, the Fear Beast descended from the skies, charging at Duanmu Huai and the Metal Secret Dragon beneath him. Its ws struck the Metal Secret Dragon forcefully, causing the creature to tremble violently, yet surprisingly, did not seem to injure it at all. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai raised his Thunder Warhammer. At this moment,[Winning With Few Against Many]+[Wrath]+[Psychic Combat]were all activated! [Winning With Few Against Many: When surrounded, +60% melee damage] [Wrath: Each kill confers 1% Crit Chance and Strength bonus,sting 5 seconds (+150% Crit Chance and Attack Damage)] [Psychic Combat: Every 1 point of Subspace Heat increases weapon Attack Damage by 1% (+60% weapon Attack Damage)] ¡°Aaaargh!!!¡± Duanmu Huai, roaring furiously, brought down his hammer towards the Fear Beast¡¯s head. In an instant, 270% Attack Damage burst forth!! ¡°Bang!!¡± Following the thunderous impact of the Thunder Hammer on the Fear Beast¡¯s head, the undead creature¡¯s cranium exploded like a balloon the next moment. Moreover, its grotesque, massive body started to swell almost simultaneously! [Thunder Warhammer: +15% chance of causing enemies to explode upon their death, inflicting area damage equal to 50% of their Life Value (stackable)] ¡°Boom!!!!!¡± Although the life value of the Fear Beast is unknown, the resultant explosion swept across the surroundings. The gusts, mixed with the Fear Beast¡¯s putrid blood and splintered remains, rapidly dispersed, instantly knocking out all the Skeleton Soldiers and Army of Zombies in the vicinity. Manfred, the Vampire Count, had not expected his cherished Fear Beast to be eliminated in a blink. It shocked him. Without knowing what methods the opponent used, Manfred had already made a decision at this moment. That was¡­¡­ to run!! As a Vampire Count, Manfred had quite a wealth of experience in these situations. He wasn¡¯t some idiot who¡¯d lost his mind. Seeing things taking a turn for the worse, running away was the best choice. Therefore, Manfred didn¡¯t hesitate, transforming into a swarm of bats in an instant, and swiftly took to the air. Trying to escape?! Duanmu Huai came back to his senses and noticed Manfred¡¯s attempt to escape. Despite the explosion of the Fear Beast wiping out the Undead Army in the vicinity and causing Duanmu Huai to react a bitte, by the time he noticed the bald Vampire Count trying to flee, thetter had already changed into a swarm of bats and was soaring into the night sky. Of course, Duanmu Huai was not going to let the assant go! ¡°Aaargh!!¡± With a thought from Duanmu Huai, the folding wings at both sides of the Metal Secret Dragon were spread wide open immediately. Following a vigorous p, the Metal Secret Dragon leapt high into the air, heading towards the bat swarm. At the same time, Duanmu Huai once again raised his hammer, swinging hard! Soul me! Hot white mes erupted from Duanmu Huai¡¯s body, following the path along his hammer, cloaking the oing bat swarm like a methrower would. Shortly after, white mes surged forth like a tide, washing over most of the swarm of bats. ¡°Aaaaargh!!!¡± Apanied by a shrill scream, arge number of bats turned into ck charcoal under the burning of the Soul me. Still, a handful of bats managed to escape Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack range, desperately disappearing into the distant night. ¡°Damn.¡± Watching them escape, Duanmu Huai was somewhat annoyed. However, his psychic attack ability was not outstanding¡ªit really needed the assistance of mages. Unfortunately, in Modheim, Duanmu Huai had not found any clues rted to the Magic Kingdom of Manaria. Now, all he could do was to hope for some gains in Aldorf. If he couldn¡¯t find any clues again, Duanmu Huai really didn¡¯t know what to do. However, just as Duanmu Huai returned to the ground, suddenly, the system reacted again. [Holy Artifact signal detected, locked on] ¡°A Holy Artifact?¡± Seeing the system prompt, Duanmu Huai was somewhat surprised. He didn¡¯t remember seeing any Holy Artifacts just now. Where did thise from? Following the system¡¯s prompt, Duanmu Huai did a search and finally found on the ground not far away, a dull, green sword that at first nce didn¡¯t appear to be anything good. If it were not for the system¡¯s prompt pinpointing the location, Duanmu Huai probably would not have been able to find this sword. ¡°What is this?¡± Duanmu Huai picked up the short sword on the ground with curiosity. Soon, a system prompt appeared before his eyes. [You have acquired the Holy Artifact ¡°de of the Fallen¡±] ¡°de of the Fallen?¡± Looking at the system information in front of him, Duanmu Huai scratched his head, but still put the short sword away. If Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t guessed wrong, this Holy Artifact probably belonged to that bald man just now, but he was in such a hurry to escape that he ended up dropping it and Duanmu Huai picked it up. In fact, Duanmu Huai¡¯s guess was spot on. This de of the Fallen was also one of the divine artifacts that Manfred tried to use to resurrect the Necromancer Nagash, and it had a very special origin¡ªNagash once cooperated with the Ratmen, using necromancy spells to summon an undead army to mine Dimension Stones to trade with the Ratmen. Butter, the Ratmen noticed Nagash¡¯s ambitious n to turn the whole world into a realm of death. Of course, the Ratmen were not pleased with this. Although they were not the best creatures, they were still living beings. They didn¡¯t want to see this world be a ce of death, so they used the Dimension Stones to forge this de of the Fallen and persuaded one of Nagash¡¯s subordinates to kill Nagash with this de while Nagash was weak from using arge summoning spell, tearing Nagash into pieces. So in a way, the Ratmen even saved the world once. But no matter what, since this thing was now in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hands, it would never be used to resurrect some unlucky necromancer again. Duanmu Huai had decided to find a time to return to the space stationter, break it down into construction points, and then build the Void Barrack¡­ It was time to let the savages of this world taste the justice named firepower. When Duanmu Huai returned to the convoy, the fighting had ended. Since the mastermind had fled, the undead army that had lost its necromancy boost naturally vanished into thin air. Fortunately, due to Duanmu Huai¡¯s quick actions, not many soldiers who were guarding the convoy were injured, and people like Ogis were also safe and sound. Except for Feiya, who disobeyed orders and ran out to die three times before finally settling down. If Duanmu Huai didn¡¯tck a suitable card, he really wanted to pull her back into his hand. Anyway, after this, everyone took a brief rest and then set out again. Finally, they arrived at Rick Territory ¡ª the heart of the empire and the location of the royal city. Aldorf was just around the corner. Chapter 104 - 87: Royal City of Aldorf_1 Chapter 104: Chapter 87: Royal City of Aldorf_1 After crossing through the marshes, vast stretches of rice fields and farms, the group finally arrived at the Imperial Capital; a city surrounded by towering white walls, it was thergest and wealthiest city in the Empire. Aldorf. With General Pastte by his side, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t face any difficulties entering the Imperial Capital. The soldiers returned to their barracks, and the pay for the warriors in the battalions were sorted. Most of them were eager to indulge in the grandeur of this bustling city. The Dimension Stones, monitored by the Witch Hunter, were handed over to the Court Mages¡ª a shadowy group cloaked entirely in robes, their faces concealed, and radiating an aura of sinister intrigue. Seemingly undisturbed by the trickery involving the Dimension Stones, or perhaps too awestruck by the massive shard of Dimension Stone in the carriage to inspect the authenticity of the shards, either way, the shards were taken away by the Court Mages for disposal. Or so it seemed on the surface. Departing from the barracks, Duanmu Huai weighed the money bag in his hand. ording to General Pastte, the Great Crown Prince would hold a grand feast in the pce fifteen dayster to celebrate their recapturing of the cursed city of Modheim. As a Battalion Leader, Duanmu Huai was naturally invited to attend. ¡°Are you returning to the Holy City?¡± Duanmu Huai looked towards Lorena and Merlot, who after a moment of contemtion, shook their heads. ¡°We want to explore this city, Sir Knight.¡± Looking at the surrounding structures, Lorena seemed exceptionally intrigued by the city. After all, this was the Imperial Capital of another world, and she was eager to explore. ¡°Then Feiya can apany you. Try not to cause any trouble.¡± Duanmu Huai was indifferent; he wasn¡¯t worried about them causing any problems. If they were to be attacked, he would immediately be alerted and could summon them back through the card. As for the dealings within the Court Mages, the Witch Hunter had willingly volunteered to get involved. To be on the safe side, Duanmu Huai summoned two ughter Puppets to follow, continuously observing their every move. ¡°Sir Knight, what are you nning to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to visit the library to look for any records and clues about the Kingdom of Manaria.¡± Having found nothing in Modheim, Duanmu Huai could only hope to find some clues in Aldorf. Thus, while Lorena and the rest went shopping, Duanmu Huai and Ogis headed towards the Great Library of Aldorf. Along the way, Duanmu Huai discovered that something about this city felt¡­ off. The whole of Aldorf appeared to be thriving and bustling with life. Yet, Duanmu Huai could sense an undercurrent of disorderly chaos beneath the surface changes. Navigating through the streets seemed unusually difficult to him, or rather, though the streets were right there, an eerie force seemed to have tainted the city, making it incredibly challenging for Duanmu Huai to tell if he was heading in the right direction. It was like standing at a crossroads and nning to cross the road, but as a throng of people crosses the intersection, one suddenly realizes that the previously straight path now appears to be somewhere else. In such a situation, it¡¯s easy for one to wonder: is it a problem with one¡¯s eyes¡­ or is it the city itself? Duanmu Huai was certain that he was not directionally challenged, thus the current state of Aldorf was indeed intriguing. Disorderly chaos, constant change¡ª the signs of the God of Trickery. Gazing upon the city, Duanmu Huai became solemn. As the Royal City, Aldorf was bound to be saturated with nobility and high-ranking officials which meant the city was rife with conspiracies and cunning ns. Additionally, the Magic Academy in Aldorf¡ªalmost all the elements seemed to point towards the potential arrival of the God of Trickery. Honestly, if every mage and high-ranking official in the city turned out to be followers of the God of Trickery, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t be surprised. ¡°Master, this ce seems rather noisy.¡± Standing beside Duanmu Huai, Ogis quietlymented while observing the scene. Duanmu Huai nodded¡ª Aldorf was filled with a distinctive din. Yet this was not born out of liveliness, instead, every person traversing the city, be itmonfolk, merchants, mages, orborers, rushed through as if being whipped onwards ceaselessly from behind. This hustled agitation lent the city a noisy, restless air. Truth be told, this ce is not conducive at all to physical or mental well-being. Duanmu Huai watched the carriage driver nearly bellowing as he swung his reins, driving his carriage as though he was suffering from road rage, wanting to run over anyone who blocked his way. ¡°We should head to the library as soon as possible.¡± The library of Aldorf was located in the Magic Academy district, and thanks to the proof provided by General Pastte, Duanmu Huai easily entered the library. He initially thought he would find some tranquility here, but to his surprise, even the library seemed equally restless and irritable. Logically, a library should be a peaceful ce where one could unsuspectingly fall asleep, but the reality was a group of mages whispering among themselves. asionally, someone would get up swiftly, stride towards the shelves, grab a book and then hurry back to their seat¡­ as if their spot would be taken away if they were a tad slower. This kind of low whispering and scurrying footsteps sometimes made one feel even more agitated. ¡°I want to find some reference materials.¡± Duanmu Huai approached the librarian and spoke softly, but thetter did not even lift his head and just stared at the book on the desk as if spellbound. ¡°I want to know something about Manaria.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai took out a few silver coins and threw them on the desk, the nging sound finally made the librarian lift his head. Quick as a flick, he grabbed the coins and stashed them away with the skill of a seasoned pickpocket. ¡°Shelf number fifteen, ¡®The Legends and Anecdotes of Rick Territory¡¯.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Duanmu Huaiid out a few more silver coins on the table then turned and left. Following the librarian¡¯s instructions, he found the thick book on shelf number fifteen, he then¡ª without any hesitation¡ªopened a portal and returned straight to the Holy City.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Back under the blue skies and white clouds of the Holy City, basking in the warm and cozy ambiance of the ce, Duanmu Huai finally heaved a sigh of relief. Honestly, Aldorf did not impress him at all, even he could sense an eerie unease there. It was as if a threat was spreading close by but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on what it was. But now all was well. Duanmu Huai sat down under arge tree in the central park of the Holy City and started flipping through the book he had, while Ogis sat next to him, either staring at Duanmu Huai or observing the passing crowd and animals, finding joy in it all. It wasn¡¯t long before Duanmu Huai found records about Manaria. However¡­ it turned out to be a fairy tale. Legend has it that a long, long time ago, a war took ce on this continent. An evil giant dragon tried to wipe out humans, pushing them to the brink of crisis. But then, the princess of the human kingdom stepped forward to lead her soldiers, defeated the dragon, and peace was won. That human kingdom was called Manaria. That was all the record had. But the clues were not absent. ¡°This story is widely circted in Dunkelberg and is a well-known fairy tale locally. Although its origin cannot be verified, I believe this story is not merely the superstition of country folk¡­¡± Well, the next target has been identified. Chapter 105 - 88 Void Barrack_1 Chapter 105: Chapter 88 Void Barrack_1 After setting his next exploration target, Duanmu Huai did not act immediately. Instead, he returned to the space station with Lorena and Merlot and the others. ¡°This is¡­ Sir Knight¡¯s residence¡­?¡± Standing on a polished metallic floor that seemed like a mirror, Lorena looked out of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the giant azure sphere outside and the starry sky and was rendered speechless with her mouth agape. ¡°You¡¯re right, this is my residence.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded. Just moments before, he had returned to the space station on the Night Raven ck Star Gunboat and set the anchor of the fragmented world ¡®Holy City¡¯ here. Henceforth, people from Holy City could ess this anchor point to freely travel between Duanmu Huai¡¯s space station and Holy City. Simply put, he essentially bound the projection of the Holy City to the space station. The advantage was that Duanmu Huai¡¯s space station was now in a state of ¡°superposition¡± between subspace and the main ne. With the nar shelter of the fragments from the Holy City, his space station wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being eroded by subspace. As long as they don¡¯t leave Holy City¡¯s area, residents within the Holy City¡¯s fragments can move freely in the space station without needing Duanmu Huai¡¯s spiritual energy to maintain their existence. This is also why Soul Walkers always make every attempt to expand the fragmented worlds they possess. Therger the fragmented world, therger and more stable the subspace area it represents. If one could possess a fragment of subspace at the star territory level, the entire star territory would be protected from the Chaos Evil God. Moreover, this can move along. ¡°Am I supposed to work here?¡± Kukulu, too, was currently stupefied looking at the grand metallic hall in front of her, uncertain as to what to do with her hands. ¡°Something like that,e with me, I¡¯ll show you around the Void Barrack.¡± While speaking, Duanmu Huai walked out of the hall and headed to the other side of the corridor, followed hastily by the others. They looked around with curiosity while also observing the space station in astonishment¡ªthey couldn¡¯t understand what Duanmu Huai had just said. Nevertheless, the majestic architecture of the space station was sufficient to instill awe in them. The Void Barrack is located next to the Void Dockyard, however, in contrast to the massive and empty Void Dockyard, the Void Barrack is divided into several different areas¡ªapart from the training ground for the Star Warriors, there are workshops specifically for maintaining and manufacturing weapons, as well as factories and areas for collecting, refining and transforming asteroid minerals. You could say that the entire Void Barrack is akin to a factory area that has aplete automated processing system. Of course, it would still require at least several thousand Mecha Servants to guarantee a minimal level of normal operation. However, luckily, after anchoring the coordinates, Duanmu Huai can buy puppets from the Puppet Zone to rece the Mecha Servants in this regard. Duanmu Huai also assimted ¡®Sky City¡¯ into the fragments of ¡®Holy City¡¯, meaning he can now use the Mechanical Soldiers and Creaturess produced from ¡®Sky City¡¯ here. Subsequently, Duanmu Huai spent arge sum of money to order a variety of puppets from the technicians in the Puppet Zone to maintain the operation of the space station, which he could barely stabilize their living conditions. However¡­ Duanmu Huai¡¯s money was basically spent to thest penny. The current situation of the entire space station is basically as follows: [Flower Doll] took charge of the security of the entire space station, and arge number of [ughter Puppet] were silently hidden in corner taking up the role of surveince cameras. Apart from this, Duanmu Huai passed the cleaning and maintenance work of the space station to [Cleaning Doll]. As for manufacturing weapons and equipment, which originally would have beenpleted by the Mecha Servants, Duanmu Huai had them done by the [Mechanical Maid]. Even though these puppets are not humans, one cannot deny that merely their appearance is far better than those Mecha Servants who had fused with machines and turned ugly. Mia was in charge of managing these puppets and Kukulu was invited by Duanmu Huai to take responsibility for the weapons and arms. ¡°I hope you can work here.¡± ¡°But¡­what am I supposed to do?¡± Looking at the strange tools and weapons in front of her, Kukulu feltpletely overwhelmed. ¡°On one hand, I hope that you can supervise the weapon manufacturing here, and on the other hand, using your own expertise and knowledge, enhance these weapons.¡± ¡°But¡­There are so many things here¡­that I¡¯ve never seen before¡­¡± ¡°The beginning is always the most difficult part. However, I also need a capable assistant. Of course, if you¡¯re willing to work for me, you¡¯re free to study the weapons here.¡± ¡°Really!?¡± Hearing this, Kukulu¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. As a gunsmith, she could instantly see that there were many weapons here which exceeded her expectations. This naturally evoked a great interest in Kukulu. If she could understand the manufacturing principle of these weapons, then she was certain that her skills would be elevated to the next level! ¡°Of course.¡± Looking at Kukulu, Duanmu Huai nodded. Choosing Kukulu was an action borne out of desperation. After all, back in the game, Duanmu Huai usually left such issues to the people of the Mechanic Religion, and naturally, he didn¡¯t understand the mechanisms of the equipment in these armory factories. Even if Duanmu Huai did understand them, he didn¡¯t have the time to stay here and handle this. Therefore, finding a suitable subordinate was essential. Although Kukulu¡¯s technological framework waspletely different from what was here, Duanmu Huai trusted that with her intelligence, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to understand how these things work¡ªprobably? By right, Imperial technology should be kept confidential. However, Duanmu Huai is not like those damn Mechanic Religion extremists with an obsession for secrecy. He¡¯d be more than happy to have a few more hands on deck to help! In the end, Kukulu agreed to work on the space station as a hireling of Duanmu Huai. She also expressed that she would bring her sisters along with her, with which Duanmu Huai was naturally not against. Now that the anchor point is in ce and the teleportation gate is open, all one needs to do to return home is to go to the main hall and enter the teleportation gate to return to the Holy City. There naturally wouldn¡¯t be any troubles. As an additional note, to avoid any idental intrusions from others, Duanmu Huai set the gate¡¯s other side in Sky City, which indeed saved some hassle. Truth be told, every Soul Walker¡¯s space station progressively developed in this manner. Looking at the now somewhat bustling space, Duanmu Huai was quite pleased. This brought him back to the early days of the game when he first created a space station. Due to his naivety, Duanmu Huai had made quite a few mistakes. However, having personally witnessed the rise and growth of his very own power¡­ the feeling was extraordinary. At present, Duanmu Huai only needed to replenish some grenades and ammunition for the Night Raven ck Star, so he was not particrly in a hurry. On the other hand, Lorena and her group were in great enthusiasm, ceaselessly asking questions. Duanmu Huai did his best to provide answers, and also helped them to gain some knowledge. Especially when Lorena and Merlot learned that the massive blue sphere they were looking at was thend they inhabit, they were astounded. Clearly, they had never conceived that the world they lived in was, in fact, a sphere. Aside from this, Duanmu Huai also cautioned them about some dangers. Although it¡¯s very unlikely, if Lorena or Merlot ended up opening the airlock out of curiosity¡­ the consequences would be dire. After satisfying Lorena and the others¡¯ curiosity, Duanmu Huai then piloted the Night Raven ck Star back to the Empire. Following the map, he located the Dunkelberg situated at the south end of Rick Territory. Before arriving at Dunkelberg, Duanmu Huai asked others about it and learned a few things regarding Dunkelberg. It¡¯s an ancient small town in Rick Territory, very wealthy and suitable for vacationing. The story of ¡°Manaria¡± is a fairy tale passed down from generation to generation in Dunkelberg. Although there are many versions of the story, the crux is always about humans battling against giant dragons and ultimately defeating them, symbolizing victory. It was said that adventurers, enticed by the tale, came here specifically to excavate dragon bones. But naturally, they found nothing. As for now¡­¡­ Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes glittered as he gazed at the darknd down below. Soul Resonance! The world before his eyes began to blur into a haze. Then¡­a faint light sparkled in Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes, like the first star of the night, twinkling with an elusive brilliance. It¡¯s there! Duanmu Huai steered the gunboat quietly to descend andnded where the glimmer was. It was a tall peak deep within the forest. On the backside of the peak stood a high tower that seemed to be in ruins. Duanmu Huai leaped off the gunboat to reach the front of the high tower and looked up. The entire tower had long been ruined, appearing as though it had been through an explosion. Duanmu Huai activated Soul Resonance again. Subsequently, a multi-coloured crystal, flickering with faint light, emerged out of thin air in front of the tower. Duanmu Huai reached out and lightly touched the crystal. The next moment, everything in sight vanished without a trace. The world was tumultuous with howling winds and a re, battle cries and utter chaos ringing through the atmosphere. Duanmu Huai looked up to see countless giant dragons in the distance, opening their mouths wide to rain fire down upon thend. On the ground, humans were swinging their weapons, casting magic, and ceaselessly fighting the dragons in the sky. Meanwhile, a clear yet majestic voice echoed. ¡°Dragon Princess of Regnes! Today is the day you die!!¡± Duanmu Huai looked up to see a petite figure standing at the top of the high tower. Then, the clouds split apart, and a ck-haired woman with wings and a tail descended from the sky before her. ¡°Finally¡­it¡¯s time for us to settle this.¡± ¡°Yes, this time, I will surely kill you! Heroic Spirit! Answer my call and exterminate the detestable Dragonkin!!¡± Along with the resounding shriek, a gigantic Steel Knight emerged, yelling as it raised its hands and lunged at the dragonkin woman before it. Thetter tightly clenched her fists and bravely confronted the Steel Knight head-on! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!!¡± The next moment, the entire world turned purely white. Duanmu Huai raised his hand to shield against the sudden explosion of light. At the same time, a figure quietly appeared before him. ¡°Please, save them, save this world¡­¡± The despair-filled voice echoed in Duanmu Huai¡¯s ears. ¡°The possibility of humans is the hope of magic¡­ please, save it all.¡± As the voice fell, the world before Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes, once again, transformed. Chapter 106 - 89 Manaria Magic Academy_1 Chapter 106: Chapter 89 Manaria Magic Academy_1 When Duanmu Huai opened his eyes again, what appeared before him was a gigantic structure resembling a round castle situated on an ind. A long bridge connected to the maind, and Duanmu Huai was standing right at the end of it. Is this Manaria Magic Academy? Gazing at the castle, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He then extended his hand and quickly summoned Ogis and Lorena. He had a pretty straightforward reason to summon Ogis ¨C she was hispanion. As for Lorena, things were slightly moreplicated. Besides being Duanmu Huai¡¯spanion, she was also a representative of the Holy City since she was assigned with Duanmu Huai to serve as the city¡¯s emissaries to Manaria during earlier discussions. Duanmu Huai had no objections towards this appointment. After all, if this World Fragment ended up in his hands, Duanmu Huai would certainly merge it with the Holy City. It was inevitable that the two worlds would intersect at some point. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Sir Knight, have you found it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon hearing Lorena¡¯s inquiry, Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°This should be Manaria Magic Academy.¡± ¡°So this is the ce¡­it¡¯s quite beautiful¡­¡± Lorena too stared at the castle in front, her voice filled with awe. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look inside.¡± Duanmu Huai straightened up and walked across the bridge towards the entrance, with Ogis and Lorena following behind him. Originally, Duanmu Huai thought someone would stop them, but to his surprise, there were no guards at the entrance or an old custodian, or even a magical barrier to stop outsiders, which wasmon in many novels. They entered the academy with ease. The entire school was silent. Distant sounds suggested that sses were in session. However, this situation was somewhat beyond Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectations. ¡°Sir Knight, what should we do now?¡± ¡°Well¡­let¡¯s find a student, inquire about the situation, and then reveal our identities.¡± Duanmu Huai, with a letter from the archbishop of the Holy City on hand, was confident that his identity wouldn¡¯t be doubted. So, they walked towards the castle. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai contemted the image he had seen before. Although itsted for less than a minute, it was clear that it depicted a legendary battle scene where the Princess of Manaria led her forces into a fight against the Dragon Race. However¡­the oue seemed different than what the fairy tales suggested. And that voice¡­ Duanmu Huai lifted his head and stared at the system in front of him, where a clear task appeared. [Activation Fragment Task ¡®Rescue Manaria¡¯] [Task Target: Save Manaria] [This world is engulfed in shadows of darkness, repeating endless torment in pain and despair. End this all and open a brand new future] ¡°Wow! So impressive!!¡± While Duanmu Huai was deep in thought, an excited, energetic voice suddenly sounded, interrupting him. Duanmu Huai looked down and found himself facing a brown-haired girl in a school uniform, standing excitedly in front of him. She looked at Duanmu Huai with curiosity, touching his body with fascination. ¡°Such an impressive steel golem! So huge! So majestic!! Who designed this?!¡± While speaking, the brown-haired girl excitedly examined Duanmu Huai. ¡°Well¡­the armor is well made, it doesn¡¯t look like ordinary alchemical technology, and there¡¯s also that¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me, youngdy, I am not a golem.¡± Seeing that she was about to touch him again, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but cough and interrupt her. ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the girl was startled for a moment, then, bashfully sticking her tongue out, she retreated with her hands behind her back. ¡°Ah, hahaha, I didn¡¯t expect there would be a person inside, you really scared me¡­hahaha¡­¡± While speaking, the girl continued looking at Duanmu Huai curiously. ¡°But is there really a person inside? Are you trying to trick me? I want to see your face.¡± ¡°Of course you can.¡± Duanmu Huai let out a resigned sigh before removing his helmet. ¡°Is that satisfactory?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± However, contrary to Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectations, the girl in front of him was not frightened unconscious or screaming in terror upon seeing his face. Instead, she widened her eyes in surprise and stared at him. ¡°You are really¡­incredible!¡± ¡°???¡± What sort of description is that? ¡°So¡­miss¡­¡± Anyhow, It seems that the young girl in front of him is still capable ofmunication, so Duanmu Huai started to exin the situation to her. But at this moment, a figure suddenly dashed towards them. ¡°Viin! Step away from the princess!¡± Duanmu Huai looked up to see a sword strike aiming straight at him, instantly, he lifted his war hammer and swung it forcefully at the approaching de! ¡°ng!!!¡± With the sound of collision echoing, the sword strike was directly smashed away, and a man rolled on the ground andnded in front of the girl. ¡°Princess, please step back! This man is dangerous!¡± Well, this is the beginning that Duanmu Huai is familiar with. ¡°What are you talking about, Owen.¡± The brown-haired girl seemed somewhat discontented with the man¡¯s warning. ¡°He was just talking to me, and he didn¡¯t do anything bad!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Seeing the two arguing, Duanmu Huai coughed and interrupted their conversation. ¡°Sorry to interrupt, we are envoys from the Holy City,ing to have friendly exchanges with the Manaria Magic Academy¡­ If possible, could you introduce us to the relevant person in charge at the academy?¡± ¡°Eh? Envoys from the Holy City?¡± Hearing this, both the girl and the seemingly guard-like man were taken aback. ¡°Exactly.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded, then motioned for Lorena to step forward, who carefully walked out from behind him and respectfully bowed to everyone. ¡°Nice to meet you all, I am Lorena, a Missionary Priest from the Cathedral Church¡­¡± Unlike Duanmu Huai, who was dressed in fierce armor, Lorena in a white clergy robe seemed a lot more friendly. Upon seeing her, the two were surprised. ¡°Ah, really, Owen, I told you not to start fights so easily. Look at what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m really sorry¡­ ¡± Facing the brown-haired girl¡¯s reprimand, the man named Owen seemed gloomy as he put his longsword away. The brown-haired girl also stepped forward, lifted her skirt slightly and curtsied to Duanmu Huai and the others. ¡°Nice to meet you, envoys from the Holy City, I am the Princess of Manaria, Ann. I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding earlier. Please, don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± ¡°Eh? A princess?¡± No doubt, Duanmu Huai and Lorena were taken aback when they heard the self-introduction of the brown-haired girl in front of them. After all, they did not expect to encounter the princess of this country just by chance. Anyway, having a princess leading the way made their journey much smoother. Shortly, under Ann¡¯s lead, they arrived at the office of the dean of the Manaria Magic Academy. They had a meeting with the dean. At first, the old man was quite startled by Duanmu Huai¡¯s terrifying armor, but they weed the envoys from the Holy City for academic exchanges. Duanmu Huai also hoped to learn some magic knowledge at the Magic Academy ¨C not that it matters, what¡¯s essential is, once he had learned and acquired this magic knowledge, he could convert it into Soul Cards for use. For Duanmu Huai, whocked magicbat capabilities, this was quite necessary. Of course, Duanmu Huai did note empty-handed. To show his sincerity, he brought some ¡°Mechanical Soldiers¡± and ¡°Creaturess¡± from Sky City as gifts for Manaria Magic Academy. Duanmu Huai had realized that among the World Fragments he possessed, the ¡°Ghost Mansion¡± should be the product of this era, while the ¡°Puppet Room¡±, ¡°Holy City¡± and ¡°Manaria Magic Academy¡± were probably from the previous era, and ¡°Sky City¡± was even earlier, dating back to prehistoric civilization. In other words, this had at least three recorded civilizations, including this one. Regarding Duanmu Huai¡¯s gifts, Manaria College was quite excited. Although they possessed the technology to create gigantic statues, those were made of y andpletely controlled by magic. That¡¯s not puppet technology nor does it belong to magic engineering civilization. Therefore, the sorcerer mech creations that Duanmu Huai gave them intrigued the students and teachers of Manaria quite a lot. Naturally, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind. After all, as long as he seeds in his mission, the world fragment of Manaria would be his. Allowing them to delve into some knowledge and skills in advance would ultimately benefit him. In fact, he would rather the Manaria Magic Academy reverse-engineer something from the sorcerer mech creations he provided. Because the magical engineering technology of ¡°Sky City¡± was too advanced, the Puppeteer Master in the ¡°Holy City¡± had no idea where to start with these sorcerer mech creations, just like a carpenter from the Warring States period looking at modern industrial machinery. Even though Baddy and the other technicians were trying hard to disassemble and study the internal structure and principles of these machinery products, they are¡­ just technicians after all. Like technical staff in factories, they might be able to figure out how to manufacture and assemble these machines, but the underlining principles, such as the specific gravity of the metal materials or the topic of energy efficiency¡­ aren¡¯t their specialties. Therefore, Duanmu Huai decided to hand over this area of research to the Manaria Magic Academy. If he sessfullypletes his missionter and includes Manaria in his World Fragments, then with the knowledge from the Manaria Magic Academy and the Puppet Zone¡¯s craftsman skills, the integration of production and research will be just around the corner. Of course, all this is predicated on¡­ Duanmu Huai sessfully saving this world. Chapter 107 - 90: Ann and Greiya_1 Chapter 107: Chapter 90: Ann and Greiya_1 Thus, Duanmu Huai entered the Manaria Magic Academy as a student and began his studies in magic. Of course, during his learning, Lorena and Ogis didn¡¯t stand idly by either. They investigated the situation within Manaria Country. Duanmu Huai found that at this time in history, most countries were equivalent torge city-states, with both the Holy City and Manaria being no exceptions. Take the Holy City for instance, Sacred City Toddheim was the political center of the country, the walled city inhabited by the majority of the poption. Then, with the Holy City as its center, roads spread outward like a spider web. Following this were ces like farming areas for crop cultivation, mining areas for resource extraction, and so forth. These areas converged around small towns. Simply put, this era mostly consisted of arge city together with several towns that formed a city-state. It was the same with Manaria, except it had two cores ¨C the Manaria Magic Academy and Manaria Royal City were two different independent cities, keeping watch over each other. The small towns and zones between these two cities collectively made up thend area of Manaria. Inparison to the Holy City, Manaria¡¯snd area wasrger, but still rtively limited. What Ogis and Lorena were investigating were the matters within Manaria Country, such as its social stability, phase of development, necessary requisites for conducting trade with the Holy City¡­ Seeing as Lorena was a missionary priest of the church, it was certain she would tackle such matters. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai continued his studies in Manaria Magic Academy the whole time. The wealth of knowledge regarding magic in Manaria was quite abundant, and their unique practices were indeed quite interesting, like a technique known as ¡°Mana Amplification¡±. This technique allowed for the continuous casting of spells, thereby reducing the cost of casting subsequent spells. Tranting it into card game terms, if arge-scale spell requires a 100 units of spiritual energy, then the caster, by casting ordinary quick spells repeatedly, could use ¡°Mana Amplification¡± to decrease the cost of casting thatrge-scale spell, even reducing it to zero in one go. In simpler terms, it¡¯s about quickly casting small spells in the early stages, employing ¡°Mana Amplification¡± to decrease the spell casting cost in theter stages, followed by casting severalrge-scale spells concurrently with zero cost, thereby dealing a severe blow to the opponent. Then there was another known as ¡°Earth Secret Art¡±, the advantage of this spell was its patient and steady pace. By refining ¡°Fragments of the Earth¡± through ¡°Earth Secret Art¡±, continuous increments in attack and defense power can be made, ensuring consistent performance throughout the battle process. Both of these techniques have their strengths and weaknesses. ¡°Mana Amplification¡± deals lower damage in the early stages, making it easily countered. However, if making it to theter stages, continuous casting of powerful spells would be devastating to the opponent. On the other hand, ¡±Earth Secret Art¡± is more stable. It mayck the explosive outburst of ¡°Mana Amplification¡± in thete stages, but it ensures constant dominance throughout thebat process. Duanmu Huai was initially quite uncertain, but he eventually decided to learn ¡°Mana Amplification¡±. After all, he wasn¡¯t concerned about theck of defense and attack power during the early stages of ¡°Mana Amplification¡±. This might concern the other frail mages of the academy, but for Duanmu Huai¡­ he didn¡¯t need to worry aboutck of defense or firepower at all. Here, Duanmu Huai revisited the long-missed campus life. Yes, the same student life as before. At first, Duanmu Huai would cause amotion no matter where he went. There were even instances where he was mistaken as a rampage magical puppet when he went to borrow books from the library. But after learning that he was an envoy from the Holy City, people stopped making jokes but ended up not daring to chat with him either. After all, due to his hulking stature, ordinary people could barely reach his height, and his armor especially was enough to daunt people. His helmetless head was even more daunting, so everyone kept a respectful distance from Duanmu Huai. However, Duanmu Huai, having outgrown his adolescent sentimentality, didn¡¯t mind at all. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t friendless. ¡°Ah, I found you, Mr. Knight!¡± Duanmu Huai, who was sitting and reading, looked up to see a brown-haired girl in a school uniform running excitedly towards him with herpanions. ¡°You¡¯re indeed here, just as I guessed.¡± ¡°After all, I¡¯m toozy to change ces.¡± Looking at the brown-haired girl before him, Duanmu Huia chuckled softly and responded. The girl before him was none other than Princess Ann of Manaria, whom they met when they first arrived here. Whether it was because of her status as a princess, Ann took care of Duanmu Huai and hispanions, who were guests who had traveled a long journey. As a result, they became familiar with each other. From Duanmu Huai¡¯s perspective, Ann was a lively, cheerful, and slightly impulsive girl. She was kind to others, intelligent, and her magical powers were ranked first in Manaria¡­ not surprising. Following Ann was a striking girl with short, deep red hair. What however, caught everyone¡¯s attention on the first nce were her thick tail and vivid red wings that sprung from underneath her skirt. She was Ann¡¯s friend, Greyia. Greyia was a half-dragon-half-human studying abroad in Manaria from another country on the Manaria Continent, the Dragon Kingdom Regnes. She was born to her dragon father, the king of Regnes, and her human mother because they were deeply in love, and was sent to study in Manaria. Compared to the lively, outgoing, and somewhat reckless Ann, Greiya appeared to be introverted and not particrly good at socializing. So most of the time, it was Ann who did the talking, while Greiya mainly focused on listening. But Duanmu Huai had seen her before. It was¡­ During the stimulus of Soul Resonance, he saw the battle between humans and the Dragon Race. The one who descended from the heavens at that time was Greiya. Apart from seeming a bit more mature than she does now, there hadn¡¯t been any significant changes. So, was Ann the princess who led the humans, fought against, and eliminated the Dragon Race? Gazing at the non-stop, lively, chatterbox Ann, Duanmu Huai slightly frowned. Honestly, just by looking at the harmonious scene between the two, people would probably never guess that they ended up warring against each other. Moreover, Duanmu Huai also detected some contradictions. ording to Ann, the current rtionship between humans and the Dragon Race might not be especially harmonious, but it hadn¡¯t degraded to the point of mutual hostility. But from the scene he had witnessed before, Greiya seemed only slightly older than she is now, which means that the battle should take ce in the near future. However, why would it happen? What kind of problem arose that led to the outbreak of war between humans and the Dragon Race? ¡°Mr. Knight? Mr. Knight!!¡± Completely engrossed in his thoughts, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t notice Ann talking to him. Seeing Duanmu Huai ignoring her, Ann stretched out her hand, trying to wave it in front of him. But the height difference between Duanmu Huai and Ann was too great. Even when Ann tried to jump around, waving her arms vigorously, she still couldn¡¯t reach Duanmu Huai¡¯s chin. So an aggravated Ann lifted her finger and aimed a sudden sh of light right in front of Duanmu Huai¡¯s face. ¡°Hey!¡± The sh whizzed by, startling Duanmu Huai and snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked at Ann, who was puffing her cheeks in indignation, staring directly at him. ¡°Ugh, what were you thinking about? Why do you keep zoning out?¡± ¡°I apologize, I was thinking about some other stuff¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better. We¡¯re two pretty girls talking to you here, it would be rude of you to lose focus.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s reply, Ann nodded in satisfaction. ¡°So¡­ where were we?¡± ¡°I still want to hear your story, Mr. Knight.¡± ¡°My story, huh¡­¡± At this point, Duanmu Huai chuckled. He was certainly not wasting his time here. Initially, to liven up the mood, Ann had asked Duanmu Huai to share his adventures. After all, both her and Greiya were princesses, who, although not exactly confined within pce walls, certainly didn¡¯t have any experience with adventuring. Thus, they were quite interested in hearing about it. As for this, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind either. He had undertaken countless adventures in his game, many of which were quite memorable and worth sharing with the two of them. Of course, Duanmu Huai also took the opportunity to inform them about the Chaos Evil God. After all, they would be fighting against it alongside him in the future. The more they know about it, the better. Both of them were quite enthusiastic about Duanmu Huai¡¯s stories. Taking a break every day to listen to Duanmu Huai¡¯s tales had be a part of their daily routine. ¡°So, where did we leave off yesterday?¡± ¡°The Blue Elf couldn¡¯t return home, so he created a Second Empire!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a Second Empire.¡± Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes, she can¡¯t just go around saying things like that. The loyal Blue Elf doesn¡¯t have secrets, okay! ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s continue from there¡­¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai nced towards the wall next to him, where he noticed a distinct human-shaped heat image. Uh¡­ Isn¡¯t that Owen, Ann¡¯s guard, who he had met earlier? However¡­ Speaking of Princess, why is your guard acting like a stalker? Chapter 108 - 91 Crisis and Opportunity_1 Chapter 108: Chapter 91 Crisis and Opportunity_1 Lorena and Ogis were not slow, just a few short days passed and they had returned to Duanmu Huai again, only this time, Lorena¡¯s expression appeared somewhat tense and uneasy. ¡°War?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± Lorena nodded. ¡°At the moment, on this continent, a war between humans and dragons is taking ce. ording to the information we¡¯ve gathered, an Evil Dragon named Fafner is leading the Dragon race, burning, killing and piging everywhere in the continent. They believe the Dragon race is the supreme ruler of this world and all other life forms must submit to them.¡± ¡°Is this so¡­¡­ Then can not anyone to eliminate it?¡± ¡°Legend has it that a knight named Siegfried went to y the dragon but has been missing since¡­¡­ presumably he failed.¡± ¡°What about Regnes and Manaria? Is there no movement?¡± ¡°The situation with Regnes is not very clear, but Manaria seems to have decided to focus on defense¡­¡­¡± ¡°Such a foolish decision.¡± Duanmu Huai frowned. After listening to Lorena¡¯s report, he almost understood what was happening in this World Fragment. Obviously, Manaria chose to stand by while Regnes ended up as the subordinate of the Evil Dragon, triggering the war between dragons and humans. Although he didn¡¯t know exactly what happened, he could imagine that it certainly didn¡¯t end well. This ending needs to be changed as soon as possible¡­¡­ ¡°Are things troublesome, Sir Knight?¡± Looking at Duanmu Huai¡¯s grave expression, Lorena asked, and Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°Yes, I can almost guess what that Evil Dragon wishes to do. It aims to foster antagonism between humans and the Dragon race, fuel the situation, and provoke a war between both sides.¡± ¡°But master¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Ogis curiously asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t only a portion of dragons attacking humans?¡± ¡°Even so, generally speaking, the perception between races is umted via contact with individuals. Humans have only seen the Dragon race ying humankind, yet have not seen any dragonse forth to stop it. Therefore, they naturally believe that all dragons are equally cruel. The Dragons perceive humans the same way, perhaps seeing only feeble humans, leading them to believe that all humans are the same¡­¡­¡± Having said this, Duanmu Huai spread his hands and shrugged. ¡°Specifically inside the human race, each organization, each race, each country, forms their initial impressions of each other through such perceptions. For instance, Lorena, everyone forms an impression of the Holy City and the Cathedral through her, meaning that she represents the image of the Holy City outside. At least through Lorena, everyone knows that the Holy City¡¯s Clergy are a very kind and friendly group, which is beneficial for future exchanges.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Lorena bashfully lowered her head andughed a little, while adjusting her robes. Duanmu Huai also chuckled and pointed at himself. ¡°Like me, if I disy apletely wicked nature in front of the Dragon race, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll also consider all humans to be extremely vile viins.¡± ¡°I understand, but master¡­¡­¡­¡± Ogis blinked curiously, looking at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Will the Dragon race consider you to be a human?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing Ogis¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai turned pale. He stared at Ogis, momentarily at a loss of words. Stabbing your teammate in the back is a critical hit indeed, you really took it far. ¡°Anyway¡­¡­ this problem needs to be resolved as soon as possible.¡± Duanmu Huai decisively changed the subject, feeling as if his HP was about to drop to zero if the conversation continued. ¡°But¡­¡­ how?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll first discuss with Ann and Greiya.¡± Although ording to logic, Duanmu Huai, being an outsider, is not suitable to interfere in other countries¡¯ internal affairs. But at this moment, the most important thing is to save this world, to avoid the worst-case scenario. Duanmu Huai had no choice but to change his thinking. The next day at noon, the three gathered again in the courtyard. ¡°Sir Knight, what story do you have for us today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not telling a story today, I have something very important to discuss with the both of you.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head, then looked at Ann and Greiya. Noticing his serious expression, both girls looked startled. ¡°Huh? Sir Knight has something important to tell us? It¡¯s not a marriage proposal, is it?¡± ¡°Can you ever think about something else?¡± Facing Ann¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about serious matters, I want to discuss the situation with the Evil Dragon Fafner.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Ann and Greiya were taken aback, their expressions became solemn. At this time, Duanmu Huai was staring at them, and spoke. ¡°Lorena and Ogis conducted some investigations during this period, and we heard that Fafner, an Evil Dragon, is currently ravaging this continent, is that true?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­¡­¡± Ann and Greiya nced at each other, nodding helplessly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°And, if our investigation is correct, Manaria and Regnes have not taken any action. Why so?¡± ¡°I do not know what father is thinking.¡± Ann let out a sigh of helplessness, and Greiya also lowered her head. ¡°I also¡­¡­ I believe that father does not want to see the current situation, but the domestic dragon situation is really hard to coordinate¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, it means that within Regnes, many dragons agree with Fafner¡¯s views, feeling that because Dragon kind is at the apex of all beings, it should rule over other races, is that correct?¡± Duanmu Huai was looking at Greiya, questioningly, and at this moment Greiya was curling herself up, nodding uneasily. ¡°Honestly, Sir Knight!¡± Upon seeing this, Ann couldn¡¯t help but reach out and hug Greiya. ¡°This is not Greiya¡¯s fault, don¡¯t get angry at her!¡± ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s a habit.¡± Duanmu Huai waved his hand, just as he began to speak, he immediately took on his role as Judge, inevitably making the tone stronger. ¡°But do you realize the consequences if this continues? If things go wrong, there could be a full-blown conflict and war between the Dragon Race and humans. Is that eptable?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Upon hearing this, Ann¡¯splexion changed drastically, even Greiya raised her head in surprise, looking towards Duanmu Huai. ¡°Ah haha¡­ Sir Knight, don¡¯t you think ¡­ It¡¯s a bit exaggerated to say that? After all, it¡¯s just the Evil Dragon¡­ um¡­¡± ¡°But, the Dragons gave it their tacit approval.¡± Duanmu Huai interrupted Ann¡¯s argument. ¡°The Dragons didn¡¯t try to stop the Evil Dragon. In the eyes of the Humans, it means they support him. Therefore, the Evil Dragon Fafner is being acknowledged by the Dragon Race. Hence in the eyes of humans, all Dragons are like Fafner. They are attempting to conquer and destroy humans, they are their enemies.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s not the case!¡± Ann quickly stood up to strongly contradict him. ¡°Greiya isn¡¯t like that. I know that Greiya is a very gentle and kind child! She isn¡¯t like Fafner!¡± ¡°Ann¡­.¡± Upon hearing Ann¡¯s words, Greiya looked at her with a cheerful expression, whereas Duanmu Huai poured cold water over this warm atmosphere. ¡°Even so, how are you going to convince others to believe this? Let alone anything else, surely not all students in the academy are willing to associate with Greiya.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the two young girls were rendered speechless for a while. Indeed, like Duanmu Huai, Greiya was also ostracized by the students at Manaria Academy. However, her main problemid in her identity as a Dragonkin. Although Greiya wasn¡¯t entirely friendless, a considerable number of students did keep their distance from her. ¡°Then, what¡­ what should we do?!¡± Without any ideas, Ann vented all her frustration on Duanmu Huai. ¡°Such a problem is not within our scope to fix!¡± ¡°Of course¡­ it isn¡¯t.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°If both of you were just ordinary students, it would be fine. But you are princesses. That implies you don¡¯t just represent yourselves, but also your respective nations. Whether it¡¯s Ann or Greiya, your subjects are watching your every move. With the Evil Dragon on the rampage, your actions signify the stand of your respective nations. Besides, I have a solution to this problem. Truth be told, while the invasion of the Evil Dragon is disastrous, it also presents an opportunity.¡± ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing this, both girls were taken aback. ¡°An opportunity?¡± ¡°Yes, if the Dragon Race wants to improve their rtionship with humans, then they can seize the chance and fight alongside humans against the Evil Dragon Legion. This way, the Dragon Race can at least show humans that not all Giants Dragons are like Fafner. Like humans, they also have varying thoughts and stands.¡± Reaching this point, Duanmu Huai spread his hands. ¡°So, my idea is, Manaria and Regnes could jointly form an expeditionary force to suppress the Evil Dragon. As long as we are sessful in annihting the Evil Dragon, then everything can be resolved. Dragon-human rtions will improve once the Evil Dragon is gone; thereby solving the problem.¡± The best way to resolve internal conflicts has always been to find an outside enemy anytime. Just as in the Three Emperors War, only when a Vampire bravely traveled thousands of miles to Aldorf out of a sense of internationalism did the Civil Ware to an early end. ¡°This¡­¡­ ¡­¡± It is needless to say that both Ann and Greiya were stunned when they heard Duanmu Huai¡¯s n. ¡°Could it really be that simple?¡± ¡°If everything goes smoothly, yes it is that simple. Or would you rather wait for the Evil Dragon to attack Manaria before considering this issue?¡± ¡°Huh? Will Fafner attack Manaria?¡± Upon hearing this, Ann was rmed while Duanmu Huai appeared calm. ¡°Of course, Manaria is the strongest magic nation in the continent, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ann nodded. ¡°The zing Angel Manaria granted us magic, because of which our Kingdom of Manaria flourishes under the power of magic.¡± ¡°So, if I were Fafner, I would definitely attack Manaria. From the standpoint of the Dragon Race, once they destroy the strongest human nation ¨C Manaria, humans can only surrender.¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s statement, the expressions on Ann and Greiya grew stern. Although they appeared to be sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls, they were Princesses in essence. Those who weren¡¯t flower vases used for marriage alliances should have understood how serious the situation was. ¡°I get it.¡± Ann stood up this time. ¡°I will write to the King immediately, exining the situation.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Greiya nodded firmly. ¡°I will alsomunicate with the King to discuss countermeasures.¡± ¡°Thank you. Even though the Holy City cannot participate in the war against the Evil Dragon, we will represent the Holy City and join the fight against the Evil Dragon.¡± Upon hearing the answers from the two princesses, Duanmu Huai also heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. With his warning, at least¡­ the situation shouldn¡¯t worsen much further. Chapter 109 - 92: Do it Yourself!_1 Chapter 109: Chapter 92: Do it Yourself!_1 It has to be said that Duanmu Huai¡¯s decision to climb the socialdder was right. Upon learning that the deeds of the Evil Dragon might influence humans¡¯ perception of the Giant Dragon, particrly after discovering that Greiya might be expelled from Manaria due to this, Ann immediately wrote a letter to her own father, discussing the rampant issues caused by the Evil Dragon. Greiya also wrote to her own father in the same veign, to discuss countermeasures. Luckily, responses came quickly from both sides. Greiya¡¯s father, the King of the Dragon Race, was also deeply concerned about the rampant desctruction caused by the Evil Dragon. Aftermunicating with Greiya, he decided to personally visit the Kingdom of Manaria to discuss measures against the Evil Dragon. Ann¡¯s father also agreed to the Dragon King¡¯s request, and so they both agreed to hold discussions about defeating the Evil Dragon in the Manaria Royal City. Naturally, Ann and Greiya would participate and, Duanmu Huai would attend as a representative of the Cathedral Church ¨C after all, he was a Sacred Knight. Although he didn¡¯t quite look the part. However, the results of this meeting were ¡­ somewhat satisfactory. ¡°Dad is such a fool! A big fool!¡± Ann stormed into the room, furiously mming the door behind her. Looking at her raging demeanor, Duanmu Huai and Greiya exchanged helpless nces. They also understood why Ann was so infuriated. Initially, the meeting went smoothly; everyone acknowledged the Evil Dragon as a threat that needed handling, and agreed to dispatch an army to deal with it. But theposition of this army¡­ became a significant problem. The Evil Dragon Fafner was extremely powerful, which was indisputable, and a highly qualified and capable team was required to defeat such a beast. The problem at hand was, the kings of Manaria and Regnes, who were undoubtedly unable to risk their lives personally, for it was not a ruler¡¯s duty. So, who would they send? If discussed from a capability perspective, Ann and Greiya were naturally the top candidates. However, being princesses, they could not put their lives in danger. To make matters worse, humans and the Dragon Race were arguing about the selection. From humans¡¯ perspective, the Evil Dragon was a member of the Dragon Race, hence they should be the ones to clean up this mess. They should therefore send their best warriors. But from the point of view of the Dragon Race, they believe the humans want to use them as a scapegoat to get rid of the Evil Dragon, hence reaping the benefits afterwards. Therefore, they believe that fairness should be maintained and Manaria should also contribute an equal number of excellent warriors. However the human side was averse to this. They believed that the Dragon Race wanted to wipe out all of their top warriors. After all, unlike the Dragon Race, not all humans were strong. If all their strong warriors died in the battle against the Evil Dragon, wouldn¡¯t that give the Dragon Race ample opportunity to boss them around? Consequently, the meeting fell into a deadlock; both sides suspected each other of bad intentions and were unable to genuinely cooperate. The matter of selection was repeatedly dyed, and in the end, no agreement could be reached. Although Ann protested to her father, it didn¡¯t yield any results. In the end, the group returned to the academy without reaching any conclusions. ¡°My father is also under a lot of pressure. I heard that when he returned this time, many ministers expressed dissatisfaction toward him, believing that Regnes should not be actively involved in the dispute between the Evil Dragon and humans¡­¡± Greiya sighed silently, at a loss for words. ¡°You don¡¯t seem that surprised? Sir Knight?¡± Looking curiously at Duanmu Huai, who was quietly sipping his tea, Ann asked with a puzzled expression. Duanmu Huai simply shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s quite normal. Many problems will surface once politics are involved. This is why, in many stories, everyone is unable to cooperate until the crucial moment. Presently, unless the Evil Dragon simultaneously attacks Regnes and Manaria, it is unlikely that the two sides will sincerely cooperate.¡± ¡°But by then, it will be toote!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°Since no decision has been made, I n to go myself.¡± ¡°Huh??!!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s decision, Ann and Greiya both stared in surprise at him. ¡°Sir Knight, are you nning to defeat the Evil Dragon yourself?¡± ¡°Of course, this was my original n. If we could coborate and take action together, the chances of winning would naturally increase. However, from the current standpoint, although Regnes and Manaria are allies, the rtionship between the two isn¡¯t exactly solid. Under such circumstances, even if abined army is formed, it¡¯s very likely to be moreplex due to this fragile alliance. Hence, I¡¯ve decided to subdue the Evil Dragon ¡ª after all, as a Sacred Knight, it¡¯s my duty.¡± At present, Duanmu Huai had already perceived that the Evil Dragon Fafner was most likely the final boss of this Fragmented World. He had initially hoped to coborate with the two countries to ambush it. However, from the current situation, due to the conflicts and disputes between the two sides, cooperation seemed impossible. This was probably why arge-scale battle eventually broke out between humans and the Dragon Race. Since he couldn¡¯t rely on the two countries, Duanmu Huai was left only to rely on himself. As for whether he could win¡­ he didn¡¯t think it was much of a problem. During his studies at Manaria College, Duanmu Huai had collected many Magic Cards. Plus, being in the Fragmented World, he didn¡¯t need to worry about the limits of the Subspace Heat. He could just push it to its maximum power. If he can¡¯t beat it, he can at least run away. Moreover, during the previous meeting, Duanmu Huai detected a familiar aura. Both sides were not at fault, but due to some unstoppable force, they were forced step by step into the abyss. This rhythm seemed like the work of the God of Trickery. This was the primary reason why he decided to abandon the joint n. The moreplex the n, the higher the chance of the God of Trickery¡¯s involvement, and hence, the higher the probability of failure. Instead of wasting time on nning, directly attacking was the best strategy against such a schemer. In simpler terms, no matter how fancy your moves are, a single hit can knock you down. No matter how many variations you have afterward, they would be futile. Duanmu Huai was a man of action. Or to say, a soldier who valued speed. On the day following the decision, he notified the student council that he had urgent matters requiring his immediate departure from the College. Of course, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t explicitly mention embarking on a quest to conquer the Evil Dragon. He merely said that the Holy City had messaged him, and he needed to return. The College didn¡¯t give it much thought and instantly granted his leave. After leaving the city, Duanmu Huai summoned the Metal Secret Dragon, prepared to venture forth. At that moment, however, he turned his attention towards the surrounding woods. ¡°Come out, you¡¯ve been following me this far, what do you want?¡± ¡°Heh heh heh¡­¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, three figures emerged from the woods. Two cloaked figures resembling thieves were no one else but Ann and Greiya. Trailing behind them, as always, was Ann¡¯s guardian knight, Owen. ¡°I guess I already knew, but I still need to ask, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Duanmu Huai looked at them, exasperated, and began to question. Ann raised her hand. ¡°As you can see, Sir Knight, we too, want to go with you to annihte the Evil Dragon!¡± While saying this, she looked at Duanmu Huai, her eyes shining brightly. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any issues, right, Sir Knight? After all, you have previously embarked on many adventures and always emerged victorious, right?¡± ¡°Well, in theory, yes. However¡­. ¡± ¡°However what?¡± ¡°However, are you two pampered princesses capable of adapting to the life of adventure outdoors?¡± Duanmu Huai looked at Ann and Greiya, and sighed with resignation. ¡°I want to rify beforehand, adventuring in the wild is not as romantic as portrayed in tales and novels. There¡¯s no ce to bath, hot meals are a luxury, there are no soft beds, and you might wake up to find your body covered in bugs and snakes. The forest is even worse, filled with mosquitoes and poisonous insects. To be frank, can you pampered princesses withstand such conditions?¡± Having said this, Duanmu Huai looked at Owen standing behind them. He was bncing arge travel bag in each hand and another one, bigger than himself, on his back. Nobody knew what they contained. ¡°Leave two sets of clothes and some dry rations, throw away the rest.¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Ann was taken aback upon hearing this. ¡°Then what about our books and makeup items for the road¡­¡± ¡°Of course, throw them away! Are youing or not? If not, go back!¡± Did they really think this was just a holiday trip? ¡°Yes¡­¡­..¡± Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s stern gaze, Ann hesitated a bit, but finally nodded in confirmation. Regardless,pared to clothes, books, and cosmetic items, saving the nation was more important. Chapter 110 - 93: Shadow of Destruction_1 Chapter 110: Chapter 93: Shadow of Destruction_1 On the wide road, the Metal Secret Dragon strides on its legs, sprinting forward like a hunting Tyrannosaurus Rex. On its back, Ann and Greiya are enthusiastically taking in the surrounding scenery. ¡°Is this the puppet technology of the Holy City? It¡¯s so interesting!¡± Looking at the scenery before her, Ann was brimming with excitement. The annoyance of having been forced by Duanmu Huai to abandon her luggage had long since evaporated. Manaria also had simr technology, but those puppets functioned on magic power for a short period of time. Once the magic power was exhausted, they would return to dust, so mechanical units like the Metal Secret Dragon were still very attractive to them. ¡°We¡¯re not here to y around¡­¡± Looking at the two of them, Duanmu Huai silently shook his head, but didn¡¯t mind. All new adventurers behaved this way. These two were much better than the idiot he had encountered in Bartoni. Considering that both of them were pampered princesses, they were already doing pretty well. As for the rest, let reality be their teacher. Thinking about this, Duanmu Huai turned his gaze to Lorena again. ¡°Lorena, are you sure it¡¯s in the north?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Knight.¡± Lorena, who was praying, opened her eyes in response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question and nodded. ¡°We encountered many refugees fleeing from the north within the territory of Manaria. They all said that there is an Evil Dragon rampaging in the north, and everyone is afraid to venture outside.¡± ¡°I hope the route we¡¯re taking is right.¡± All Duanmu Huai could do was to say this. After all, many borders at this time hadn¡¯t been clearly drawn, with most being distinguished by natural boundaries. For example, the Imperial city and Bartoni were separated by the Gray Mountains, which actually belonged to the dwarfs¡­ The same was true for Manaria. Its northern border was near the river, but there were also many people living across the river. Therefore, strictly speaking, the Evil Dragon was already attacking humans, but it had not invaded the core territory of Manaria yet, so it was seen as a temporary non-threat. Humans are always like this, not crying until they see the coffin. ¡°Sir Knight, how do we find the Evil Dragon?¡± Owen also asked at this time. After all, everyone only knew that Fafner and his Evil Dragon Legion were rampaging in the north, but they didn¡¯t have detailed coordinates about where exactly he was. ¡°Well, we first need to find the viges and towns that were destroyed by the Evil Dragon, then find the Evil Dragon Legion, then wipe out those stupid lizards, then ask them about Fafner¡¯s location, then determine the route¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Is it thatplicated?¡± Hearing this, Ann cried out in surprise. ¡°Sir Knight, you sounded so decisive, I thought you knew where Fafner was!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what adventure is all about.¡± Duanmu Huai gave Ann a nce. ¡°A lot of the time, adventure is like hunting. You find the traces of your prey, determine their whereabouts, track them and find theirir, then think about how to take them down. Fafner is no fool. If hisir were known long ago, a joint effort of two nations wouldn¡¯t need to be this troublesome.¡± Yes, one of the reasons the joint team couldn¡¯t be certain was that even though everyone knew Fafner was in the north, no one knew the exact location. The northern region is vast, and searching by hand is far from practical. Therefore, even if an adventure squad is sent out, no one knows how many years it would take to find Fafner. ¡°It sounds soplicated¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not willing, you can always go back.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s merciless words, Ann pouted and hugged Greiya tight. ¡°Greiya, Sir Knight is bullying me!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Watching the two of them, Duanmu Huai shook his head speechlessly. But soon, his gaze returned to the front, then his eyes narrowed. ¡°There¡¯s a small town up ahead, let¡¯s go check it out. Maybe we can find some clues.¡± ¡°A small town?¡± Hearing this, Ann immediately looked up and looked ahead. Sure enough, she could see a small town on the distant horizon. But¡­¡­ ¡°Why is there smoke? Could a fire had broken out?¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s puzzled question, Owen opened his mouth, wanting to exin something to her, but Duanmu Huai gave him a look, signaling him to keep quiet. For such a naive and innocent young girl, a hard hit of reality is what she needs to wake up. When they finally reached the small town, the sight before their eyes shocked them. The town they saw had be a burned-down ruin. Charred wreckage of houses, spewing thick smoke, were scattered everywhere. Not only that¡­¡­. ¡°This is too much¡­¡± Looking at the scene before her, Ann¡¯s face turned pale, her lips were trembling. Greiya, standing next to her, was also stunned, unable to speak. Before them were several burned bodies, some still maintaining their final postures. There were those who knelt and pleaded, those who tried to escape, and those who tried to protect their children¡­ Of course, all these efforts were in vain. Under the dragon¡¯s me breath falling from the sky, all had turned into scorched earth. ¡°Ogis, Lorena, search for any survivors.¡± Duanmu Huai, however, was ustomed to such scenes. After all, he had seen worse during his encounters with the Evil God Cultist. So he quicklyposed himself and ordered Ogis and Lorena to search for survivors. As for the two princesses¡­ let them cool off their heads here. Searching for survivors was something Duanmu Huai was quite adept at. He sinctly walked through the ruins of the town, scanning for signs of life around him. From Duanmu Huai¡¯s experience, if there were any survivors, they would usually be hiding in basements or cers. Sure enough, Duanmu Huai soon detected signs of life under the rubble. He circled around the ruins, then found a cer door¡ª covered by various items. If they hadn¡¯t been found, the people inside would likely have died anyway, it was just a matter of time. ¡°There are survivors here,e and help.¡± Duanmu Huai called out, and immediately started to clear the objects on the cer door. Hearing his shout, the others quickly ran over. Soon, Duanmu Huai had cleared the debris from the cer door and opened it, signaling Owen and Lorena to go down and check the situation¡ª he was toorge to fit inside. ¡°Sir Knight, what should we do?¡± Ann and Greiya helplessly stood by, not knowing what they should do. They must be feeling very ufortable right now, but didn¡¯t know how they could help. ¡°Just stay there and don¡¯t get in the way.¡± Duanmu Huai replied indifferently, and the two women stood obediently without a word. After a while, Owen and Lorena emerged with a few people. They were men and women, old and young, about four to five people in total, looking haggard and distressed. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Duanmu Huai approached Owen and questioned. Owen quickly replied. ¡°These are the residents here. Due to the sudden dragon attack on the town, they had to hide in the cer with the intention ofing out after the dragons leave, so they have stayed there till now.¡± ¡°Ask them which direction the dragons came from, what they know about them, and then¡­¡± Duanmu Huai paused for a moment, then looked at the refugees. ¡°Give them some food and money, and let them move on.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Alright.¡± Without a better idea, Owen simply nodded and then went back to the survivors, starting to converse with them in a low voice. Soon, Duanmu Huai saw a young boy amongst them lift his head to look at him, then quickly run to his side and looked up at him. ¡°Are you going to kill those giant dragons?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­.¡± Faced with the young boy¡¯s inquiry, Ann and Greiya were at a loss. Duanmu Huai just silently nodded, and the boy lowered his head. ¡°Please, please, you must kill all those giant dragons! They¡­ they destroyed my home, Buck, Mary, and everyone else are all dead! Please take revenge for them, you must kill all those dragons!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Hearing the young boy¡¯s plea filled with anger and sadness, Greiya turned ashen, her lips sealed, and Ann didn¡¯t know what to say. Duanmu Huai cast a meaningful look at them and then nodded at the boy. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± He then said. Chapter 111 - 94 Luring the Snake out of the Hole_1 Chapter 111: Chapter 94 Luring the Snake out of the Hole_1 In the end, these survivors took the money and food given to them by the others, carrying their grief and pain, and left the destroyed town. Watching their retreating figures, everyone remained silent for a long time. Duanmu Huai retracted his gaze, looked at Ann, and snorted coldly. ¡°Well, Princess, now you tell me, how would you convince those in Manaria who lost their homes, friends, and family due to the dragon attacks, when they stand before you, begging you to y those dragons to avenge them, to live peacefully with the dragons?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Ann was at a loss for words. She opened her mouth, trying to say something, but seeing the charred houses, carbonized corpses, and everything destroyed in front of her, she didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°But, but¡­ those dragons are not from the dragon race of Regnes¡­¡± ¡°But they did nothing to stop it.¡± Duanmu Huai coldly interrupted Ann¡¯s timid defense. ¡°In the eyes of the victims, those who stand by and do nothing are aplices. Not to mention¡­ the giant dragons of Regnes are still dragons. For them, distinguishing between the two is meaningless, because in any case, the dragons will not help them. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± This time, faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s rebuke, both were silent and Duanmu Huai turned away. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on. At least we have a destination now.¡± Saving these survivors was not in vain, ording to these survivors, those giant dragons flew from the Icebound Mountains to the north. Since they had not encountered this group of dragons before, it¡¯s likely that they¡¯re still in the Icebound Mountains. Although searching the entire mountain range is still a big task, it¡¯s much better than wandering aimlessly. Afterwards, Ann and Greiya were silent along the way. Although they had heard reports before, it was only after witnessing everything firsthand that they truly understood how terrifying the pain, anger, and hatred were. Even the children were not spared, their hearts yearned for the death and destruction of all dragons, and this kind of hatred certainly can¡¯t be resolved with a few words. The Metal Secret Dragon was fast. By dusk, the group had arrived at the foot of the Icebound Mountains. Owen tried to persuade the two princesses to eat something, but perhaps the impact of what they had seen was too great, neither had any appetite. ¡°Enough, how long do you n to sulk?¡± Seeing the two princesses sitting on the Metal Secret Dragon looking depressed, Duanmu Huai was getting impatient. He smacked Ann on the back, then reached out and grabbed Greiya¡¯s tail. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Yah!!¡± The sudden attack startled the two princesses, causing them to scream, while Duanmu Huai scowled at them. ¡°How about it? Woken up a bit? This is not the time to be moping around, we are on an adventure, and we could encounter enemies at any moment! Who are you daydreaming for? Can daydreaming defeat the evil dragons? Don¡¯t forget what you came out here to do! If you can¡¯t handle it, get lost right away! This is not a child¡¯s game!¡± ¡°I, I won¡¯t go back!!¡± Hearing this, Ann suddenly sprang up. ¡°I swear, I will destroy the evil dragons and take revenge for the people of Manaria! And I will do it with Greiya! When the timees, we will return to Manaria with the bodies of the evil dragons! I will tell the people that it was Greiya who helped us defeat the evil dragons! Greiya is not a bad person!!¡± ¡°I, I too¡­¡­.¡± At this moment, Greiya also nodded vigorously, but for some reason, her face turned red. ¡°I will also strive to eliminate Fafner, no matter what, it is my responsibility as a Dragonkin!¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Hearing their responses, Duanmu Huai nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Now eat something and prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Battle?¡± ¡°This, this of course is not a problem, but Mr. Knight¡­¡­.!!¡± At this moment, Greiya looked up at Duanmu Huai, her eyes teary, her face flushed. ¡°Please, please let go of my tail, I¡¯m running out of energy¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± I must say, this tail feels quite good to hold. It¡¯s plump and soft, veryfortable to touch. ¡°But¡­ after witnessing such a scene just now, Mr. Knight, you can still eat?¡± No wonder Ann had this thought. After all, they had just seen human bodies burnt to charcoal, so it was normal not to have an appetite. So, seeing Duanmu Huai and the others eating as usual, both princesses found it somewhat incredible. ¡°What else?¡± Duanmu Huai snorted lightly. ¡°People only have the strength to fight when they¡¯ve eaten. If you don¡¯t want to eat, that¡¯s your business. But if we encounter a surprise attack and you are too weak to fight because you haven¡¯t eaten and end up getting killed, that would be interesting. The most powerful mage of Manaria was killed because she was hungry? I can live on that joke for a year!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­.¡± After this, the two princesses, who had cheered up a bit, finally returned to normal, ate a little, drank some water, and somewhat regained their energy. Although they were still a bit down, for Duanmu Huai, it was enough that they had recovered to a state where they could fight. However¡­¡­. ¡°Mr. Knight, you said battle? Who are we going to battle with?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s a giant dragon.¡± Faced with Ann¡¯s foolish question, Duanmu Huai replied rather speechlessly. ¡°But¡­ there are no enemies nearby, are there?¡± Owen also raised his own doubts. He thought there was an ambush when he heard Duanmu Huai say they were going to fight, which frightened him into quickly scanning the surroundings, but he did not find any shadows. ¡°The enemy is not here, but we can lure them over.¡± Duanmu Huai chuckled, looking up at the Icebound Mountains in front of him. ¡°As you¡¯ve heard earlier, the giant dragons that attacked the vige all flew over from the Icebound Mountains, so there¡¯s a high probability that they are still there. But this ce is so vast, it could take us forever to find them. So why not just draw them out.¡± ¡°Draw them out?¡± ¡°How would we draw them out?¡± ¡°Watch this. Cover your ears,¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, he summoned two Servo Skulls to fly up into the sky then activated his directional amplification mode. Then, facing the Icebound Mountains, he took a deep breath. ¡°You lowly, despicable, winged lizards,e out and meet your death!!!¡± With Duanmu Huai¡¯s roar, an ear-splitting curse echoed through the Icebound Mountains. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Got cold feet, you cowards? Despite your massive size, you have smaller guts than a pine nut! If you have the guts,e out. Let¡¯s see how I skin and bone you!!!¡± ¡°Is Fafner an idiot, and are all those under hismand nothing but shifty-eyed scum?!!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Even with their ears covered, everyone could hear Duanmu Huai¡¯s thunderous roar and insults. Hearing his roar, everyone looked at each other at a loss, not knowing what to say. However, at that very moment¡­ ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± An angry roar erupted from within the mountains. Soon after, they saw several ck shadows emerge from the sky and charge towards them. ¡°It turns out they¡¯re all a bunch of brainless idiots.¡± Duanmu Huai chuckled, tightly gripping his war hammer. ¡°Alright, prepare for battle!¡± It must be said, Duanmu Huai¡¯s method, though crude, was highly effective. In the blink of an eye, several ck shadows descended from the sky, surrounding thempletely. ¡°Despicable creature, are you the one who sphemes the majesty of the dragon?!!¡± The ck dragon at the front angrily red at Duanmu Huai and opened its mouth, letting out a ferocious roar. Just being there and watching its massive body was enough to incite fear. However, Duanmu Huai, carrying his war hammer, was not afraid at all. ¡°I should be the one asking you that, winged lizard, I¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Please wait!!¡± However, at that moment, Greiya suddenly interrupted Duanmu Huai. She lowered her hood, raised her head, and looked at the dragon before her. ¡°May I ask¡­.were you the ones¡­who destroyed that small town ahead?¡± ¡°Town? You mean the nest of those monkeys?¡± Perhaps because it saw a fellow dragon, the ck dragon gave a response. ¡°Indeed, we did it.¡± ¡°Why? Did you have any grudges?¡± ¡°Grudges??¡± Upon hearing Greiya¡¯s question, the ck dragon snorted coldly. ¡°Those monkeys have nothing to do with us. We just wanted some simple fun. Watching those foolish bipeds screaming, fleeing, and then dying under our mes, how entertaining! We, the dragon race, are at the pinnacle of all life. Every other creature is just a toy for us!¡± ¡°Boom!!!¡± However, before the ck dragon even finished speaking, an explosive sound echoed as a dazzling magic light shot up into the sky. When everyone turned their heads, they saw Ann clenching her fists, staring at them angrily. ¡°Just¡­ just for fun, you took the lives of those people and destroyed their homes? I will never forgive you¡­!! Heroic spirit, heed my call and eradicate the enemy!!¡± As she spoke, Ann raised her hand high. The next moment, a heroic spirit knight,rge enough to rival the giant dragon, d in armor and wielding a spear and shield, appeared out of thin air. It raised its spear high and charged towards the ck dragon! ¡°Attack!!¡± At that moment, Duanmu Huai also leaped forward, raising his war hammer high and swinging it down hard at the giant dragon!! Chapter 112 - 95 The Tower of Ice_1 Chapter 112: Chapter 95 The Tower of Ice_1 For ordinary people, a giant dragon is a very terrifying creature. They possess strong, enormous bodies, scary ws and wide-open mouths full of sharp teeth, showing no mercy to other creatures. But for yers, the mere mention of the word ¡°dragon¡± sets their eyes glittering, breath quickening, and heart rate elerating! Why? Because Dragon equals Riches equals Treasures in dragon¡¯sir equals Rare equipment!! Whether on the human or in the starry sky, yers can¡¯t afford to miss anything rted to dragons. Now it¡¯s the same case. ¡°Bang!!¡± The giant dragon heavily fell on the ground. It raised its head and stared fearfully at the ck Knight who was stepping on its head. ¡°Monster¡­ monster¡­¡± The giant dragon, who was initially full of arrogance, now looked at Duanmu Huai fearfully. No wonder it reacted this way, as itspanions had beenpletely annihted. The ck dragon, who made arrogant remarks initially, had its body pierced by the heroic spirit summoned by an infuriated Ann. Another dragon, who didn¡¯t even have time to utter the typical viinous line, ¡°How dare you¡­¡± was blown away by Greiya¡¯s leap and w attack. The dragon scale-covered body, hard enough to withstand the sharp de of a weapon, was deeply carved with bone-deep bloody marks. As for the other dragons, they didn¡¯t fare any better. One was sliced into steaks by Ogis¡¯ casual finger action. Another, who thought Lorena would be an easy target, intended to attack her. He was pped by Lorena which made his head turn 180 degrees. And then¡­ well, there was no ¡°and then¡±. The entire battle from start to finish didn¡¯t evenst two minutes. If not for Duanmu Huai deciding to keep a live captive, this giant dragon would be left with only one path: death. ¡°Next, I ask, you answer, understand?¡± Duanmu Huai took off his helmet, with one hand pressing his Chainsaw Sword against the giant dragon¡¯s neck and coldly staring at it as he spoke. Seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s face, the giant dragon turned white with fear. ¡°No, don¡¯t! Don¡¯te over! I¡¯ll do anything! Please don¡¯t!!¡± Along with the wailing of the giant dragon, a putrid smell suddenly wafted in the air. Smelling this odor, both Ann and Greiya frowned, then looked down towards the dragon¡¯s lower body¡­ ¡°¡­Wow, it wet itself from fear.¡± ¡°Ann, it¡¯s a dragon, it doesn¡¯t need to wear pants.¡± ¡°Dragon is such a coward, just like Sir Knight said, they are as timid as a pinecone.¡± ¡°¡­¡­The disgrace of the dragon race¡­¡­¡± Ignoring the whispering of the two princesses, Duanmu Huai acted as if he had heard nothing, focusing his gaze on the giant dragon in front of him. ¡°Answer my question.¡± ¡°Yes¡­Yes¡­¡± ¡°Are you under Fafner¡¯smand?¡± ¡°Yes¡­We are members of the Evil Dragon Legion¡­¡± ¡°Was the attack on the town an order from the Evil Dragon Legion?¡± ¡°Actually, no, the Legion is currently on another mission, we are mainly in the rear and got bored¡­¡± ¡°What did you say¡­!!¡± Upon hearing the dragon¡¯s response, Ann¡¯s face turned red with anger. She was about to summon the heroic spirit again to take down this giant dragon, but thankfully Greiya and Lorena stopped her in time. ¡°Undergoing tasks?¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. ¡°What mission are you guys on?!¡± ¡°This¡­¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the giant dragon was momentarily left dumbstruck. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai immediately, without hesitation, pushed the button. ¡°Buzz¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The Chainsaw Sword began to spin frantically, causing the giant dragon, fearing for its life, to start begging for mercy. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll tell! Actually, I¡¯m not quite sure, all I know is they¡¯re here for a tower in the Icebound Valley! They say it seems there is an ancient me Devil Dragon sealed under that tower, and Lord Fafner seems to want to bring it under hismand, so he sent the Evil Dragon Legion to break the seal!¡± ¡°What!?¡± Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. Duanmu Huai, who was also surprised, turned his head doubtfully to look at Ann and Greiya. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing, and there¡¯s no record of it in the library either¡­¡± Ann¡¯s head shook like a drum, she seemed genuinely shocked by the news. ¡°What about you, Greiya? Aren¡¯t you a dragonkin? Have you heard of this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing either¡­¡± Greiya also looked confused. Clearly, they both were unaware of this secret here. ¡°Regardless, we must prevent the resurrection of the sealed dragon!¡± Duanmu Huai made an immediate decision. It was no joke. This was like a final boss from a game about to be revived and recruiting his four heavenly kings. What happens if it seeds? ¡°Do you know where the tower is? Lead us quickly!¡± ¡°But I¡­¡± ¡°Buzz¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you there, ah ah ah stop it no more stabbing in ah ah ah ah!!!¡± Hearing the giant dragon¡¯s scream, Ann quietly moved to Greiya¡¯s side and whispered. ¡°Greiya, this giant dragon really is as cowardly as the knight said¡­¡± Finally, threatened by Duanmu Huai, the severely injured giant dragon, pping its wings but carrying everyone, set off for the high tower deep in the Icebound Mountains. It was alreadyte at night. The moonlight illuminated the entire Icebound Mountains. Sitting on the giant dragon, Duanmu Huai searched around and soon found their destination. Not because Duanmu Huai had good eyesight but because¡­ it was really noticeable. mes shot up into the sky, revealing a white ice tower standing in a huge pit deep in the mountains. The entire tower appeared to be made of ice. Bathed in the moonlight, dozens of shattered corpses of giant dragons were visible around the Ice Tower, fire still burning on the ground¡­ However, arge hole had been sted underneath the ice tower and the other dragons had apparently entered the tower. ¡°We must also hurry¡­¡± Before Duanmu Huai could finish his sentence, a cold gust suddenly blew from the direction of the ice tower, heading straight for them! ¡°Watch out!¡± Duanmu Huai grabbed Ogis and Lorena in one arm and he himself leapt into the air while Ann and Greiya also quickly took flight. This was followed by seeing the cold gust of wind sh below them, instantly turning the unfortunate giant dragon into a popsicle. The dragon plummeted to the ground without uttering a word, shattering into several pieces of wreckage on impact. ¡°This ce is indeed formidable.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai also tensed up and quickly descended to the ground with the others. Now he finally understood why there were so many dragon corpses littered around the ice tower. It seemed that the defensive power of the ice tower was truly astonishing. On the other hand, this implied that below the ice tower something truly formidable was sealed. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be this much powerful energy. With this in mind, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the War Hammer, looking towards therge hole in the ice tower. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s lead, they rushed into the ice tower, but as soon as they entered, an intense cold wave hit them in the face. ¡°It¡¯s so cold!¡± ¡°How can it be this cold?!¡± The girls clearly did not expect it to be this cold and screamed out. Fortunately, someone was prepared. ¡°Here are some coats, Princess, Miss Lorena, Miss Ogis, please use them.¡± You¡¯re here. Seeing Owen somewhat unexpectedly emerging from somewhere distributing coats, Duanmu Huai also paused. This guy reallycked presence; he had almost forgotten the other¡¯s existence. Speaking of which, where did you keep all these clothes? ¡°Sir Knight? Would you like one¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it. But I¡¯d appreciate a cup of tea when this is over.¡± Duanmu Huai declined Owen¡¯s offer, then turned his gaze forward. The entire Ice Tower was a mess, filled with the bodies of giant dragons and dragon beasts. But luckily, they had paved a path. Now all Duanmu Huai had to do was follow the trail of these corpses and keep moving forward. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Hopefully, we won¡¯t be toote.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 113 - 96 Silver Ice Dragonkin_1 Chapter 113: Chapter 96 Silver Ice Dragonkin_1 Within the immense Ice Tower, bodies of giant dragons frozen to death were omnipresent, while everyone strode non-stop and rushed upwards with haste. The higher they ascended, the more distinctly they could hear the wrathful roar of the monstrous dragons, causing the tower itself to subtly shudder. Upon reaching the topmost floor, they saw an intense battle involving colossal dragons. Fighting against these dragons was a petite Dragonkin. She appeared young, simrly resembling Greiya in terms of appearance. She had icy blue short hair and a white dragon tail, however, shecked wings and instead, a couple of backward-curved dragon horns adorned her head. At this moment, this Dragonkin girl was brandishing her Battle Axe, manipting the demon beasts formed of solid ice around her, fighting fiercely against the giant dragons of the Evil Dragon Legion. She was manipting snow and ice that filled the sky to engage in a fierce battle against those dragons. Meanwhile, these dragons opened their mouths, spewing out hot dragon breath, confronting the frosty snow manipted by the Dragonkin girl. One after the other, the demon beasts formed of ice melted amidst the roar and breath of the colossal dragons. The Dragonkin girl seemed tired, as she swung her Battle Axe relentlessly, ruthlessly reaping the life force of the dragons. Unfortunately, she was outnumbered. Overwhelmed by their numbers, she seemed to be faltering. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Despite not knowing the origin of the Dragonkin girl, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t allow the Evil Dragons to revoke the seal and release the me Devil Dragon. Upon hismand, he led the others into the battlefield. Upon seeing Duanmu Huai and his crew rush in, the Dragonkin girl was taken aback. But when she saw Duanmu Huai and the others attacking the Evil Dragon Legion, a glint of confusion flickered in her eyes. However, she quickly readjusted her focus and continued to handle her adversaries. With the arrival of Duanmu Huai and the reinforcements, the once ferocious Evil Dragon Legion waspletely eradicated without putting up much of a fight. Undoubtedly, this was mainly because the Evil Dragon Legion had already experienced substantial losses before entering the Ice Tower. Otherwise, even with the prowess of Duanmu Huai and his team, there would have been a great challenge. ¡°Crash!!¡± With the fall of the final colossal dragon, the battle came to an end. Duanmu Huai looked up and observed the Dragonkin girl standing not far off, Battle Axe in hand, vigntly observing them. ¡°Hello, Miss Dragonkin.¡± After contemting for a moment, Duanmu Huai decided to approach her and rify things. However, as soon as he turned around, the Dragonkin girl uplifted her Battle Axe and pointed it towards him. ¡°Leave this ce. This is not where you belong.¡± Just like a millennia-old iceberg, the Dragonkin girl¡¯s voice was chill, indifferent, and devoid of any fluctuation. Nheless, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t pay heed, he simply halted and raised his hand. ¡°Alright, but I have something to tell you, please listen carefully¡­¡± Without waiting for her response, Duanmu Huai quickly briefed her about the situation of the continent ¡ª of Fafner leading the Evil Dragon Legion¡¯s attack on the humans, and trying to release the me Devil Dragon. It was conspicuous to him that she strongly opposed anyone entering the tower. Regardless of whether she was a guardian or anything else, he didn¡¯t wish to provoke more trouble; hence, he decided to rify his intentions beforemencing the discussion. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Having listened to Duanmu Huai¡¯s narration without altering her facial expressions, the Dragonkin girl slowly lowered her Battle Axe. Apparently, she had paid heed to Duanmu Huai¡¯s words. ¡°¡­In summary, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here. May I ask for your name, Miss, and what are you doing here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The Dragonkin girl remained unspoken; however, at that moment, a petite figure squeezed out from behind her. She was about as big as a human hand and had a pair of wings resembling a butterfly¡¯s¡ªshe seemed to be from a fairy-like race. ¡°Felin, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re bad people. They even helped you defeat the invaders. You should talk to them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The Dragonkin girl remained silent while the little fairy appeared to take it as approval. Subsequently, she left the Dragonkin girl¡¯s back and appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. ¡°Hello sir, the knight who seems a bit frightening. That kid¡¯s name is Felin, she¡¯s the guardian here¡­¡± Simultaneously, the little fairy narrated the circumstances of the Dragonkin girl, named Felin, to Duanmu Huai and the others. ording to the fairy¡¯s detail, in the distant past, an evil Fire Dragon wreaked havoc on all towns and viges in thisnd. Since it was incredibly formidable, nobody could kill it, thus they could only seal it within the Ice Tower. As the chief of her tribe, Felin undertook the responsibility of the seal and guard. She used her life force as magic power, maintaining the seal of the tower, hence she never left. Apart from the little fairy, Felin also had no other friends. ¡°I see.¡± Having listened to the fairy¡¯s narration, Duanmu Huai creased his eyebrows, pondering for a moment. ¡°But¡­ we can¡¯t continue like this. Miss Fairy, you¡¯ve heard what I said. The Evil Dragon Fafner is nning to rule this world entirely. So he dispatched the Evil Dragon Legion to attempt to revoke the seal andfree the Fire Dragon. Although we repelled the invasion by the Evil Dragon Legion this time, they wille again.¡± However, as soon as Duanmu Huai ended his sentence, a frosty voice emerged from beside him. ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll eradicate them again.¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai looked around and noticed that the Dragonkin girl, named Felin, had already joined them. She stood there, watching them. However, Duanmu Huai hastily shook his head and proposed a different opinion. ¡°That¡¯s pointless, Miss Felin. You can annihte them once, twice, but can you hold up indefinitely? Just now, it seemed like you were on yourst legs. I¡¯ve heard from Miss Fairy that you¡¯re using your life force to sustain the seal of this tower. But if you die, won¡¯t the seal be broken? Even if you can annihte them once or twice, you¡¯ll still be killed by the Evil Dragons eventually. When that happens, the seal will still be lifted, and doesn¡¯t your sacrifice turn in vain?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Confronted with Duanmu Huai¡¯s rebuttal, Felin bit her lips slightly, remaining silent. At this juncture, Ogis looked at Duanmu Huai and asked. ¡°So, Master, can you solve this problem?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one solution right now.¡± Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment and finally reached a conclusion. Hearing his words, everyone, including Felin, turned towards him. ¡°What solution?¡± ¡°Kill the Fire Dragon.¡± ¡°¡­ Eh?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s decisiveness, everyone was taken aback. Lorena quickly spoke with unease. ¡°B-but¡­ Didn¡¯t that little fairy say that the Fire Dragon is very powerful, and was sealed because it couldn¡¯t be killed?¡± ¡°Just because it wasn¡¯t kible then doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t be killed now.¡± Duanmu Huai turned around, facing everyone. ¡°Just look at us. Ann, Greiya, Lorena, and myself plus Ogis, can¡¯t we handle a Fire Dragon? Even more, if Fafner wants to release the Fire Dragon to be his subordinate, that implies the Fire Dragon is not as strong as Fafner. Our target is to defeat Evil Dragon Fafner. If we can¡¯t even cope with a Fire Dragon, what grand dreams do we have to eradicate the Evil Dragon Legion?! We might as well disperse, go home, sleep, and wait for death.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ ¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, everyone looked at each other. Does seem to¡­ make sense? ¡°The gentleman knight is right!¡± Ann was the first to raise her hand in agreement. ¡°Our goal is to eliminate the Evil Dragon, how can we stop before a mere demon dragon?! If we can¡¯t eliminate a me Devil Dragon, the n to defeat the Evil Dragon is just a joke!¡± Indeed, the foolhardy are fearless. Greiya next to her nodded. ¡°I¡­ also agree with Ann.¡± Without asking, everyone knew these two were inseparable. ¡°I am willing too.¡± ¡°Of course, I follow my master¡¯s orders.¡± Lorena and Ogis also expressed their stance. As for Owen? Well¡­even though it¡¯s embarrassing to admit, but as Ann¡¯s Guardian Knight, his abilities were actually the worst among all¡­ Even Lorena could kill him with a punch. In the team, he was just a minor character carrying luggage. After aligning everyone¡¯s opinions, Duanmu Huai looked at Felin again. ¡°So, Miss Felin, as you¡¯ve heard, I believe this is the best way to solve the matter. We just need to eliminate the Fire Dragonpletely, then the problem is solved, and the Evil Dragon Legion won¡¯t be able to replenish manpower. You can also be freed. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­ Freedom¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Felin fell silent for a moment, then she seemed to have made up her mind and turned to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Then, I ask you to prove it.¡± ¡°Prove?¡± ¡°Yes, prove to me you can extinguish the mes of that demon dragon!¡± At Felin¡¯s words, in the next instant, countless cold ice and wind burst from her, and in the blink of an eye, she had vanished. In her ce, there was a gigantic dragon, as if formed entirely from blocks of ice. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not surprised by this.¡± Looking at the Ice Dragon before him, Duanmu Huai took a deep breath and gripped his War Hammer. ¡°None of you are allowed to act! I will handle her!¡± In the end, convincing her with reason is necessary. Chapter 114 - 97: Intense Duel_1 Chapter 114: Chapter 97: Intense Duel_1 ¡°Here Ie!!!¡± Confronted with the Ice Dragon in front of him, Duanmu Huai let out a ferocious roar, apanied by the emergence of several puppets out of thin air, which surged towards the Ice Dragon! ¡°ROAAAARRR-!!!¡± The tiny puppets were certainly not a threat to the Ice Dragon. With a roar, it swung its tail violently, the next second shattering into pieces all the puppets summoned by Duanmu Huai. However, this was within Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectations. The summoning of the puppets was not aimed at killing the enemy, but to trigger a special effect! Suddenly summoning [Mobile Armor]! In a sh, Duanmu Huai¡¯s body was d in a mechanized heavy armor that radiated a rainbow-colored glow whilst he gripped his War Hammer tightly, charging towards the Ice Dragon. Simultaneously, several small knives appeared behind him, flying towards the Ice Dragon. Activating magic [Knife y Magic (1): Inflict 1 point of damage to an enemy unit]! For the Ice Dragon, these small knives weren¡¯t a threat at all. It didn¡¯t even bother to dodge and allowed these knives to hit its body. The Ice Dragon lifted its ws to take a swing at Duanmu Huai. However, at that moment, Duanmu Huai raised his right hand. Activate¨CGravity Gloves! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The next moment, the right w of the Ice Dragon, mid-swing, changed its direction abruptly, lifting high up, as though bound by invisible chains. The Ice Dragon was surprised to see its w not obeying itsmand and looked at it in disbelief. In reality, all Duanmu Huai had done was change the direction of the gravity that weighed down the Ice Dragon¡¯s right hand. Even though the dragon was huge and the Gravity Gloves couldn¡¯tpletely take effect, they did work if limited to certain parts of the body. With a surprise maneuver, Duanmu Huai deflected the Ice Dragon¡¯s attack and leaped high, wielding his Thunder Warhammer and mming it hard onto the Ice Dragon¡¯s head! ¡°Boom!!¡± With a sh of lightning, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Giant Hammer mmed heavily onto the Ice Dragon¡¯s head, instantly cracking its tough skull. The Ice Dragon roared angerly, its tailshing out, hitting Duanmu Huai directly and hurling him away. Then it raised its head high, took a deep breath and faced Duanmu Huai. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª-!!!¡± A chilling bluish breath howled out directly following the retreating Duanmu Huai and engulfing him. ¡°Sir Knight!!!¡± Seeing this, Lorena screamed out in terror, gripping her hands tightly. Everyone else also watched the battlefield in grave silence. At that moment, a sudden purple ray of light streaked past the frosty breath, striking the Ice Dragon¡¯s body and abruptly halting its attack. After the frosty breath dissipated, the crowd saw Duanmu Huai standing on the ground, unscathed, with a purple glow gently falling around him, as if the Ice Dragon¡¯s breath hadn¡¯t caused him any damage. [Counter magic (2): Randomly inflicts 3 points of damage on an enemy unit and makes the damage inflicted on the attacking unit ¡®zero¡¯ for the next attack] ¡°The knight seems to be quite strong.¡± Watching this, Ann also couldn¡¯t help but nod with admiration. Although Ann was just a rookie in the field of adventure, she was still considered as one of the most powerful mages in the Kingdom of Manaria, so her experience and knowledge in magicalbat were unmatched. Thus, she naturally recognized the strategical thinking behind Duanmu Huai¡¯s spells. Most mages were simply bombardment units, but Duanmu Huai was different. His primary mode of attack was closebat, with magic serving only as a support. Thus, every time he used magic, it was essentially between gaps when he couldn¡¯t attack the enemy himself. The primary function was not to annihte the enemy, but rather to restrain the enemy¡¯s attacks. After all, for fighters like Duanmu Huai, once the enemy begins to create distance, they would clearly be at a disadvantage. To prevent being kited before closebat, Duanmu Huai would use this method to distract the enemy. He didn¡¯t seek to cause heavy damage, just to cause some disruption, preventing the enemy from kiting him. Once he was able to approach the enemy, he would then attack at will. This particrly smooth style of fighting found was visually pleasing to Ann, as she was not proficient at closebat. Thesebat techniques were useless to her, but seeing Duanmu Huai maximize the use of magic, made Ann feel very emotional. It is important to note that even in Manaria College, many students can¡¯t achieve this. However¡­¡­. ¡°Mr. Knight is capable of casting spells directly without any incantations, which is quite surprising.¡± Greiya also looked at Duanmu Huai with surprise and uttered softly. Although she could do something simr, it seemed more like a natural ability of her dragon race. On many asions, when Ann was casting spells, incantations were required. After all, what Manaria had taught were mostly conventional magic-users who spent most of their time in battle chanting spells under protection. As for anomalies like Duanmu Huai¡­. there probably only one. ¡°It seems he uses an unusual method to store his magic in advance, and then releases it at the right moment.¡± Ann was indeed the first genius mage of Manaria. While the battle between Duanmu Huai and the Ice Dragonsted just a moment, she had already thoroughly understood Duanmu Huai¡¯s method, her eyes gleaming. ¡°This technique is really great, I want to try it too¡­!¡± While the two were talking, Duanmu Huai had already regrouped and rushed towards the Ice Dragon. Thetter also realized Duanmu Huai¡¯s n. Swiftly, a frosty wind started to howl, and numerous hard blocks of ice rose from the ground. At the same time, Duanmu Huai reached out his hand and swung it forward. ¡°Boom!!!¡± Immediately, a series of burning mes erupted on the body of the Ice Dragon, interrupting its next action. [Fiery Explosion (2): Inflicts 3 points of damage] But it¡¯s far from over!! Bursting through the shattered ice wall, Duanmu Huai raises his war hammer high while a fiery red glow of magic power radiates from him! [Inferno Bomb (5-5): Inflicts 6 points of damage on one servant] ¡°Break!!!¡± With a roar, the war hammer in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand smashes directly onto the body of the Ice Dragon, and at the same time, the prepared magic bursts forth. The[Inferno Bomb]is one of the most powerful attack magics Duanmu Huai has learned thus far. It initially requires 500 spiritual energy, even holding up against the consumption of Ogis and Lorena. However, with the blessing of [Mana Amplification], through the several low-level magics Duanmu Huai used previously, he has sessfully reduced the consumption of [Inferno Bomb]to zero! This is the terrifying aspect of [Mana Amplification], pile up a bunch of advanced magics, and then st them all out at once!! ¡°Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!¡± The intense explosion covers the entire high tower, even the floor shatters under the impact, and the Ice Dragon formed by ice blocks, also crumbles under the relentless bombardment of Duanmu Huai, its huge body torn apart under the intense shockwave, the giant dragon ispletely sted open. Within the spreading mist, Duanmu Huai sees Felin again, currently wielding the battle axe, swinging towards himself! Of course, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t be polite in response. He repels Felin¡¯s attack head-on, charging straight at her! ¡°Bang!!¡± With Felin¡¯s axe swipe, the [Mobile Armor]on Duanmu Huai¡¯s body directly shatters, but Duanmu Huai doesn¡¯t mind, in fact, this is why he summoned the[Mobile Armor]- the [Mobile Armor]with the feature of [Guardian] gives Duanmu Huai an extra life. He can hard tank the opponent¡¯s attack, then strike directly! Apanied by the shattering of the [Mobile Armor], Duanmu Huai in the Power Armor charges into Felin like a bull, directly sending her flying away. Then, Duanmu Huai raises his war hammer high, leaps up and strikes hard at Felin!! The Thunder Warhammer, gleaming with lightning, traces an arc through the air, then¡­¡­ smashes heavily into the ground next to Felin¡¯s head. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s decided, Miss Felin.¡± Duanmu Huai takes a breath, looking at the Dragonkin girl lying in front of him. ¡°That should be enough.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, in response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Felin just gazes at him nkly, then slowly opens her mouth. ¡°Why¡­¡­ didn¡¯t you kill me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why should I kill you??¡± Hearing Felin¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai frowns. He did indeed notice that Felin had lost her will to fight, showing no resistance, but he doesn¡¯t have a reason to kill her, right? Could it be that the seal can only be lifted if he kills her? That would be a problem¡­¡­ ¡°So, what can I do if I¡¯m alive?¡± Felin looks at Duanmu Huai nkly, confusion and doubt appearing in her eyes. ¡°I want to fulfill my mission, but if I don¡¯t have a mission, what should I do? I don¡¯t understand¡­¡­ I¡¯m just afraid¡­¡­ afraid of not knowing where to go after gaining freedom ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Such things, wouldn¡¯t it be better to think about themter?¡± Hearing Felin¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai snorts coldly, then grabs Felin¡¯s neck, lifting the Dragonkin girl straight up. ¡°Listen, miss, don¡¯t think about those things now. What you want to do in the future can be decidedter. Look at me!¡± As he says that, Duanmu Huai removes his helmet, staring at Felin. And seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s face, Felin¡¯s previously expressionless face stiffens. ¡°See, I look like this, and I¡¯m still alive and well. A cute and beautiful girl like you wants to seek death now? That¡¯s too early! If you don¡¯t know what to do, wait until we destroy the evil dragon after the demonic dragons, and then you simply go with us to defeat the evil dragon! If you still don¡¯t know what to do in the future, follow us on our adventures until you do! Understand?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Whether it was Duanmu Huai¡¯s face or his tone that frightened her, Felin was stunned for a while before slowly nodding. ¡°¡­¡­ I understand¡­¡­¡± Chapter 115 - 98 Seal Release_1 Chapter 115: Chapter 98 Seal Release_1 After this, Felin no longer opposed and, led everyone towards the top of the tower where the me Devil Dragon was sealed. However, in the process of moving forward, Ogis reached out and gently tugged at Duanmu Huai¡¯s clothes. ¡°Master, what did she mean by what she just said?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why did she say she doesn¡¯t know what to do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal, if a person has been doing a certain thing for a long time, they would find themselves feeling lost once it ends, for example, if I told you one day that you didn¡¯t have to follow me anymore and you could do whatever you want, what¡¯s your first reaction? Do you have anything you wish to do?¡± ¡°I no longer need to follow master?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Ogis was taken aback for a moment before shaking her head slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite normal.¡± Seeing Ogis¡¯s expression, Duanmu Huai patted her head. ¡°Everyone is like this, but don¡¯t worry, you can take your time to figure it out, you can do whatever you want and maybe someday you¡¯ll find it.¡± With that being said, Duanmu Huai sighed. The feeling was profound for him. Initially, Duanmu Huai wanted to stay at the university after graduation, but to be honest, although his grades were decent, they weren¡¯t top-ss. So he had to start looking for a job after graduation¡ªnaturally, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to find one. Even when his resume was shortlisted, he would scare the interviewers away with his daunting presence. Then Duanmu Huai thought with his physique and strength, he could work on a construction site. But he wasid off after only several months¡ªhis employers were state-owned and found his daunting presence intimidating. They were worried about maintaining their reputation, so they fired him. Subsequently, Duanmu Huai was introduced to be a bodyguard for someone influential in both the underworld and the government. It was thought that his intimidating physique would be a good match for the job, but the big shot immediately refused when he met Duanmu Huai. He mentioned that discretion was key in their line of work. Bodyguards could be strong, but not that intimidating. Otherwise, even the police would be suspicious of their activities. In turn, the big shot rmended him to be a security guard for a residentialmunity, where he could frighten potential intruders away. Indeed, the security of themunity had greatly improved when Duanmu Huai was on duty. However, the number of residents with high blood pressure and heart diseases also surged¡­. After a while, themunity¡¯s property management had no choice but to let him go, they couldn¡¯t refute the residents who cameining about Duanmu Huai scaring their elderly parents into having heart attacks due to his intimidating presence. After that, Duanmu Huai stayed at home for two months before deciding to look for another job. He went to a film studio thinking he could get a job as a special character actor. To his surprise, a director took a liking to him and cast him in a movie as a gang leader, a supporting role¡ªwhich was a better gig than making fleeting screen appearances as extras. The only problem was that all the other actors turned pale when they interacted with him. Even actors ying police roles looked like they were begging for mercy. Eventually, the movie was cancelled. The reason was simple, it couldn¡¯t be released. After the director consulted with others, he was told that the gang leader in his movie was too scary and it would be rated at least 18+ overseas. It was impossible to release it domestically. So the director had to delete all scenes featuring Duanmu Huai¡­. So Duanmu Huai was unemployed again. But through this experience, he believed that there was still potential for him in the acting industry. At that time, live streaming was popr on the inte. Duanmu Huai believed his physique and appearance were suited to fitness live streaming, which he felt should be more appealing than the effeminate pretty boys, right? As it turned out, Duanmu Huai was right at first. Not long after the fitness live show started, a considerable number of viewers tuned in. However, just as Duanmu Huai was dreaming of bing a popr live streamer, his channel was banned by the tform¡­ Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t understand at the time. He was just streaming fitness sessions; he wasn¡¯t stealing or robbing, and he didn¡¯t vite any rules. Why was his channel banned? Then Duanmu Huai approached the tform to ask. It was only then that a terrified customer service representative tearfully told him that while the audience didn¡¯t have any issues with him, many parentsined about him. They said their children were watching a terrifying person live streaming, making them fear their children were in danger. There was even an instance where a grandfather out for a walk saw Duanmu Huai in his grandson¡¯s mobile live streaming screen and suffered a heart attack. Luckily, the grandfather was rescued in time, otherwise, who knows who would have been held responsible for his heart attack. Duanmu Huai, already feeling helpless, was heartbroken. He decided to work on an ocean fishing vessel. But the captain of the ship didn¡¯t want him either, fearing that once they were out at sea, Duanmu Huai might seize the ship¡­ At this moment, Duanmu Huai suddenly remembered that when he was in college, he saw people making money by grinding for gold coins in online games. It¡¯s a job in which he wouldn¡¯t need to deal with people, and all transactions could be done online. Coincidentally, Star Ocean Online was released at that time. As the first virtual reality game, it was very popr, so Duanmu Huai bought aputer and joined the gaming crowd. Luckily, although Duanmu Huai had only worked for less than two years and each time only for a few months, no one owed him a sry. On the contrary, everyone would prepay him an annual sry before he left. In other words, Duanmu Huai had worked for a few months but earned a year¡¯s sry. And he even received yearly bonuses. Therefore, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯tcking money. Later¡­ well, he fell into this pit, and he¡¯s still in it until now. As you can see, there¡¯s always a way out. ¡°So, as long as you keep looking, you will gain something eventually.¡± Duanmu Huai gathered his thoughts and started speaking to Ogis, who nodded thoughtfully without saying anything. Soon, under Felin¡¯s guidance, the group reached the top floor of the High Tower. It was also sealed by thickyers of ice. Through the ice, a vague shadow could be seen ¨C it should be the me Devil Dragon. It¡¯s funny, many would choose to seal creatures down below, but you guys chose to ce it high up, I really don¡¯t understand your thought process. Originally, Duanmu Huai nned to take out this me Devil Dragon while it was still sealed. Unfortunately, Felin¡¯s little fairy told him that the ice outside was maintained by Felin¡¯s Magic Power and Life Force. If Duanmu Huai breaks the ice, it means breaking the seal as well, and Felin could lose her life. So, they could only wait for Felin to release the seal. ¡°So, it is decided then.¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the dragon shadow in the ice, then turned to everyone else. ¡°After Felin releases the seal,unch your full power attack, and aim to take this creature down before it fullyes to its senses. Ogis, you¡¯re responsible for restricting its movements, Lorena, make sure the dragon doesn¡¯t struggle too much. Greiya and Ann, I want you to release your strongest magic spells, if it doesn¡¯t die at least hurt it badly. Any objections?¡± ¡°No objections!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s order, Ann and Greiya nodded, while Ogis and Lorena took their positions. As for Duanmu Huai, he tightly clenched his War Hammer, and stood to the side. What about Owen? Well, who knows? Anyway, he couldn¡¯t help much in this situation. ¡°Ready.¡± After ensuring everyone was in position, Duanmu Huai took a deep breath and looked at Felin. ¡°Release the seal.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Felin nodded slightly. The next moment, everyone saw an enormous azure blue magical force emerging from all directions, being absorbed into Felin¡¯s body. The High Tower, previously covered in ice, gradually transformed, revealing its stone walls and floors. ¡°Crack.¡± At the same time, the thick ice started to shatter, and the surrounding temperature began to rise. Simultaneously, cracks appeared on the surface of the ice. The ice covering the High Tower gradually melted into water ¡ª and then evaporatedpletely under the high temperature. ¡°Boom!!¡± At that moment, the thick iceyer violently shattered, and a furious roar resounded from within! Without hesitation, Duanmu Huai decisively gave themand. ¡°Attack!!¡± Chapter 116 - 99: Not Talking about Martial Morality_1 Chapter 116: Chapter 99: Not Talking about Martial Morality_1 The block of ice shattered, and a huge figure emerged, its body aze with fire. It spread its wings and let out a furious roar to vent the anger that had been sealed away for an unknown number of years. However¡­ ¡°Attack!!¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, everyone else sprung into action. Ogis extended her hands, her slender puppet strings wrapped around the me Devil Dragon¡¯s wings and limbs like chains. She then clenched her fists, tugged hard, and directly pulled the me Devil Dragon back down to the ground just as it was getting up. Before the me Devil Dragon could figure out what had happened, it raised its head in confusion, seemingly trying to assess its current situation. But just then, Lorena leaped up. She gripped the Holy Canon in both hands, raised it high, and then forcefully mmed it down on the dragon¡¯s head! ¡°Bang!!!¡± Apanied by a heavy impact sound, the me Devil Dragon let out a pitiful cry and fell to the ground. ¡°Ann!¡± ¡°Greiya!!¡± Simultaneously, the two princesses raised their hands, a vast amount of magic power materialized and converged in them, forming a massive fireball. Magic circles shed within the fireball, amplifying its size until it enveloped the entire giant dragon. ¡°Grand Magic!¡± ¡°Fatal Ignition!!¡± With the roars of Ann and Greiya, the colossal fireball, resembling a miniature sun, plummeted down onto the me Devil Dragon like a fallinget, engulfing it in a massive explosion. Although it looked impressive, was it really a good idea to attack a me Devil Dragon with fire magic? Seemingly to respond to Duanmu Huai¡¯s scoff, the st of mes and airflow quickly dissipated. The me Devil Dragon lying on the ground no longer held its previous majesty, or maybe it simply couldn¡¯t ¡ªafter all, its head and most of its body had been blown apart, leaving no trace of flesh. It should definitely be dead¡­ Huh? However, at that moment, Duanmu Huai saw a sh of red light amidst the dragon¡¯s remains. The me Devil Dragon¡¯s body suddenly began to burn, and its flesh started regenerating at a visible rate! Damn it, are you the bastard child of an Immortal Bird? Although he was grumbling internally, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t panic. After all, he had confronted simr regenerating monsters before and knew how to handle them! ¡°Ann, Greiya! Destroy the core inside its body!¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± The princesses who were startled by the dragon¡¯s regeneration instantly came back to their senses upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand. Then, Ann raised her hands, and a vivid red magical array took shape beside her. ¡°Rune Magic Prating Cannon!!¡± With Ann¡¯s furious roar, a dazzling red beam burst forth and directly pierced through the regenerating body of the me Devil Dragon, hitting its core. Surprisingly, there was no reaction from the dragon to Ann¡¯s powerful attack! Could this thing be immune to magic? Witnessing this, everyone was taken aback. Meanwhile, the me Devil Dragon began to move again. Its body expanded rapidly before suddenly exploding, turning into several fiery demons rushing towards Duanmu Huai and hispanions! This is bad, it¡¯s trying to dy us and buy time for its recovery! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was rmed. At the moment, the rest of them were entangled with the suddenly explosive fire demons and could not escape. Meanwhile, the me Devil Dragon started regenerating for the next round. Its body began to heal at a rapid pace. If things continued this way, the situation would be bad! ¡°Tsk, why do all BOSSes like to struggle at death¡¯s door? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just die honorably?!¡± Observing the scene, Duanmu Huai coldly snorted. He swiftly waved his hand, instantly summoning several Large Mechanical Soldiers to block the attack from the fire demons. At the same time, the jetpack on Duanmu Huai¡¯s back burst forth, propelling him into the air in one leap. He sailed over the battlefield, hammering his War Hammer down onto the me Devil Dragon! ¡°Roaaar!!!¡± Although it was headless, the me Devil Dragon seemed to sense Duanmu Huai¡¯s danger. Its body mes churned, transforming into a firebird trying to block Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack. However, just then, a cold wind blew by. ¡°Huuuu¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-!!¡± Felin spread her hands, a frigid wind capable of freezing even the stone whistled towards the me Devil Dragon. In an instant, the Immortal Birds were shattered, and even the raging mes burning on the me Devil Dragon itself became almost intangible under the blow of the cold wind. ¡°Haahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡± Duanmu Huai charged past the remnants of the Immortal Birds, forcefully swung the Thunder Hammer in his hand at the core of the me Devil Dragon. The hammer that shimmered like thunder heavily struck the gem-like heart, which swiftly shattered and exploded! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The hot mes instantly engulfed Duanmu Huai, but it was merely the me Devil Dragon¡¯sst-ditch struggle. The erupting fire shot into the sky, releasing an unwilling roar, followed by an explosion that lit up the entire sky like fireworks. At the same time, those Fire Demon Beasts faded into nothingness, disappearing without a trace. ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡± Only then did everyone let out a sigh of relief. They had finally in the me Devil Dragon. ¡°Awesome, Greiya, we¡¯ve exterminated the Dragon!!¡± Seeing the dragon destroyedpletely, Ann embraced Greiya excitedly. After all, it was their first time defeating a legendary beast themselves. It¡¯s no wonder Ann was jumping for joy. ¡°Don¡¯t be socent, we were just lucky this time.¡± Watching the jubnt crowd, Duanmu Huai walked over and reminded them. As he said, perhaps the me Devil Dragon was once very powerful, but it had been sealed for several centuries. It¡¯s like a gangster who spent many years in jail and just got out, before he could even breathe the fresh air or enjoy the sunlight, he was ambushed and beaten to death. Regardless, this was the first boss-level Demon Beast they¡¯ve defeated in their adventures. No wonder Ann and Greiya were so excited. Even Lorena, a Missionary Priest, was so excited her cheeks turned red. She probably doesn¡¯t often face such enemies. However, unfortunately, before they could savour the thrill and excitement of defeating the beast, the High Tower started to copse¡­ The High Tower was held up by Felin¡¯s magic, it¡¯s already generous that it hasn¡¯t copsed when it took a beating from Ann and Greiya. When everyone finally managed to escape the tower, covered head to toe in dirt and grime, the ce had turned into ruins. Felin silently looked at the ruined High Tower, remaining silent, and her expression was tinged with mncholy and sadness. Even though it was a seal, she had lived there for centuries, so it¡¯s impossible for her not to have any feelings for it. Duanmu Huai walked to her and patted her shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we have a long road ahead of us.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Felin did not say much, simply nodding slightly. After all, she had no reason to stay here anymore. So, Duanmu Huai¡¯s team added one more member ¡ª¡ª or half a member? A flying fairy counts as half, right? Greiya was rather very pleased with Felin¡¯s addition. After all, as a dragonkin, she had never met a fellow dragonkin, so she cared a lot about Felin. On the other hand, Felin was somewhat surprised upon hearing Greiya¡¯s circumstances. ording to Felin, dragonkin were scarce but not nonexistent in her generation. Like Greiya, Felin was also born to a dragon and a human. However, Felin¡¯s mother was a Water Dragon, so she didn¡¯t have wings like Greiya. On the contrary, she possesses the ability to control ice and water, and to swim freely in the sea. By the way, Greiya often admired Felin¡¯s tail, it was slender, transparent like crystal, and extremely beautiful. Greiya¡¯s tail, on the other hand, was a bit thick ¡ª¡ª how should I put it, it¡¯s like a girl with thick thighs admiring a girl with slender thighs. Although Ann thought Greiya¡¯s tail was cute, and Duanmu did not think there was anything wrong with it, Greiya seemed to care¡­ Nevermind, they didn¡¯t understand dragonkin¡¯s matters, anyway. Chapter 117 - 100 - Fight Back!_1 Chapter 117: Chapter 100 ¨C Fight Back!_1 Thanks to Felin¡¯s guidance, the group¡¯s pace increased significantly. ording to the captive¡¯s report, the evil dragon Fafner had taken over Doomsday Canyon as itsir and the evil dragon legion¡¯s headquarters. And thus, Duanmu Huai and the rest, in ordance with the captive¡¯s report, arrived at Doomsday Canyon. Then¡­ they saw dragons covering the entirendscape. ¡°There are so many dragons¡­¡± Witnessing the dragons sitting or lying in the distant canyon, Lorena couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Even the others wore tense expressions. After all, anyone who saw so many dragons gathered together would feel a deeply-rooted shock. ¡°ording to that dragon¡¯s statement, their of Evil Dragon Fafner is located in the volcano mouth on the other side of the canyon¡­ Tsk, I wonder if this guy also has a metal jaw.¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the map and clicked his tongue lightly. Hearing hisint, Greiya looked towards Duanmu Huai uneasily. ¡°Sir knight, what should we do next?¡± ¡°We must probably slip past them, sneak into their, and then find and behead Fafner.¡± Ann immediately raised her hand, proposing her idea. ¡°Isn¡¯t that how it¡¯s written in all the adventure stories?¡± ¡°Hmm, typically that¡¯s the case.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded his head. ¡°But not this time.¡± ¡°Eh? Really?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Ann nked out for a moment. Duanmu Huai then looked at her and started to probe. ¡°Think carefully, what is our purpose?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± In the face of Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, everyone started to ponder. Then, Ann looked at Duanmu Huai suspiciously. ¡°Is it¡­ to eliminate Fafner¡­ right?¡± ¡°Fafner is the instigator, not the oue.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°Indeed, the threat of an evil dragon is great, but honestly speaking, what a single evil dragon can do is quite limited. Even if it¡¯s very powerful, there¡¯s still only one of it. And if you think about it, the devastated viges we saw along the way, were they all Fafner¡¯s doing? No, wasn¡¯t it the evil dragon legion under itsmand?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± At this point, the girls stopped talking. They all remembered the ruins and deste viges they had witnessed along their journey. However, Lorena looked at Duanmu Huai in doubt. ¡°But Sir Knight, I still don¡¯t understand. If our target is not Fafner, then what is it?¡± ¡°Fafner is our main target, not the primary reason. The main thing is¡­ isn¡¯t it the dragons¡¯ contempt for humans? If it weren¡¯t for the dragons thinking that humans are weak and incapable, posing no threat to them, how could they be deceived by the evil dragon Fafner, doing its bidding?¡± ¡°Wait, Sir knight, you don¡¯t happen to n to¡­ ¡± On hearing this, Ann suddenly seemed to have a realisation. She looked at Duanmu Huai with an ashen face, who nodded affirmatively in return. ¡°Correct, we need topletely shatter the dragons¡¯ mindset, to make these guys understand that humans are a race they simply cannot afford to provoke. If they dare to harm humans, they will face a threat to their extinction! Humans are not the prey that dragons can manipte at will but beings just as strong as them!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, everyone was stunned, and Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders, pointing to the canyon. ¡°Fortunately, all those here are Fafner¡¯spdogs. They are the worst offenders who look down upon humans and treat them as low-grade, ythings. By annihting all of these creatures, the number of dragons who dare belittle humans will dwindle significantly. Also, I believe their deaths will make the dragon race fully realize that humans cannot be provoked.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute!!! That¡¯s impossible!!!¡± Ann jumped up fiercely, waving her hands violently. ¡°Sir Knight, a few dragons are manageable, but there are hundreds of them down there! Add the dragon beasts; it¡¯s an overwhelming number we can¡¯t handle!!!¡± As Ann pointed out, there were hundreds of dragons in Doomsday Canyon at that moment. Furthermore, besides dragons, there were their dragon beasts ¡ª half-human, half-lizard creatures that were simr to centaurs. These dragon beasts typically served as the minions and soldiers of the dragons. They could wield long spears and spit fire. The attack power of a single dragon beast was evenparable to that of a heavily-armoured cavalry. There were at least a thousand such dragon beasts here. For Ann and Greiya, a few giant dragons could be managed, even dozens of dragon beasts were not a big threat, but hundreds of giant dragons, along with countless dragon beasts, would be a whole different story. ¡°I have the means to do it, so are you all ready?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­..¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, everyone was somewhat at a loss for what to say. Greiya hesitated for a moment before timidly raising her hand. ¡°Sir Knight, I don¡¯t mean to plead for these giant dragons, but¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be too cruel to exterminate them all?¡± ¡°Only strength and deterrence can bring respect and awe.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. His choice to confront the situation head-on rather than ept Ann¡¯s suggestion to sneak in and behead their enemy was for the purpose of resolving the matter once and for all. Otherwise, what difference would it make if they eliminated Fafner? Fafner had many evil dragons under hismand. As soon as Fafner was gone, would the other evil dragons obey? If Duanmu Huai were toplete the mission, the world fragment would belong to him, and he certainly wasn¡¯t keen on being bothered by such troubles every day. Therefore, dealing with the problem once and for all was simply the most logical course of action. ¡°Why did your people, Regnes, ally with Manaria? Isn¡¯t it because Manaria is the strongest magic nation here?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Moreover, it is also a perfect chance for the turncoat giant dragons of Regnes to see that we humans aren¡¯t to be trifled with!¡± Having said all of this, there wasn¡¯t much left for Greiya to argue¡­ She was aware of the internal issues of Regnes, so she couldn¡¯t im that Duanmu Huai was wrong. ¡°But¡­how are we going to fight?¡± Since Duanmu Huai had made a decision, and the others did not oppose it, the question now was how to execute the n. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to fuss about, just charge directly.¡± ¡°¡­Wait a minute, that¡¯s suicide!!¡± ¡°I have a n, just follow me.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­..¡± To be honest, after hearing what Duanmu Huai had to say, except for Ogis and Felin, whose expressions were usually very reserved, everyone else had looks of worry on their faces. Although Duanmu Huai said to leave it to him, this could hardly be considered a strategy at all! If he had some tactics to mention, that would be one thing, but charging in blindly would be suicide, wouldn¡¯t it? As far as Duanmu Huai was concerned¡­ ¡°The moreplex the strategy, the more likely it is to fail. Don¡¯t overthink it. Just go in directly.¡± What does he mean by ¡°just go¡±? Although every part of Duanmu Huai¡¯s n was rather agitating, everyone had no other choice but to grit their teeth and sit on top of the Metal Secret Dragon, arriving at the slope of the hill ¡ª to be honest, just being here and looking down at the valley filled with dragons was enough to make one¡¯s hair stand on end. First of all¡­. Duanmu Huai silently raised his hand. As per the usual, the puppet field was prepared. But this time, let¡¯s make it a grand one! Summon the Puppet Army! With a turn of Duanmu Huai¡¯s thought, in the next moment, hundreds of puppets quietly emerged from the air, forming a neat troop and converging at Duanmu Huai¡¯s side. Though these puppets¡¯ attack power was negligible, the fact that they could be summoned at zero cost was certainly a big advantage. Besides, just by their number, the sight of the puppet soldiers standing in neat formation did look like arge army. ¡°Wow, Sir Knight can actually summon so many puppets¡­¡± Sitting on the metal secret dragon and looking at the puppet army surrounding them, Ann and Greiya couldn¡¯t help but express their immense surprise. They knew that Duanmu Huai could summon puppets, but they didn¡¯t expect that he could summon so many at once ¡ª although they weren¡¯t sure about thebat power of these puppets, being surrounded by so many of them did provide a certain amount of reassurance. At least it was better than the few of them charging down to their deaths. ¡°So¡­¡­..¡± Sitting at the front of the Metal Secret Dragon, Duanmu Huai raised his war hammer high. ¡°Charge!!¡± With a singlemand, Duanmu Huai, controlling the Metal Secret Dragon and leading the puppet army, charged down the slope and lunged towards the giant dragons!! Chapter 118 - 101: Destruction Thunderbolt_1 Chapter 118: Chapter 101: Destruction Thunderbolt_1 Giant dragons are not blind. When Duanmu Huai led the Puppet Army down the hillside, they naturally noticed these unwee guests. However, the giant dragons didn¡¯t take these little creatures seriously. Instead, the dragon beasts shouted and waved their spears, arranging formations, blocking the path of Duanmu Huai and others. Then, the leading dragon beast let out a shout, and the others followed suit by lifting their spears and throwing them at the Puppet Army. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Like a rain of spears cutting through the sky and whistling down, the Puppet Army was engulfed. A Puppet Army with just one point of offense and defense could naturally not withstand the attacks from the dragon beasts. Soon they werepletely wiped out by the spears of the dragon beasts, leaving only the physically immune Metal Secret Dragon charging forward. ¡°Wait, what do we do now, Mr. Knight!¡± Seeing this, Ann also screamed out. She hadn¡¯t expected that the puppet group would be so fragile,pletely annihted upon confrontation? ¡°Watch, this is just the beginning!¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai sneered, a gleam flickering in his eyes simultaneously. Activate the special skill [Sacred Knight¡¯s Summon]! Remove all cards from the graveyard, summon Sacred Knights! Grant all Servants +2/+2 and Rush effect! ¡°Whoosh!!!¡± In an instant, hundreds of Sacred Knights riding ghost horses and d in full armor appeared where the puppets had fallen. Like a tide formed by souls, they roared and followed Duanmu Huai charging down, rushing straight towards therge dragon beast army! The base attack of the Sacred Knights is 3/4, and with the addition of Duanmu Huai¡¯s +2/+2 bonus, the ordinary Evil Dragons are no match for them, let alone these dragon beasts! The sudden appearance of the Sacred Knight Army stunned everyone, including the giant dragons. Dragon beasts lifted their spears, attempting to defend. However, at this moment, Duanmu Huai had already reached the front line of the dragon beasts riding the Metal Secret Dragon. He did not pause at all, like a giant rock rolling down the mountain, he crashed directly into the army of the dragon beasts. The dragon beast¡¯s hard and sharp spears could not even scratch the Metal Secret Dragon¡¯s body. Meanwhile, others on the back of the Metal Secret Dragon also quickly took action. Ogis extended her hands, invisible threads crisscrossing to form a barrier like a meat grinder, cutting all dragon beasts daring to rush at her into pieces. Lorena wielded the Holy Canon, knocking away all dragon beasts trying to climb the Metal Secret Dragon. On the other side, Greiya¡¯s hands turned into ming, sharp and ferocious dragon ws, guarding Ann, tearing any enemy trying to attack her and Ann. Under Greiya¡¯s protection, Ann chanted spells aloud. She then pointed forward! ¡°Fury of the Storm!!¡± Under Ann¡¯s guidance of magic power, surging airflow rotated and condensed, and then erupted suddenly, directly piercing the dense and heavy camp of dragon beasts. Felin blew gently towards them, an invisible cold wind howled past, extinguishing the life me of the dragon beasts in an instant, turning them into broken ice sculptures. At this moment, the giant dragons also realized that these little creatures weren¡¯t as simple as they thought. As subordinates of the Evil Dragon Fafner, they would not allow other creatures to swagger in front of them, trampling their dignity and glory. Quickly, the giant dragons roared and attacked with their wings, colliding heavily with the army led by Duanmu Huai. The battlefield shifted from the ground to the sky, Duanmu Huai maneuvered the Metal Secret Dragon, heading straight towards the group of giant dragons. The leading dragon opened its mouth and bit the neck of the Metal Secret Dragon. However, before it could react, Duanmu Huai smashed its head with a hammer, instantly crushing its huge head, sttering brain matter, piercing the skull, and the dragon¡¯s eyeballs were even ejected due to the violent impact. The dragon lost its power and fell from the sky, hitting the ground heavily. In terms of size, Duanmu Huai and the others were naturally smaller than the giant dragons. The Metal Secret Dragon, after all, was not a giant dragon. Its sizepared to a real giant dragon was like a sparrow to an eagle. But being bigger did not mean having the upper hand. Duanmu Huai controlled the Metal Secret Dragon, maneuvering flexibly among the group of giant dragons. He would even make the Metal Secret Dragon flip tond on the back of other dragons. Then, while the dragons were still reacting, he jumped down to dodge the dragons¡¯ angry attacks. Then he raised his hand, smashing the dragon¡¯s head with a hammer, sending them to their death. Apart from Duanmu Huai, the others were also not idle. Felin summoned a violent snowstorm that enveloped the entire sky, slowing down the speed and reaction of the dragons. Ann held a magic book, chanting spells aloud. Guided by her crisp voice, shining lightning and fire shot through the group of dragons, turning any tainted into charred coals. Even the Sacred Knights summoned by Duanmu Huai showed their power. Perhaps one of them was not an opponent to the giant dragons, but the fearless charge of the Sacred Knights could always take away a few unlucky dragons after an attack. Of course, their own numbers also decreased because of this, but the Sacred Knights did not care ¨C they were already dead. Chapter 119 - 101: Destruction Thunderbolt_2 Chapter 119: Chapter 101: Destruction Thunderbolt_2 Indeed, it¡¯s convenient to have a mage around. Duanmu Huai silently nodded as he watched Ann, under the protection of Lorena and Greiya, unleash her firepower freely. Without Ann, they could still fight, but it would undoubtedly be more ufortable. After all, most of them, including Duanmu Huai himself, could only attack at close and medium range. There were none like the mage with the capability ofunching long-range attacks. However, Duanmu Huai himself had also learned some magic now. Even though Duanmu Huai and others had indeed caused significant casualties among the dragons, they were hopelessly outnumbered. Despite Duanmu Huai summoning numerous creatures to fight alongside the Sacred Knights, the overwhelming strength of the dragons quickly tore apart the ranks of the knights. Soon, one by one, the Sacred Knights and creatures were wiped out by the dragons¡¯ surprise attacks. In no time, the Sacred Knights and creatures around Duanmu Huai were almost entirely annihted. Yet, the dragons still ruled the sky. ¡°Sir Knight, what do we do next?¡± Looking at the swarm of dragons around them, a worried Lorena asked. At this point, Ann was panting heavily and utterly exhausted. Although she was the most powerful mage in Manaria, she was still just a girl, and the long-term release of powerful magic was incredibly strenuous for her. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± Unexpectedly, Duanmu Huai seemed rather casual considering the anxiety of the others. He silently nced at his target, then extended his hand. First, summon Sky City to the battlefield! A sh of brilliance. Before long, everyone saw a city suddenly appear atop the clouds, floating in the sky. Bathed in sunlight, it exuded a golden glow, resembling the city of heaven itself. The appearance of this city surprised the dragons, who paused, hesitantly gazing at the Sky City that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. However, for Duanmu Huai, this was just the beginning. Next, summon the Divine Relic! As Duanmu Huai¡¯s finger pointed, the card disappeared, and something enormous, like a turret, appeared in front of Sky City. It looked like a beautifully carved trident lying horizontally. The brilliant magic light, shimmering from the blue sphere at its center, emitted dazzling rays. Runes began to orbit the core as a considerable amount of energy started to concentrate. Divine Relic (Legendary) Entrance Song: Inflict damage on all enemy servants equal to the number of Creation Cards destroyed in this battle. It was time. Looking at the number of destroyed Creation Cards in the graveyard, the corners of Duanmu Huai¡¯s mouth lifted slightly. Then¡­ be gone!! In the next instant, brilliant lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the entire world. No one knew what had happened, the dazzling lightning was so bright it turned the whole world snow white, its deafening roar drowned out all other sounds. The girls screamed, covering their ears and closing their eyes to escape the awe-inspiring spectacle. After what seemed like an eternity, they slowly opened their eyes and looked around. The girls stared in astonishment. The horde of dragons that had almost filled the sky moments ago were nowpletely gone. The sky had been thoroughly cleansed and looked incredibly clear. On the ground, countless charred bodies were smoking, so horribly mangled that their original appearance could not be recognized. ¡°Hmm, not bad. Everything went smoothly as nned,¡± Duanmu Huai said, looking satisfied at the battlefield below, ignoring the girls¡¯ pale faces. In fact, for Duanmu Huai, such a battlefield was nothing. Compared to the wars with the Evil God and Alien Race, where stars and even gxies were at stake, a few hundred Evil Dragons didn¡¯t concern him much. On the other hand, Ann and Greiya looked pale while Lorena closed her eyes and prayed with her hands tightly sped. Even Felin, who usually remainedposed, tightly held the fairy in her arms, remaining silent. Ogis remained as unchanging as ever. ¡°Has it ended, Master?¡± ¡°Certainly not, this is just the beginning, we still have to deal with Fafner.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai guided the Metal Secret Dragon tond on the ground, arriving at the volcano¡¯s mouth ¡ª¡ª the guards here had already been carbonized by the previous lightning strike, and Duanmu Huai barely nced at these unlucky fellows as he strode right in. However¡­¡­. ¡°No one??¡± In the enormous nest, piles of gold coins, various treasures, even artworks, weapons and such could be seen everywhere. However, in this nest asrge as several football fields, the only thing missing was the BOSS who should have been here. What¡¯s going on? Duanmu Huai scratched his head. He hade all this way to find the BOSS, who wasn¡¯t home? Could it be that he was also on vacation? Huh? Just then, Duanmu Huai heard a voice. He stretched out his hand and grabbed toward the direction of the voice. The next moment, a dragon beast was pulled out from the pile of gold coins andnded directly into Duanmu Huai¡¯s hands. ¡°N-No, don¡¯t kill me! Don¡¯t kill me, ahhhh!!!¡± The dragon beast was shaking in fear as it looked at Duanmu Huai. Apparently, it had witnessed Duanmu Huai wiping out the Evil Dragon Legion. If it hadn¡¯t slipped back into the nest, it might have ended up like itspanions outside, turned into ckened charcoal. ¡°Where is Fafner?¡± Duanmu Huai stared at the trembling dragon beast and asked. ¡°This is Fafner¡¯s nest, isn¡¯t it? Where did it go?¡± ¡°Mr. Fafner is not here ¡­¡­. He went to Manaria ¡­.¡± ¡°What?!!¡± Upon hearing this, Ann, who had been propped up by Greiya and could barely stand, suddenly eximed. She quickly approached the dragon beast, looking at it. ¡°Why did Fafner go to Manaria?¡± ¡°I heard, heard that King Regnes nned to go to Manaria to discuss the matter of defeating Lord Fafner. Lord Fafner thought it was a good opportunity topletely crush Regnes and Manaria ¡­.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai finally understood. He hadn¡¯t summoned Sky City earlier for the same reason, to lure Fafner out and then use the Divine Relic. However, Fafner had not appeared, and Duanmu Huai had thought there must be some cunning n involved ¡ª¡ª who would have thought he had simply gone out. Indeed, this was also because of Ann and Greiya. After learning that their daughters had gone to exterminate Fafner, the kings of the two nations couldn¡¯t sit still. Despite many issues, they decided to assemble a punitive force as quickly as possible, head to the Northern Land to eradicate the Evil Dragon, and coincidentally search for the two princesses. Well, some people just won¡¯t move unless their eyebrows are on fire. But right now, Ann was clearly not worried about these things. She hastily grabbed Duanmu Huai. ¡°Mr. Knight! We must rush back to Manaria immediately!!¡± Chapter 120 - 102 I’m familiar with this_1 Chapter 120: Chapter 102 I¡¯m familiar with this_1 It must be said, this news was indeed beyond Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectation. He had painstakingly traveled here to handle the den of the Evil Dragon, only to find that it had gone to Manaria? Well, it seems it really implemented a change of tactics. Luckily, ording to that dragon beast, Fafner should not have been gone for long and should not have reached Manaria just yet. If they could rush back in time, they might still make it. If they could hurry back in time. ¡°Ann, is there a way to teleport us back to The Manaria Royal City?¡± ¡°Of course¡­of course, there is¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Ann wiped the sweat off her forehead and then nodded vigorously. ¡°I will do it now¡­¡± ¡°Wait, you should rest first.¡± Seeing Ann sweat profusely, Duanmu Huai quickly voiced his concerns. Ann had already pushed herself to the limit, and she was nearly spent. If she forced herself to teleport, anything could happen¡­ Duanmu Huai still remembered the embarrassing incident when eight heroes were scattered due to hasty teleportation during the Moment of End, one was even sent directly to the final boss. He definitely didn¡¯t want to experience that himself. ¡°Miss Ann, I have some Holy Water here¡­¡± At this moment, Lorena hurriedly took out a bottle of Holy Water from her waist. This Holy Water was manufactured by the Cathedral Church. It can restore physical strength, heal wounds, and illnesses. Of course, it could be thrown at undead creatures too. It must be said that the Holy Water produced by the Cathedral Church Group works wonders. After Ann gulped down a bottle of it, she was instantly rejuvenated, her waist no longer ached, her legs didn¡¯t hurt, and she didn¡¯t feel tired anymore¡­ ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Ready, Sir Knight!¡± ¡°Very well, move out!!¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Ann immediately raised her hand. Soon, a huge blue Magic Circle formed under their feet. Duanmu Huai and hispanions only felt a sudden sinking sensation under their feet, and in the next instant, their view changed abruptly, transforming from the dragon¡¯s den to a magnificent pce hall. The sudden appearance of Duanmu Huai and hispanions naturally startled everyone. When they recognized who the neers were, they screamed with joy. ¡°It¡¯s the Princess!¡± ¡°The Princess is back!!¡± Duanmu Huai stood up and looked around. They were currently in the pce hall. Above them sat the King of Manaria and the King of Dragon Race, on either side were their ministers and subordinates. Upon seeing Ann and Greiya, both kings simultaneously stood up, looking at them with surprise. ¡°Ann!¡± ¡°Greiya!¡± ¡°Are you guys okay, did anything happen?¡± ¡°We are fine, but¡­ Father, now¡¯s not the time to talk about that! Fafner is about to attack Manaria!!¡± ¡°What?!¡± The bombshell Ann dropped left everyone too shocked toprehend what was happening. ¡°What exactly is happening, Princess?¡± ¡°Fafner is about to attack Manaria? How could that be possible¡­¡± ¡°Let me exin.¡± Seeing the chaos around him, Duanmu Huai coughed once, stepped forward, and provided a swift exnation of what had happened. After hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s exnation, the two kings finally understood the situation. Although they still found it hard to believe¡­ ¡°You infiltrated Fafner¡¯sir and even eradicated the residing Evil Dragon Legion?¡± The King of Manaria looked stunned as he stared at Duanmu Huai. To be honest, he didn¡¯t believe what Duanmu Huai was saying. He turned towards his daughter for confirmation. ¡°Ann? Is what he saying true?¡± ¡°Indeed, it is, Father.¡± Ann nodded in agreement. ¡°I understand your doubts. It was indeed quite a challenge for just the few of us to battle hundreds of Evil Dragons. We were in danger at times, but Sir Knight used some¡­ well, I don¡¯t know how to describe it, some method. In short, all those dragons are dead¡­ But now¡¯s not the time for this! Fafner is about to attack the Royal City!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The King nodded. The truth was still hard to confirm, at least for now. But no matter what, he believed that his daughter was not like to joke about such matters. Moreover, Duanmu Huai and his people had brought back a captured dragon beast from its den. If they needed more details, they could interrogate the dragon beastter on. But right now, the most important thing is to stop the Evil Dragon Legion¡¯s attack. With this thought, the king immediately turned his head, looking at his subordinates. ¡°Sound the rm bell immediately, dere the entire royal city in a state of emergency, and have the Royal Magician Group activate the defensive barrier! All troops stand ready to fight!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As the rm bell sounded, the entire Manaria Royal City sprung into action. Civilians were quickly evacuated, fully armed troops took their positions on the city walls, and not long after, a giant figure appeared before their eyes. ¡°Is that Fafner?¡± Standing on the city walls, looking at the giant dragon in the distance, Duanmu Huai and the others couldn¡¯t help but gasp. It¡¯s just that¡­ this giant dragon is so huge!! Yes,pared with the evil dragons that Duanmu Huai and the others had encountered before, Fafner¡¯s size was like a moving mountain range, its mere movements in the distance stirred up massive clouds of dust. The dark legion of evil dragons surrounding it, appeared to them as the darkest and most terrifying existence in this world. ¡°How can it be, it¡¯s so big¡­¡± Seeing this, Ann¡¯s face also changed. Previously when annihting the Evil Dragon Legion, she thought that Fafner might not be that difficult to deal with. However, she hadn¡¯t expected the evil dragon to be so enormous. The gap between these giant dragons and it is like catspared with tigers! How could such a creature be dealt with? Is there really no way to handle it? Even Greiya and Lorena and others all appeared nearly hopeless in the face of such a giant beast, they simply had no power to fight back. Any spell they initiated was unlikely to inflict enough damage on it, not to mention, whether one could pierce its body through its hard scales was also a question. However¡­ ¡°It¡¯s better if it¡¯s bigger.¡± Duanmu Huai, instead of panicking like Ann and Greiya, rather breathed a sigh of relief. He put down the thunder warhammer, and even his expression rxed considerably. ¡°If I had known this guy was so big, I think I could have killed it on my own.¡± ¡°Huh? Sir Knight, Are you scared silly?!¡±¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Ann looked at him confusedly, suspecting whether Duanmu Huai was so shocked as to be talking nonsense. ¡°This evil dragon is sorge, we simply can¡¯t deal with it! It¡¯s not like the previous dragons, its body is even bigger than the entire royal city!!¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s precisely why it¡¯s easier to handle.¡± While he said this, Duanmu Huai put down his Thunder Warhammer, put on his helmet, and then pulled out the Chainsaw Sword from behind him, revealing a ferocious smile as he looked ahead at Fafner. ¡°Dealing with this kind of thing is my specialty.¡± While he was talking, Fafner had already arrived at the outside of the city wall of Manaria Royal City. His simple presence cast a shadow over the entire Manaria Royal City. Both soldiers and mages looked at the monumental creature in front of them with pale faces. The only one was Duanmu Huai standing there, staring at Fafner, shouting loudly. ¡°Stupid big lizard, are you ready to die?!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s roar immediately drew the attention of the Evil Dragon Legion. Fafner lowered his head and quickly spotted Duanmu Huai standing on the city wall. He didn¡¯t of course pay any attention to this small thing, with a sneer he stared scornfully at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Stupid mortal, even daring to voluntarily offer his life?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the silly one, we¡¯ll find out soon.¡± Hearing Fafner speak, Duanmu Huai sneered. ¡°I think you may not know, big lizard, that your den has already been overtaken by us. Those evil dragons you left in your den have already turned into heaps of ck ash.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Hearing this, Fafner¡¯s eyes hardened as he stared at Duanmu Huai. Thetter reached into his pocket, and took out a golden chalice. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be quite wealthy, this time we¡¯ve hit the jackpot, thank you, Fafner, for collecting so many treasures for me. You really have made me cry¡­.¡± ¡°Despicable human!!!¡± Seeing the golden chalice in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand, Fafner was suddenly consumed by anger. Even the theft of a single gold coin from theirir was deemed as an intolerable provocation to dragon-kind. Let alone, this was one of his most prized possessions, and now this contemptible mortal, this filthy thief had the audacity to parade the treasure he had stolen from his ownir right in front of him. ¡°You are truly ignorant of the consequences! You despicable human!!¡± Right now, Duanmu Huai was like openly mocking in front of Fafner, it could no longer tolerate it. How could he bear to be sneered at by a thief who dared to steal treasures from hisir! ¡°I will make you realize how terrifying it can be to anger me. I will burn you and these vermin to ashes! Transforming this human den into a ruin!!¡± Roaring furiously, Fafner opened his mouth wide and took in a deep breath. However, Fafner didn¡¯t notice that just as he opened his mouth to take a breath, Duanmu Huai suddenly reached out his right hand d in Gravity Gloves and aimed it at ¨C himself! The next moment, Duanmu Huai became just a ck speck,unching himself from the city wall and plunging straight into Fafner¡¯s open mouth!! Chapter 121 - 103: Solo Kill_1 Chapter 121: Chapter 103: Solo Kill_1 For ordinary people, the bigger the monster, the harder it is to deal with. But for yers, it¡¯s just the opposite. Within Star Ocean Online, there are numerous gigantic monsters. Yet, these monsters are basically no challenge for yers. The reason is simple. If the opponent is too big, just follow Sun Wukong¡¯s approach and go inside its stomach. After all, in ¡°Journey to the West¡±, Wukong would simply dive into the belly of any monster that he found difficult to defeat, including creatures such as ck Bear Spirit, Princess Iron Fan, and Yellow Brow Monster. yers seemed to have learned this technique from Wukong. Even if they don¡¯t possess Wukong¡¯s Seventy-two Transformations ability, they still dare to wreak havoc from inside the monster¡¯s belly. Of course, ordinary people jumping into a monster¡¯s stomach usually means they travel one way to the afterlife. But the Power Armors of yers are standard spacebat equipment capable of surviving in a vacuum. Thus, going inside a creature¡¯s stomach isn¡¯t really a big deal for them. On the contrary, what yers hate dealing with the most are smaller foes that are incredibly fast and powerful¡­. those are truly troublesome enemies for yers. As a lone wolf yer, Duanmu Huai has soloed hundreds, if not thousands, ofrge monsters, some of which are sorge they can treats like candies and have their own internal ecosystem. Inparison, dealing with Fafner is rtively simple. That¡¯s why Duanmu Huai was actually relieved when he saw the size of Fafner. Just like the demons in Journey to the West, no matter how badass you are, what can you do if I crawl into your stomach? Are you really going to harm yourself? Are you really going to hit your own stomach with Dragon Breath? So, Duanmu Huai deliberately provoked Fafner. As it inhaled, Duanmu Huai changed his gravitational direction using his Gravity Gloves and directly ¡°fell¡± into the Evil Dragon¡¯s gaping maw. However, for Fafner, this was utterly disgusting. Imagine this, you open your mouth to yawn and a fly suddenly swarms into your mouth. That feeling is as disgusting as it gets. Not to mention, Duanmu Huai is much more troublesome than any ordinary fly. ¡°Hey, let the show begin!¡± The moment he rushed into the dragon¡¯s mouth, Duanmu Huai quickly activated his Chainsaw Sword and fiercely shed at the giant dragon¡¯s upper jaw! ¡°Vroom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The rapidly spinning Chainsaw Sword instantly cut a bloody gash in Fafner¡¯s upper jaw, and Duanmu Huai driven forward, plunging the Chainsaw Sword straight into the throat of the beast! ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± Understandably, this pain made Fafner scream in anguish. However, Fafner wasn¡¯tpletely helpless. Soon after, Duanmu Huai felt a surge of intense heat from deep within Fafner¡¯s throat. Seeing the rise in temperature, Duanmu Huai hurriedly rolled sideways underneath Fafner¡¯s tongue. Immediately after, a torrent of fiery Dragon Breath roared out towards the sky, but had no effect other than heating the empty air. ¡°You¡¯re really fired-up. Let me help you cool down.¡± Duanmu Huai quickly pulled out two grenades from his waist and threw them straight into Fafner¡¯s esophagus. ¡°Now, let¡¯s give you a stomach perforation!!¡± ¡°Ohhhhhh!!!¡± With the explosion of the grenades inside the dragon¡¯s stomach, Fafner¡¯s cries of pain reached new heights. It quickly opened its mouth and extended a w towards it, trying to dig out Duanmu Huai. However, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t foolish enough to let himself be manipted. Just after throwing the grenades, he swung his Chainsaw Sword and made an opening in Fafner¡¯s throat, and darted inside. Under normal circumstances, when you crawl inside a monster¡¯s body, you usually go downwards. If you want to destroy the enemy from the inside, you would typically target the heart or the brain. However, in most cases, yers would only target the brain. The reason is simple. Monsters withrge bodies also have different internal structures. You can¡¯t be sure that it has only one heart like the typical monsters. Moreover, if you aim for the body, the enemy will have more room to maneuver. Some powerful creatures with strong regenerative powers might even tear open their own bellies to remove the yer. But the head is different. For most creatures, the head is the most vital part. If a yer gets into the skull, the creature is virtually helpless. Moreover, the destruction of vital brain tissues can also achieve the goal of killing the enemy. ¡°Vroom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The whirling Chainsaw Sword tore through flesh and bone, and Duanmu Huai kept pushing forward deep into the brain with the Chainsaw Sword in hand. Clearly, he could feel the external jolting of Fafner, indicating that its unbearable pain had driven it nearly mad. It is also natural. Imagine a bug flying into your mouth while you are yawning, then tearing through your flesh and drilling into your brain, pushing deeper and deeper. The pain is simply indescribable. Unfortunately for Fafner, no matter what it does now, it can¡¯t force Duanmu Huai out of its head¡ªunless it destroyed its own brain. But that would basically be suicide. However, doing this alone can be a bit boring. Duanmu Huai put down the Chainsaw Sword, thought for a moment, then gave a snap of his fingers. Several Mechanical Soldiers began to appear around him out of thin air. ¡°Branch out and dig in any direction you want.¡± After themand was given, the Mechanical Soldiers scattered and began to tear apart and dig through the muscles and bones, just like how one would dig a tunnel. Meanwhile, on the city walls, Ann, Greiya, and the others were dumbfounded. Just now, when Fafner opened its mouth readying its Dragon Breath, Duanmu Huai suddenly leapt into its gaping maw. This stunned everyone for a moment. But then what happened next was even more unbelievable¡ª the formerly formidable Evil Dragon, was now rolling around on the ground in agony. Its tail frantically swept across the battlefield in concert with its gigantic body. The situation on the side of Manaria Royal City was still manageable since the mages had already set up a magic barrier to protect against Fafner¡¯s thrashing tail. However, the Evil Dragons surrounding Fafner didn¡¯t expect their leader to suddenly go berserk. Caught off-guard, they were sent flying left and right. The Dragon Beasts on the ground were crushed into a puddle of flesh by Fafner¡¯s massive thrashing body. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± At this moment, Fafner had copsed again, his front ws desperately gripping his head, violently mming it against the ground. The once fearful Evil Dragon now looked utterly pitiful. ¡°What¡­ what did the knight do to it?¡± Ann, watching Fafner w and tear at its own flesh, doesn¡¯t know what to say. The scene was like something out of a horrific movie. ¡°So this is the power of the knight¡­¡± Even Lorena looks white as a sheet, not knowing what to do. The soldiers on the city walls were also at a loss. They should be attacking the Evil Dragon now, eliminating it once and for all. But they felt¡­ sorry for the Evil Dragon King. ¡°Ughhh¡­..¡± Suddenly, Fafner got up again, his eyes blood-red, ring maliciously at the Manaria Royal City in front of him. ¡°Die, all of you die, aaahhhhhhh!!!¡± With a roar, Fafner charged straight at the royal city again! ¡°Not good, all mages, pour your magic power into the Magic Barrier, now!!¡± Seeing this, the King of Manaria was startled. He didn¡¯t know what Duanmu Huai had done to the Evil Dragon, but he knew for sure, it was nning to bring down the whole city with it! The Evil Dragon was muchrger than the city. If a direct breakthrough was allowed, the entire city would be destroyed!! Hearing the king¡¯s order, all mages raised their hands instantly, covering the whole city with a shimmering blue magic barrier. Yet, at that moment, Fafner, charging towards the city, suddenly stumbled and fell, as if it had lost its bnce. But the giant dragon¡¯s terrifying momentum carried it forward, crashing straight into the city walls. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The dragon, head taller than the city walls, rammed directly into the Magic Barrier. With the impact, the barrier, formed from thebined magical energy of all the mages of Manaria, began to shudder. ¡°Distribute magic power from elsewhere to the impact zone ¡ª we must not allow a breach in the barrier!¡± Anns raised her hand to maintain the Magic Barrier while shoutingmands. Fafner¡¯s momentum was so powerful, the protective barrier was practically at its limit after the hit. Even though she was trying her best to sustain it, she could feel the magic power rapidly draining. Is this the terrifying power of Fafner? Clenching her teeth and raising both hands, Ann felt a chill inside her. The city¡¯s protective barrier was nearly overloaded from just one hit. Could they really withstand such a force? ¡°Bang!!¡± Almost as if responding to her uncertainty, the barrier shattered and Fafner¡¯s head mmed into the city wall, shattering the towering, robust city wall on impact. Fafner¡¯s head broke into the city. However, this was Fafner¡¯sst stand. After its head crashed through the city walls, it seemed that the impact from Fafner finally ceased. Ity there in silence. By the way, Fafner¡¯s Evil Dragon Legion had either been killed in the mayhem or fled, leaving no trace. Once again, the ssic viin¡¯s ¡°when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter¡± principle was proven true. No one dared to approach until they were sure that Fafner would not move again. Then they cautiously approached the gaping hole in the city wall and peered at Fafner¡¯s fallen body. ¡°Is it¡­ dead?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± In response to Ann¡¯s question, Greiya shook her head in confusion. She could see Fafner¡¯s snout still twitching, still breathing. Its eyes were also open, but they were vacant, as if it had lost all consciousness. What on earth is going on? As they all stood in confusion, Fafner suddenly trembled and then slowly closed its eyes, stopping its breathing. Following that¡­. ¡°Buzz!!!¡± The ear-splitting noise drew their attention to Fafner¡¯s chest. A stream of blood quietly appeared, like a waterfall of blood spraying out. Then, from that cascade of blood, emerged arge figure holding a Chainsaw Sword, covered in blood from head to toe. As if a Demon God emerging from hell itself. Noticing the gazes of Ann and the others, the blood-drenched figure raised a hand in a wave. ¡°Yo, finally got it done.¡± Duanmu Huai then removed his helmet and spoke. Chapter 122 - 104 Is this possible?_1 Chapter 122: Chapter 104 Is this possible?_1 With the death of the Evil Dragon Fafner, the crisis that this world was facing finally came to an end. In fact, everybody was quite curious about how Duanmu Huai managed to kill Fafner. What exactly did he do? Actually, what Duanmu Huai did wasn¡¯t that peculiar. First, he punched a hole straight through the upper jaw into the dragon¡¯s skull and savagely hacked away at Fafner¡¯s grey matter. Next, Duanmu Huai severed the dragon¡¯s central nervous hub, effectively paralyzing it. Only then did he crawl out of its brain, continue downwards, find Fafner¡¯s magic core and shattered it, finally eliminating the notorious evil dragon. Of course, it didn¡¯t end there. To prevent the evil dragon from resurrecting, Fafner¡¯s corpse was disintegrated and thoroughly destroyed. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Manaria sent its army to reim Fafner¡¯sir and sessfully seized its treasure¡­well, the majority of which naturally belonged to Duanmu Huai. Or should I say, originally all the wealth in Fafner¡¯sir should belong to Duanmu Huai. Then again, Duanmu Huai was generous enough to contribute some towards the restoration of Manaria¡¯s royal city. Naturally, with these treasures, Duanmu Huai¡¯s previously empty pockets were filled once more. Not only that, Duanmu Huai was also granted an honorary title by the Kingdom of Manaria. After all, he single-handedly slew the Evil Dragon King. Therefore, the King of Manaria conferred upon Duanmu Huai the title of Dragon ying Knight with an additional reward. Duanmu Huai also timely proposed the ¡°Integrated n of Production, Education, and Research¡±, aiming to jointly develop the Puppet Zone of Holy City with Manaria Magic Academy, which naturally got approved by the king. But¡­ there were some things that were beyond Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectations. ¡°¡­.. A proposed marriage?¡± Duanmu Huai looked in disbelief at the king sitting on his throne, wondering if he¡¯d misheard. ¡°That¡¯s right, Sir Knight. I hope you will be engaged to my daughter¡ªthe Princess of Manaria, Ann.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just about Ann.¡± The King of Regnes, sitting on the other side, was also grinning at Duanmu Huai as he spoke. ¡°My daughter Greiya is also involved. If possible, I¡¯d like her to be engaged to you too.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ why?!¡± Duanmu Huai looked at the two kings in a fluster, originally thinking they had some business with him. But¡­ this was totally unexpected. ¡°We are getting old after all. It¡¯s time to consider the future. I believe that entrusting the future to the hero who protected Manaria and saved our country is the best option,¡± the King of Manaria said, chuckling as he stroked his beard. The King of Regnes nodded slightly in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right. Regnes is also dealing with some chaos stemming from this matter. So, in order to continue our nations¡¯ friendly treaty, we think this is a great solution.¡± I see. Listening to this, Duanmu Huai finally understood their intentions. To put it bluntly, it was a political marriage. Manaria needed him to stabilize the domestic situation, and on the other side, Regnes was clearly intimidated by him ying the Evil Dragon King and hundreds of other dragons. From the words of the King of Regnes, it could be inferred that Regnes was currently in a state of great unrest. If not managed properly, Manaria could possibly use this opportunity to invade and eliminate Regnes. Under such circumstances, offering their daughters¡¯ hands in marriage was clearly a good choice. But¡­ ¡°You both agreed to this?¡± Duanmu Huai looked questioningly at Ann and Greiya standing beside him. Upon hearing his question, Annughed awkwardly. ¡°Ahahaha, even though you might seem a little intimidating, Mr. Knight, I realized you¡¯re a pretty nice person during our journey together. Besides, as the princess of Manaria, it¡¯s my duty. Furthermore, this way I get to be with Greiya all the time, and isn¡¯t that nice?¡± Thatst bit is really your true aim, right? ¡°I, I also¡­¡± Compared to the outspoken Ann, Greiya lowered her head, her face turning red up to her ears. ¡°As long as I can be with Ann, I¡­I don¡¯t mind¡­¡± Hell, you¡¯re just using me as a tool, aren¡¯t you? Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes helplessly. He figured out what the two of them were thinking. As princesses of Manaria and Regnes, Ann and Greiya were not allowed to choose their own marriage partners. In any case, they would have to marry someone else due to political reasons. If that¡¯s the case, they would naturally want to choose someone who met their conditions. They might have some affections for Duanmu Huai, but he thought the primary reason for their agreement was because this way they had a legitimate excuse to stick close to each other. ¡°So, would you agree, Sir Knight?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, just don¡¯t regret it.¡± Before Duanmu Huai crossed worlds, he had never even gone on a date, let alone get engaged. So when he was asked if he was willing to do so now, the answer was naturally yes. After all, both Ann and Greiya were beautiful with high attractiveness and pleasant personalities. How could he refuse such beauties who were throwing themselves at him? Of course, even if Duanmu Huai agreed now, they were still only engaged. The actual marriage would only be decided after the two graduated from the Manaria Magic Academy. If anything changed during that time, the engagement would perhaps be null and void. This interim period also served as a buffer. Although a political match was necessary in this situation, since they hadn¡¯t spent a lot of time together, they would still need to cultivate their feelings ¨C certainly what both kings had in mind. But, these were issues for the future. For Duanmu Huai, what¡¯s more essential was the reward he got this time! [Mission: ¡°Save Manaria¡± Aplished!] [Mission Evaluation: Outstanding] [You have eliminated the root of all evil in this world, bringing peace and tranquility back to thisnd ¨C you are the hero who saved this world!] [Mission Reward: Obtained a special title ¡°Dragon yer¡± ¨C 30% increase in offense and defense when dealing with Dragon Race] [Extra Reward: Due to bathing in dragon blood, the Subspace Armour has gained a special effect (Immunity against Magic and Physical Attacks below level 4 / half damage taken from Spiritual Energy Attacks above level 4) and Dragon¡¯s Might Aura (Intimidation +1)] [Your Reputation in Soul Shard ¡°Manaria¡±: Adoration] [Permanent acquisition of the World Fragment ¡°Manaria¡±] No doubt, the rewards this time were pretty favourable. Specifically after obtaining the fragment of the Manaria continent, Duanmu Huai could merge it with the Holy City, allowing him to freely move between the two. But¡­¡­¡­ Why did he get Intimidation again?? Looking at the system prompt before his eyes, Duanmu Huai was absolutely speechless. His Intimidation level had already reached Lv6, at this rate, reaching the maximum level wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all!! Back when he was still ying games, he hardly found any skills that increased intimidation¡­Though saying this now wouldn¡¯t make any difference. After all, how was it possible for the system to take the reward back once it was given? So other than silently epting, Duanmu Huai had nothing else to say. Further, his biggest gain was from Fafner¡¯s dragon¡¯s nest; surprisingly, it housed several holy artifacts! Such as the Dragon w Ne, Dragon¡¯s Might Core, Dragon¡¯s Jewel, Mirror of Truth, and the Stargazer Telescope. Duanmu Huai kept the Dragon w Ne, returned the Mirror of Truth to the Manaria Magic Academy, and dposed the Dragon¡¯s Might Core, Dragon¡¯s Jewel, and Stargazer Telescope. This increased the level of the Tribunal Library to 5, reducing the time necessary to analyze the Antimatter Energy Core by more than half. But now, the most important thing was to merge the two World Fragments. Duanmu Huai returned to the space station in silence, activated the system, and the map of the Holy City soon appeared before him. On this map, the pure white Holy City was in the center, surrounded by several towns under its jurisdiction. Further out was a dense forest andkes ¨C and then nothing else. Certainly, this was from the perspective of the map. If you were to actually look at it, you would discover a dense fog at the edge of the map, simr to many sandbox games¡¯ method of marking the boundaries. Now¡­ Manaria! With an idea shing across Duanmu Huai¡¯s mind, thend of Manaria appeared before his eyes. Compared to the Holy City, the map of Manaria was more than twice the size, as it not only included the Magic Kingdom Manaria, but also the Dragon Kingdom of Regnes. However, how to ce this territory required thorough thinking. Duanmu Huai certainly didn¡¯t want to ce Regnes next to the Holy City. Knowing the character of the Dragon Race, he would have to teach them several good lessons before they would behave. So after much thought, he decided to put the area near the magic academy in Manaria adjacent to the Holy City. As such, both parties could maintain peace, making it easier formunication. After merging the twonds, Duanmu Huai asked Lorena to inform the Archbishop, and as for the futuremercial, political, and personnel exchanges between Manaria and the Holy City ¨C that was for them to decide. Duanmu Huai, however, returned once again to Aldorf, preparing for the next action. After all, the celebration banquet prepared by the Great Crown Prince was happening soon. Nevertheless, when Duanmu Huai came back to Aldorf, he learned an unexpected piece of news from General Pastte. Chapter 123 - 105: A Storm is Brewing_1 Chapter 123: Chapter 105: A Storm is Brewing_1 ¡°The other two princes are also to attend the banquet?¡± Upon hearing General Pastte¡¯s exnation, Duanmu Huai frowned instantly, with thetter nodding in response. ¡°Yes, the instructions we received were that the two princes would be present. Hence, the whole of Aldorf must be on stringent guard that evening, disallowing anyone to venture out, effectively putting the entire city in lockdown.¡± ¡°So you mean to say, everyone will be locked in their homes and wait to die.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Confronted with Duanmu Huai¡¯s sharp words, General Pastte was momentarily left speechless. Though it made sense to enforce strict guard measures across the city, once doubts creep in, countless problems begin to surface. ¡°Did the Great Crown Prince personally extend the invitation?¡± ¡°No, it was proposed by the other two princes themselves. They argue that since the Emperor has recaptured Modheim, they believe that his majesty is the chosen one. Hence, they willingly submit themselves, acknowledging the Great Crown Prince to the throne.¡± Such a fabrication! Duanmu Huai disdained the thought. ¡°Then his majesty also believes that it is time to end the internal conflict, and thus enthusiastically invited both princes to the banquet.¡± ¡°Therefore, the banquet day would be the most troublesome.¡± Duanmu Huai snorted coldly. It appeared that all three parties had their devious ns. The Great Crown Prince was willing to let the wolves in the fold, convinced of the advantages brought on by his reign over Aldorf, and his capability to set a trap here. As for the Second and Third Princes, unless they were fools, they must know this was akin to the Banquet of Hongmen, yet they were eager to attend¡­perhaps they were confident enough to turn the tables at the banquet. It can be predicted that Aldorf will be bustling with activity on that day. ¡°I have already arranged for my family to leave Aldorf early.¡± General Pastte also lowered his voice; he had been to Modheim and knew how terrifying the ceremonies of the Cult were. He did not want his family to be sacrificialmbs. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid this will raise suspicions?¡± ¡°In any case, it¡¯ll be over after a few days. I am not bothered.¡± Pastte was no fool; obviously, something will happen during the royal banquet in the city. By then, he won¡¯t have any other choice. ¡°Has there been any word from there?¡± ¡°Not yet¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai frowned further. He was referring to the Witch Hunter who went after the Dimension Stone that was delivered to Aldorf. Since that, there haven¡¯t been any updates, and he wasn¡¯t sure if the tracker was still on the chase or had already perished along the way. ¡°I hope you can enhance patrolling around Aldorf over the next few days. Record any anomalies and inform me. We mighte across some clues.¡± ¡°Alright, understood.¡± General Pastte nodded. Right now, apart following Duanmu Huai¡¯s instructions, he had no other options. After making up his mind, Duanmu Huai lifted his gaze to the window, where Aldorf was shrouded beneath shadows. He sighed quietly. I wonder¡­ is everything going smoothly there? Meanwhile, in the capital of Bartoni, Cacarson. As night fell, the bustling streets gradually quieted down. Elisa flipped the shop sign to ¡°closed,¡± locked the doors, and went back home. ¡°Whew ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± As she raised her hands high, Elisa stretchedzily. After escaping from the Empire, Elisa, her mother, and the others started to run a small jewelry shop in Cacarson mainly targeting civilians and mid-tier customers. Though the earnings were not high, they were enough for their livelihood. Life here was quite peaceful. For them, who had experienced a long journey fleeing from danger and turmoil, they were quite satisfied with their present life. Just as Elisa intended to rest, suddenly, a voice resonated. ¡°Good evening, Miss Elisa.¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Startled by the sudden voice, Elisa turned her gaze only to see a silhouette standing silently on the hallway not far away. Seen through the flickering candlelight, Elisa could make out that the person was wrapped heavily in a cloak, which made her feel uneasy. However, she found the voice somehow familiar. ¡°You, you are¡­¡­¡± Under Elisa¡¯s gaze, the figure shed her cloak to reveal a doll-like face and silver tresses from within¡­ ¡°Miss Ogis!¡± Upon seeing Ogis, Elisa almost cried out in excitement. However, she quickly covered her mouth and curiously nced around. ¡°Where is Sir Knight? Didn¡¯t hee with you?¡± ¡°Master had urgent matters to attend to, so he sent me to check on you.¡± Ogis looked straight into Elisa¡¯s eyes, not the slightest wave in her gaze. Hearing the response, Elisa was somewhat disappointed. ¡°I see¡­ I was thinking I could reunite with the knight¡­¡± ¡°So, Miss Elisa, how¡¯s your life now? Are you satisfied with your current life?¡± ¡°Uh ¡­¡± Confronted by Ogis¡¯s question, Elisa had some hesitation. ¡°I think¡­ it¡¯s not too bad, although it cannotpare to life in the city. However, it¡¯s good as it is. The neighbors are friendly and everyone¡¯s been helping us out. We do encounter some problems from time to time, but nothing serious. Also, I like life as it is now, so I¡¯m content.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Hearing Elisa¡¯s query, Miss Ogis nodded. ¡°Then, I should take my leave.¡± ¡°Huh? You are leaving already? Why don¡¯t you stay for dinner? I¡¯d like to know how Sir Knight is doing.¡± ¡°Master is currently handling important matters in Aldorf, so he sent me to check on Miss Elisa¡¯s situation.¡± Ogis replied casually. ¡°Since Miss Elisa is doing well, I will take my leave.¡± ¡°Huh? Wait, Miss Ogis. Could it be that you came here because Sir Knight needs my help with something?¡± Just as Ogis was about to turn and leave, Elisa, seemingly struck by thought, asked in surprise. Ogis was silent, neither confirming nor denying. But then, another voice emerged. ¡°It must be regarding the position of the Emperor.¡± Hearing this voice, both Elisa and Ogis hurriedly looked up to see the Elf Scout smiling, sitting at the top of the staircase on the second floor and looking down at them. ¡°Ah, Elf Sister! Where have you been all this time?¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry. I was just gathering some information. I got some pretty interesting bits of news, especially about the pink bunny¡­ Hehehe. Sorry, I can¡¯t help butugh every time I think about it.¡± Saying this, the Elf Scout leaped down from the top of the second floor,nding right in front of Ogis. ¡°This is perfect. I nned on having a thorough talk with Sir Knight. Can you arrange a meeting with him?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Hearing what the Elf Scout said, Ogis was silent for a moment, then she nodded slightly. ¡°I understand. My master will receive you.¡± After Ogis¡¯s message, Duanmu Huai rushed to Cacarson by using a gunboat overnight. In a secluded grove outside the city, Duanmu Huai met the Elf Scout. ¡°To be honest, Sir Knight, I didn¡¯t expect you could stir up such big trouble inside the Empire.¡± The Elf Scout saw Duanmu Huai, still smiling, quite rxed. ¡°It seems that you know a lot about what¡¯s happening inside the Empire.¡± ¡°Of course. I am a spy for the royal family after all. If I didn¡¯t possess this skill, I would¡¯ve been removed from my position long ago.¡± The Elf Scout gestured as she spoke. ¡°I can pretty much guess why you are seeking Miss Elisa. You want her to be the Empress, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What, is there a problem?¡± Duanmu Huai naturally had this idea, but he didn¡¯t necessarily want Elisa to do it. After all, the position of the Emperor was not easy to sit on. Therefore, he instructed Ogis that if Elisa felt satisfied with her current life, they should not bring up the matter. But the sudden appearance of the Elf Scout to talk to him was beyond Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectation. ¡°Hmm¡­ actually, it¡¯s not really a problem. Alright, I¡¯m not afraid to tell you, Miss Elisa indeed has royal blood, however¡­ she is not the Emperor¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°She has royal blood, but she is not the Emperor¡¯s daughter?¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brow, while the Elf Scout shrugged. ¡°Alright¡­strictly speaking¡­ she is the daughter of the previous Emperor. I think you should understand what I mean.¡± ¡°¡­¡­. Wait, what?!¡± Duanmu Huai was truly stunned at this point. ¡°So you¡¯re saying¡­ ¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s exactly what I just said. Do you understand now?¡± ¡°Alright, I understand now.¡± Upon hearing these words, Duanmu Huai finally understood why Elisa¡¯s situation was so unique. He originally thought Elisa was the illegitimate daughter of the Emperor, raised by the Border Lord due to some reasons. But it turns out¡­ well, after all this fuss, Elisa was not the Emperor¡¯s daughter, but the Emperor¡¯s sister? My goodness, it¡¯s no wonder they had to keep it a secret. If word got out, wouldn¡¯t it rock the world? The previous Emperor was still virile in his old age¡­ all Duanmu Huai could do now was sigh at this surprising fact. ¡°But, that shouldn¡¯t affect her inheritance of the throne, right?¡± ¡°Well, indeed. But¡­ I received a message not long ago.¡± Saying this, the Elf Scout stared at Duanmu Huai, and spoke. ¡°That is¡­ His Majesty may still be alive.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Chapter 124 - 106 Interesting_1 Chapter 124: Chapter 106 Interesting_1 Upon hearing the Elf Scout¡¯s report that the Emperor was still alive, Duanmu Huai immediately realized the problem, and understood why the Elf Scout hade to him with this information. The reason was simple ¨C if Elisa was indeed the Emperor¡¯s daughter, he, returning one day, could potentially dismiss her from the throne. But in terms of lineage, she was actually the Emperor¡¯s sister¡­ that¡­plicates things considerably. Duanmu Huai was reminded of a historical ount in which an Emperor had been captured by Mongolians, and his younger brother ascended to the throne, leaving¡­ well, no aftermath to tell. But Duanmu Huai was still puzzled ¨C after all, he had been fervidly assured of the Emperor¡¯s death before, and now he was hearing that the Emperor may still be alive. What game was being yed here? Only after the Elf Scout exined did he understand the situation. Firstly, considering that this was a world with the cultural and technological standards of the Middle Ages, the transmission of information itself was naturally slow. As for the Elf Scout, despite being a Royal Spy, she wasn¡¯t privy to the news at the time it broke. She also hadn¡¯t witnessed it herself. All her information was gathered from her spywork retrospectively, from which she drew her conclusions. In such situations, she naturally could only obtain rough intelligence. It was only after the group left the Imperial region and sought refuge in Bartoni, that the Elf Scout found some free time to look into the matter meticulously. Only then did she learn the exact sequence of events. Firstly, it was true that the Emperor was attacked during his expedition tobat the Barbarians in the Northern Land. But the course of what happened was somewhat different. ording to the intelligence the Elf Scout had gathered, during a battle against the Northern Barbarians, the Emperor shattered their forces. Ordinarily, pursuing a defeated enemy wasn¡¯t a wise move, but for reasons unknown, the Emperor led his forces further into the enemy territory. Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t too deep; he merely wanted to kill off more enemies. However, this was a trap set by the Northern Barbarians. As the Emperor and his forces charged deep into the enemy territory, they triggered an evil spell that caused a copse and an avnche, separating the Emperor from his troops. When the subsequent troops arrived, all they found were dead bodies everywhere. The whereabouts of the Emperor were unknown; all they found on the battlefield was a severed arm d in armored gauntlet. Why does this sound so familiar? After that, the Imperial Army conducted a wide search around the battlefield, but failed to find a trace of the Emperor. This led to two theories among the army ¨C the first being that the Emperor was likely killed somewhere they had not yet found. The other possibility was that the Emperor was taken captive by the Northern Barbarians. However, subsequent investigations by spies caused the second possibility to be progressively dismissed. There seemed to be no signs or movements from the Northern Barbarians; they didn¡¯t approach the Empire for negotiations, nor was there news of them intending to use the Emperor in some ritual. Nevertheless, if the Barbarians had indeed taken the Emperor captive, they would undoubtedly celebrate it extravagantly. But since there was no news, this possibility was dwindling. Concerning this, the ¡°The Emperor is dead in Battle¡± party soon gained dominance, arguing that if the Emperor had escaped somewhere, he would have definitely returned to his troops. Since he hadn¡¯t returned, it was most likely he fell in battle. But that didn¡¯t mean everyone agreed with this theory. After all, one needs concrete evidence of someone¡¯s death, right? This was one of the reasons why the reaction was so intense when news of the Great Crown Prince¡¯s ascension reached the expeditionary forces. However, Duanmu Huai was still confused: even so, why did the Elf Scout assert that the Emperor was still alive? ¡°Because a hideout has been used.¡± ording to the Elf Scout, Royal Spies like herself were stationed all over the continent, virtually in every region. For insurance purposes, each region had a hideout, mainly used to store supplies and food for emergencies. For instance, when the City of Silver was besieged by Ratmen and the Evil God Cultist, the Elf Scout had suggested taking refuge at a specific location, which was her hideout in the territory of the City of Silver. But of course, their ns didn¡¯t pan out as expected and they didn¡¯t end up going. Outside the circle of Royal Spies, only the Emperor knew about these hideouts. Recently, a spy located near the Northern Land discovered that her hideout had been essed during a routine inspection. Someone had taken some food, medicine, weapons, gear, and valuables. If it were thieves, they would have certainly looted everything. Instead, only some of the supplies were missing. Given the Emperor¡¯s disappearance, it was highly probable that the Emperor had visited this ce, so the spy immediately sent this information to the other spies using secretmunication methods. These Royal Spies were loyal only to the Emperor. As far as they were concerned, the three princes in Aldorf didn¡¯t qualify as the Emperor. If there was a chance the Emperor was still alive, these spies would certainly spring into action. However¡­ ¡°If it really is the Emperor, why isn¡¯t he waiting there? Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient to have some help?¡± ¡°The royal spy operates independently and is only ountable to the Emperor himself. However, some people may betray the Emperor for various reasons, especially at the border of the Northern Land. They need to be extra careful.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t he return to the military camp then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. His Majesty must have his reasons. He¡¯s a whimsical character, full of odd and unusual ideas. A lot of times, even we don¡¯t know what he¡¯s thinking.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Honestly, hearing all this, I think I already know what you want me to do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct, Sir Knight.¡± The elf scout looked at him with a yful grin, but her eyes were deadly serious. ¡°I hope you can lead your warband to the Northern Land to cooperate with His Majesty the Emperor with the goal of safely conveying him to Aldorf.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ ¡± On hearing the elf scout¡¯s request, Duanmu Huai crossed his arms and began to deliberate. He indeed didn¡¯t want to be the Imperial Emperor. As it stands now, the three Princes are utterly useless imbeciles. Elisa might work, but since her life is currently quite decent, Duanmu would naturally avoid thrusting her into this mess. Under such circumstances, if the Emperor is still around, he¡¯s indeed the best choice. But¡­ ¡°I have no idea where he is, and I don¡¯t even know what the Emperor looks like.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, Sir Knight. Before he ascended to the throne, His Majesty roamed across the entire empire as a mercenary. He has notable skills in battle. I don¡¯t know what exactly he wants to do, but he definitely will be looking to find a mercenary warband to assist him. If you, Sir Knight, showcase a strength that can attract His Majesty, he will surely seek you out himself.¡± ¡°And what if we don¡¯t run into each other?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll see if this country is still blessed by Sigma.¡± Since the elf scout had made herself clear, there wasn¡¯t much left for Duanmu Huai to say. ¡°Alright, in that case, I¡¯ll give it a shot. I still have half a month until the feast¡­ We¡¯ll see whether Sigma is watching over this empire. But you should at least give me a detailed location. I can¡¯t go all over the Northern Land trying to find someone.¡± ¡°Of course not. Based on the information I have, His Majesty is likely in the Midon territory, that is to say¡­ ¡± At this point, the elf scout looked at Duanmu Huai intently. ¡°He is very likely in the capital of Midon domain ¡ª Midheim.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Upon hearing the elf scout¡¯s words, Duanmu raised his eyebrows. This is getting interesting. Chapter 125 - 107 Midheim_1 Chapter 125: Chapter 107 Midheim_1 Nordelin, City of Midheim, City of the White Wolf. It is located on a teau to the north of the Imperial, a massive city filled with spirals and towers, built on towering cliffs. Its four levee bridges cross over the towering cliffs, connecting the path to the Imperial territory. It is currently winter, and a vast portion of the teau is covered in ring white snow. But, that doesn¡¯t extinguish someone¡¯s fiery spirit of exploration. ¡°This is the other world! The city of another world! It¡¯s amazing!!¡± Upon seeing the city in front of her, Ann couldn¡¯t help but jump in excitement. In fact, when Duanmu Huai brought her to the space station, the princess was thrilled, behaving as energetic as an skan frolicking in the snow. When they rode the gunboat away from the space station, entered the atmosphere, and traveled all the way to the north of the Imperial, the princess was so excited she nearly lost her bearings. After all, it was her first time physically traveling within a, and Ann even excitedly asked Duanmu Huai if their world was also a giant globe. Well¡­ Although it may disappoint Ann, the Soul Fragment World is indeed t for now. Perhaps after gathering enough Soul Shards, it might transform into a. But, currently¡­ it really is t. Of course, at first, Ann was upset with Duanmu Huai because Greiya couldn¡¯t apany them. There was no help for it, after all Greiya¡¯s non-human characteristics were too obvious. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be an issue elsewhere, but in this world, if she were here, she would undoubtedly be treated like a Beastman and hunted down by the likes of Witch Hunters. And not to mention the various organizations that worship the Evil God¡­ that would be even more troublesome. So Duanmu Huai decided to split their forces, having Lorena take the two Dragonkin, Greiya and Felin, to the Holy City, while he brought Ann and Ogis to Midheim. Initially, Ann was utterly reluctant to this. But in the end, it took Greiya promising her that they would share their travel experiences upon their return to persuade her. Looking at her overjoyed expression now, it¡¯s evident that her past unhappiness has long since flown away. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what I¡¯ve told you.¡± Duanmu Huai gripped Ann¡¯s shoulders and stared at her before speaking again. ¡°Do not use magic or meddle in affairs, even if it¡¯s for good, the harshness of this world vastly exceeds your imagination. Compared to the filth here, Fafner is considered an angel. Therefore, be careful, be cautious, you wouldn¡¯t want Greiya to worry about you, would you?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I understand.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Ann managed to calm her mind. Along the journey to this ce, Duanmu Huai had briefed her about the state of this world, especially about the mages¡¯ plight. It was a reality check for Ann, making her realize that this world isn¡¯t as peaceful and kind as her home. To be honest, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t initially nning on bringing Ann, but¡­ as the mage-talent Ann possessed was too exceptional, and Duanmu Huai was in dire need of a mage¡¯s assistance, wasn¡¯t he? So that¡¯s how he ended up here with Ann and Ogis. As for the other members of thebat group, Feiya was deemed too unstable and was assigned by Duanmu Huai to take care of the base. Merlot too had returned to the Holy City with Lorena for mission reporting. He was the only one who came here with Ann and Ogis. To this City of the White Wolf. As the frontline of the Imperial¡¯s fight against Chaos, Midheim is one of the few cities dominated by the Church of Ulrick within the Imperial. Ulrick is the god of winter, war, and the White Wolf. Before the establishment of the Imperial, he was the most revered deity among humans. Ulrick¡¯s followers value bravery, self-reliance, and strength. They scorn the seemingly clever yet effeminate Sigma believers. To the followers of Ulrick, the Sigma believers are more like a bunch of weak, ineffectual beings who thrive on excuses. The City of Midheim thus embodies the fervor, courage, and resilience of Ulrick¡¯s followers. Setting foot within the city gates and observing the simple yet resilient stone buildings, one can easily pick up the sense of bravery and spirit conferred by the god of the White Wolf. This is particrly apparent whenpared with Aldorf, a city filled with intricate and magnificent architecture. If Aldorf could pass off as a refined art piece meticulously sculpted by artisans, then Midheim appears more like a grand masterpiece of nature. It requires no decoration, no polishing; its mere existence suffices to project a wild sense of oppression. The people of Midheim are tall, but Duanmu Huai is taller. He strides along the streets hefting his War Hammer, attracting surprised or curious nces from the bystanders. Of course, none of them dared to court death. After all, Duanmu Huai¡¯s grotesque Power Armor, coupled with his robust stature, is the best representation of ¡°MAX Danger Level¡±. If anyone dares toe looking for trouble, they must be either blind or mentally challenged. Ogis and Ann draped in their cloaks, following behind Duanmu Huai. Ann, in particr, had her round eyes wide open, curiously observing the crowd and the buildings. Though Manaria superficially appeared like a medieval magic kingdom, it hadrgely transitioned into the era of magic industrial revolution. Therefore, Ann¡¯s observation of Midheim was akin to someone from the eighteenth century industrial revolution traveling to the fourteenth century, filled with curiosity and novelty. ¡°Sir Knight, where are we going now?¡± In response to Ann¡¯s curious inquiry, Duanmu Huai provided the answer. ¡°First and foremost, just like the opening scene of every adventure novel, we are going to a tavern.¡± Likewise, as Duanmu Huai stated, most adventure legends began in a tavern. Inside, dim oilmps glowed, tipsy patrons waved their bottles, and asionally a drunken brawl would break out in a corner. Scantily d serving girls held up goblets, amid the ttering praises of patrons, pouring them one round of beer after another. The entire tavern was boisterous and noisy, and amidst this irksome cacophony, some were secretly plotting schemes, and even exchanging certain pieces of intelligence. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re after, warrior.¡± The bartender behind the counter sighed silently as he looked at Duanmu Huai in front of him, cing a cup of wine on the counter before turning his head away as much as possible, not wanting to look at Duanmu Huai¡¯s face. The dim candlelight illuminated only half his face, which was even more terrifying to look at. ¡°To be honest, your timing isn¡¯t great. It¡¯s deep winter now. The beastmen in the forest have retreated to their filthy dens like hibernating bears. Of course, perhaps they are brewing their next attack¡­ But not now. I¡¯ve heard the sheriff is vowing to clean up Midheim, rooting out the coward kings. But I wouldn¡¯t suggest you muddle in this, after all, he could drop dead at any moment for some unknown reason, and yet Midheim would still stand.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s always some business to be found.¡± Duanmu Huai toyed with the cup in his hands, a cup bigger than an average man¡¯s face, looking like a toy in his hand. Ann sat beside him, her eyes wide open, watching the conversation between him and the bartender like a curious child entering the opening scene of an adventure novel, filled with anticipation and excitement. ¡°I¡¯m a warrior; I thirst for blood, battle, and glory. We came here, of course, not just to admire the scenery of Midheim, though it is indeed a beautiful city.¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a beautiful city.¡± No one dislikes hearingpliments about their hometown. The bartender revealed a slight smile, hisplexion eased considerably. ¡°I can see that you are a brave, tenacious, and formidable warrior. If you wish, you could be someone¡¯s distinguished guest. Perhaps amid the attacks of those damned Chaos Barbarians from the north, you could decapitate them, smashing them into minced meat to proim your strength. But s¡­.¡± At this point, the bartender spread his hands. ¡°I really don¡¯t have any particr news.¡± ¡°Alright, I see.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded and didn¡¯t add anything else, considering it wasn¡¯t a game, he wasn¡¯t expecting to get a main quest immediately¡­ well, though he thought so, but¡­ ¡°Warrior, would you like to have a chat, if it¡¯s convenient?¡± Just at this moment, a voice emerged from beside Duanmu Huai. He turned his head and saw a long-haired wanderer adventurer holding a longsword in his hands, looking at him with a smile. ¡°If you thirst for battle and blood, then perhaps, we could cooperate.¡± Chapter 126 - 108 Kevin’s Invitation_1 Chapter 126: Chapter 108 Kevin¡¯s Invitation_1 ording to the man, his name was Kevin, a nobleman. He had just traversed the forest of Midheim to deliver an rming message to the lord of thisnd. ¡°The forest is haunted by the undead.¡± Kevin¡¯s hand gripped his longsword, resting on the chair. His wine cup sat beside him, eyes squinted as if he were an elderly man poised for an afternoon nap by the firece. Despite two drunkards brawling nearby to prove who¡¯s the superior drinker, nothing seemed to disturb his tranquillity. ¡°The harvest was excellent this year, but I haven¡¯t received the expected tribute from the nearby viges. So, I went to investigate and encountered an injured, pallid hunter in the forest. He told me that beastmen had attacked his vige. But these beastmen weren¡¯t ordinary. They appeared to be undead creatures bound by some necromantic spell. His vige was decimated, and he was the only survivor. I tried to help him, but he sumbed to his injuries.¡± As he said this, Kevin exhaled. ¡°Later, I found his vige. It was devoid of people with only charred ruins left. Not even a single corpse remained. There was blood, and there were limbs, but no bodies. It¡¯s as though the corpses sprouted legs and scampered off.¡± Sitting at the table, Duanmu Huai listened to Kevin¡¯s recount attentively, without uttering a word. Ann, on the other hand, disyed fear, after all, this sounded like a ghost story. ¡°I went over to investigate the other viges in my domain and discovered most of them were deserted. They vanished without a trace. Feeling suspicious, I decided to go back to where I found the hunter, only to discover he too was missing¡­¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Upon hearing this, Ann trembled, instinctively grabbing onto Duanmu Huai¡¯s cloak. Ogis, who was beside her, mimicked her actions and reached out for another part of the cloak. ¡°Luckily, I found footprints in the snow. Following them, I found the hunter ¡ª who was already dead but still moving. It seemed as though he was obeying a bizarre voice. That¡¯s when I saw¡­¡± Upon reaching this point, Kevin¡¯s voice gradually lowered, imitating a person telling ghost stories when they¡¯re broaching the climax. ¡°An undead army led by a malevolent necromancer, silently passing through the forest. Among them were both humans and beastmen. By now, they all transformed into bloodthirsty, undead creatures. They roamed the mountains and marched through the forest. It¡¯s unknown where this army of the undead ns to go, but I think¡­. we might have the opportunity to find out.¡± ¡°So are you suggesting that we join you to investigate this undead army?¡± After hearing Kevin¡¯s ount, Duanmu Huai nced at him and asked quietly. Kevin gave a slight smile and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve reported the matter to the lord. However, it¡¯s winter now, making it unfavorable to dispatch arge force. We also need to guard against the potential assault of the chaos minions from the north, so the lord can¡¯t be of much help. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, hoping to find some formidable warriors to join me in tracking and annihting this undead army wreaking havoc in mynd. Consider this a down payment.¡± While speaking, Kevin reached out for a small pouch from his pocket and ced it on the table. Although he didn¡¯t open the pouch, Duanmu Huai could still see the glint of gold coins reflecting the me from the pouch¡¯s opening. ¡°But, I do have one question. You don¡¯t exactly resemble a nobleman.¡± ¡°Our family tradition is martial arts,¡± Kevin replied, his expression unchanging. ¡°Besides, in a ce like the Northern Territory, convenience takes precedence.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Duanmu Huai reached out and epted the pouch. In fact, he was almost certain that this Kevin guy was most likely the missing emperor. Why? The reason was quite simple ¡ª this fellow was the first person who didn¡¯t nch upon seeing his face. From Duanmu Huai¡¯s experience, anyone who could face him without flinching during their first meeting was a big shot. Like Ann and Greiya, these princesses, and their father were the same. Of course, this could also indirectly indicate that the higher one¡¯s status, the stronger their mentality. If Kevin were just a minor local nobleman as he imed, he would probably have gasped in fear upon seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s face. Didn¡¯t anyone in the tavern dare to look him in the eye directly? Yet, this guy dared to strike up a conversation? Of course, if something didn¡¯t add up, it was that Kevin didn¡¯t have a missing hand. But that doesn¡¯t prove anything. If the emperor really faked his death, he could¡¯ve easily found a hand on the battlefield and put his own gauntlet on it. It wasn¡¯t a difficult task and could divert the attention of his pursuers. After all, if other people were primarily searching for a man missing an arm, they would naturally overlook anyone with two hands. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t expect to encounter this so quickly¡­ Anyway, he didn¡¯t care whether this guy was the emperor or not, as long as the mission was triggered, right? Just like the elf scout said, if this was the emperor, it would mean that Sigma was still protecting the kingdom. If it wasn¡¯t the emperor, well, it would mean that Sigma was blind. It surely wasn¡¯t his fault. If anything, they shouldsh out at Sigma¡¯s Temple. Duanmu Huai swiftly narrowed down these thoughts, then reached out to pocket the pouch of the gold coins. ¡°But it¡¯s surprising that you¡¯d seek my help. I figured you¡¯d categorize me as an Evil God Cultist.¡¯ ¡°Ha ha ha, Mr. Duanmu, you sure know how to joke.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the man chuckled. ¡°Perhaps you do look a bit fierce, but looking at the two prettydies beside you, it¡¯s clear you¡¯re not a follower of the Brutal God. After all, those lunatics don¡¯t appreciate anything besides blood, death, and muscles. As for a follower of the God of Lust¡­ you don¡¯t seem to fit their aesthetic standard. As for the God of gue and the God of Trickery, I suppose I don¡¯t need to borate.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll ept your exnation.¡± Duanmu Huai shrugged. ¡°So, when do we set off?¡± ¡°If all¡¯s well, we¡¯ll gather at the city gates tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll introduce our otherpanions then. After all, this won¡¯t be an easy task. I need to find more hands.¡± ¡°All right then.¡± Duanmu Huai stood up and extended his hand towards Kevin. ¡°Looking forward to our coboration.¡± Chapter 127 - 109: Convergence_1 Chapter 127: Chapter 109: Convergence_1 For Midheim, the early mornings of deep winter were not afortable time. A group of mercenaries stood at the crossroads, looking at Midheim not far away, their eyebrows revealing a degree of dissatisfaction. Among them, a hot-tempered man was even waving his great sword, roaring loudly. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Do we have to keep waiting? Just how long are we going to wait?¡± ¡°Please be patient, my dear friend.¡± Smiling, Kevin soothed the warrior before him. ¡°I believe they are just slightly dyed. It¡¯s not yet the agreed time.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re just fools waiting here in the cold wind? This damn snow is getting into my boots.¡± The warrior stamped his foot, visibly upset. ¡°This is not what I want to see. I swear, when that guy arrives, I will¡­¡± However, the warrior¡¯s words were stopped abruptly midway. With an astonished look, he scanned the road ahead, his hands tightly gripping the giant sword. His hands slightly trembling. Seeing the warriors¡¯ actions, the others turned their heads towards what he saw and got a big surprise ¨C in the faint sunlight of the winter day, a colossal figure emerged from the snowstorm. The figure, donned in a fearsome and peculiar armor, resembled a demon. Red glows emitted from the eyes within the helmet. ¡°Damn it! What is that?! Everyone, prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry.¡± Seeing the warriors around him nock their arrows, Kevin urgently raised his hand to indicate them not to act rashly, then turned to face the neer. ¡°You finally arrived, thank God. I was worried that something had happened to you.¡± ¡°Nothing happened, it¡¯s just that a certain princess overslept.¡± Duanmu Huai nced back at Ann, who quickly swallowed the bread in her mouth and gave an embarrassed smile to the crowd. She had stayed upte the previous night, too excited and thrilled by the adventures in the Isekai, and had trouble falling asleep. If Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t forced open her door, the princess would likely still be sound asleep in bed. ¡°We didn¡¯t get herete, did we?¡± ¡°Of course, you are just on time.¡± Kevinughed and turned to lead Duanmu Huai and the others to the rest of the mercenaries. ¡°Gentlemen, these are ourpanions. I am sure that with their strength, any obstacle or danger before us can be eliminated.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­I wouldn¡¯t dispute that.¡± Facing Duanmu Huai, the warrior silently lowered his dual-handled sword. He was the leader of the mercenary group, and should¡¯ve had something to say. However, when he saw this gigantic figure, he felt as if he were facing a towering mountain showing no emotions. Even though the situation was such, the warrior was not foolish enough to vent his anger out on it. But there was a doubt in his heart that needed to be resolved. ¡°Forgive my bluntness, Mr. Kevin, but are you sure he is a human, not a mutant or a beastman?¡± It was normal for the warrior to have such worries. Never mind anything else, just based on his size, one might think he had been ousted from the human race. If he took off his helmet and there was a Tauren or Mouse Troll face underneath, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising. Especially here in Midheim, where there were numerous mutants who infiltrated the city in disguise to gather information¡­ Um, yeah, that¡¯s not going to happen. Looking at the figure before him, the warrior moved his mouth, but couldn¡¯t say anything. Disguise? Seriously? He¡¯d definitely be the worst spy, then. ¡°Hahaha, of course, I can understand your concerns.¡± Faced with the warrior¡¯s rebuttal, Kevin chuckled and looked at Duanmu Huai. ¡°May I ask you to remove your helmet, my friend? I don¡¯t want any unnecessary suspicions to arise during our journey.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Duanmu Huai extended his hand and quietly removed his helmet. At the same time, the warrior saw his face. In that instant, he was as stunned as if he had seen a thunderbolt, remaining where he stood. What a fierce face that was! Merely gazing at that face, the warrior felt as if he were in a hell of blood and corpses, and all the endless bodies around him were his spoils of war. Just being looked at by the eyes under those thick brows, the warrior felt weak all over. It was the same feeling he had when he first faced the Pr Great Bear as a child, faced with the raging beast¡¯s gaping maw, a sense of dread beyond fearpletely overcame the warrior. It felt like his whole body¡¯s blood seemed to congeal at this moment, his heartbeat also started to slow down, even the view before the warrior began to gradually cken, as if the whole world was leaving him behind¡­ ¡°Neigh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± A truck came from not far away, but the horse pulling the truck upon seeing Duanmu Huai, let out a loud neigh and turned its head to flee. At this moment, Duanmu Huai also put his helmet back on. When the heavy, terrifying helmet blocked his gaze, the people returned to their senses as if they had narrowly escaped death. They took deep breaths, looking at each other in confusion. They didn¡¯t do anything, but they were already soaked in cold sweat. For a moment, they felt death was within reach, as if they had been pulled back from the edge of a cliff. ¡°Well, at least we know he¡¯s not a beastman.¡± Feeling the gaze of his subordinates, the warrior swallowed, then began to speak. Then he looked at Duanmu Huai, as if to wipe away his previous dismay, he extended his hand. ¡°Hello, mighty and robust warrior, we are the ¡®Frost Giant Bear¡¯ battle team, and I am their leader, Cliff.¡± At this time, Kevin also interjected on the side. ¡°The Frost Giant Bear Battle Group is one of the most famous battle groups in the Northern Land. They are very familiar with this ce. If we want to track down our target, I think it would be best to cooperate with them.¡± ¡°Hello, Frost Giant Bear.¡± Duanmu Huai extended his hand and shook the warrior¡¯s hand. ¡°We are the Pink Bunny Battle Team.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s reply, the warrior froze. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, what is the name of your battle team?¡± ¡°Pink Bunny.¡± Duanmu Huai stared at the warrior and repeated, while behind him, Ann covered her mouth and let out a softugh. ¡°Well¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± Even with the warrior¡¯s extensive experience, he didn¡¯t know what to say in the face of this scene. In fact, as he looked at Duanmu Huai, his mind was in chaos. ¡°WHY would you name it that?¡± ¡°Because the name is cute, isn¡¯t it? Is something wrong?¡± Seeing the warrior¡¯s expression, Duanmu Huai showed a satisfied smile. In the game, the names of yer¡¯s battle teams were diverse and absurd, like ¡°Dear Dad¡± or ¡°ck Silk Beautiful O Support Club¡±, their names were so strange that one would suspect all the yers were members of Chaos. In the end, it even got to the point where many of the team names had to be censored for live broadcasts during the first official Star Oceanpetition. Thementators would refer to them as ¡°Mosaic Team 1¡± or ¡°Mosaic Team 2¡å¡­ Of course, after that, there really were yers who named their teams after that. After all, for many yers, it was too fun to watch the NPCs solemnly dere things like ¡°Great Hand-eating Team, you bring hope¡± and so forth. ¡°Alright, everyone.¡± Ultimately, it was Kevin who broke the somewhat weird and awkward atmosphere. ¡°We should set off, after all, our enemies will not wait for us.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Hearing Kevin¡¯s words, the warrior finally withdrew his hand, then looked at Duanmu Huai one more time, then turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s go, after all, time is of the essence.¡± Having said that, the warrior strode forward. As to whether he was chasing or escaping, only he would know. Chapter 128 - 110: Tracking in the Snow Sea _1 Chapter 128: Chapter 110: Tracking in the Snow Sea _1 Winter roads are not easy to navigate. The heavy umted snow covered the path before us, especially in the faint-lighted forest. Our steps varied in the depth of the snow as we moved. ¡°Sir knight, what exactly are these beastmen they keep talking about?¡± Ann and Ogis were the most rxed in the group, Ann was cradled in Duanmu Huai¡¯s arms like a child while Ogis perched on his other shoulder. This arrangement spared Ann the effort of walking. Curled up in Duanmu Huai¡¯s cloak, she curiously peered at the forest ahead, whispering her questions to him. The reason why Ann was interested in the beastmen was simple. It was because Duanmu Huai once told her when preventing Greiya from tagging along, that the locals would mistake Greiya as a beastman. The disgust and caution on the warrior¡¯s faces when they mentioned the beastmen also intrigued her, making her eager to understand what a beastman was. ¡°If you ask me, beastmen are more like some sort of deformity.¡± Duanmu Huai led the group from the front. Like a snow plow or an icebreaker, he trudged forward. The heavy snow was pushed aside by his sturdy figure,ying out a smooth path for those behind him. ¡°They are human children, but while these children are still in the womb, they were tainted by Chaos Force, transforming their forms¡­When these children are born, they don¡¯t resemble ordinary babies. Instead, they look like monsters, covered in beast-like fur and adorned with goat-like horns.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Ann covered her mouth, then asked tentatively. ¡°So¡­ what happens to those children in the end¡­¡± ¡°In short, they are usually killed. But, some parents who can¡¯t bring themselves to do it leave them in the wilderness¡ª¡ªthis is not a good idea. These beastmen despise civilization, loathing humans when they grow up, bing enemies. They attack the viges, capture women, have them give birth to their progeny, grow their tribes, attacking humans again.¡± ¡°It seems, they seem so¡­.. very pitiful¡­..¡± Listening to Duanmu Huai¡¯s tale, Ann murmured softly to herself. ¡°If the parents didn¡¯t abandon their children¡­¡± ¡°The results would still be no different. You have witnessed how Greiya was treated in the academy, I assure you, the hardships and tribtions a beastman faces who tries to fit into human society will be a hundred times of what she went through. Ultimately, the beastmen¡¯s lineage carries the blood of Chaos, allowing them to wreak havoc is akin to letting Chaos go wild, it implies destroying the world¡­ Of course, in my opinion, the biggest reason is that the beastmen are simply too ugly.¡± Here, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, a sentiment shared by many yers ¡ª the main sin of the beastmen wasn¡¯t their Chaos blood, rather, it was just their in ugliness. Beastmen, as their name suggests, were monstrous creatures with humanoid bodies but beast-like heads. They were covered in fur, and most of them resembled something like a wild boar, goat, or bull. Can that possibly engender any affection? yers oftenmented that if Chaos were a bit smarter and created something along the lines of cat-girls, humans would have probably sumbed earlier. Unfortunately, there is an obviousck of females among beastmen, much to the yers¡¯ discontent. You¡¯re bypassing cats and dogs, even foxes and rabbits would do, wouldn¡¯t they? So, one could only say that Chaos doesn¡¯t understand the human heart and deserves scorn. Please be aware that the anthropomorphic beast-girl versions on the forums are quite popr. While talking, the dense forest before everyone¡¯s eyes transitioned into a sparsendscape as a vige came into view. Energized at the sight, they had been trudging in snow for so long, and finally found a ce where they could rest. ¡°Thank God, I was nearly frozen!¡± Upon seeing the vige ahead, the Two-Handed Swordsman loudly eximed. ¡°I must have a good drink to dispel this damn chill!¡± ¡°Then I think you¡¯ll be disappointed.¡± Upon hearing what the Two-Handed Swordsman said, Duanmu Huai responded without looking back. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s no one inside.¡± In fact, just as Duanmu Huai had said, the entire vige was eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life. Not a single human, let alone a cat or a dog, was to be found. When they arrived in the vige, all that greeted them was the whistling cold wind and blowing snowkes. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± The cold wind blew down the barren streets, and all around, save for the sound of wooden doors ttering, there was nothing to be heard. Seeing this, Kevin also furrowed his brows, his face solemn. ¡°Damn, I was here before. It was still fine then. I had even warned them about those dangerous beings¡­¡± ¡°This might actually be good news for us. If those things are wandering nearby, the chances of finding and dealing with them are higher,¡± Duanmu Huai scanned the surroundings, speaking with a cold tone. ¡°But first, let¡¯s deal with some unwee guests.¡± Before his words even fell, the pile of straw in front of Duanmu Huai suddenly exploded. Next, a tall sheep-headed beastman roared, brandishing its battle-axe at him. This scene was so abrupt that it startled Ann into screaming. The girl¡¯s scream seemed to further stimte the enemy in front of them, causing it to reveal a ferocious grin before lifting its battle-axe. Simultaneously, Ogis, who was sitting on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, gently flexed her fingers. Following her action, the sharp puppet thread, as if slicing through frozen mutton, easily turned the beastman in front of them into pieces of flesh. But this was only the beginning. With roars echoing around, several beastmen armed with weapons emerged from all directions. They stood on rooftops or in shadows, their eyes reflecting the excitement of seeing prey fall into a trap. Meanwhile, everyone else also swiftly drew their weapons, vigntly watching the monsters before them. Clearly, they were now surrounded. At the same time, a tall tauren wielding a battle-axe blocked their path. It stared at Duanmu Huai and let out an enraged roar before lifting its battle-axe. Then, just like a real bull that had been provoked, it lowered its head and charged at them. ¡°What a shame, beef hotpot isn¡¯t bad during winter.¡± Duanmu Huai set Ann down on the ground, then tightly grasped his War Hammer, coldly watching the charging tauren. He then snorted and strode forward to meet its charge!! ¡°Boom!!¡± The two fiercely collided, and in the next moment, the tauren was sent flying like it had crashed into a high-speed train, leaving a long trail behind it in the snow. Its horns had been snapped off, and it was bleeding profusely. Before the tauren could stand back up, Duanmu Huai was already in front of it, his War Hammer mming down. Thereupon, the tauren¡¯s head, just like tofu, was instantly smashed to pieces under the Thunder Waraxe, turning into a pile of fragments. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± With the death of the tauren, the beastmen rushed forward, and a fierce battle began. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 129 - 111: The Bell of the Dark Night_1 Chapter 129: Chapter 111: The Bell of the Dark Night_1 On this, the status of beastmen is very low. It¡¯s not just in terms of social status. Even when ites tobat, a beastman ranks very low. If it were to bepared to an RPG, a beastman would be equivalent to the beginner-level slimes or goblins yers encounter at the start of their quest. Even Ratmen pose more of a threat. Ratmen can manufacture their weapons, enabling them to hold their own against various races. But beastmen are different. They don¡¯t fabricate weapons and only rely on their bodies and ws in battle. The most they can do is pick up fallen weapons of their victims in the battlefield. That¡¯s their limit. Of course, one can¡¯t be sure of the usefulness of such poorly maintained weapons. At least for people like Duanmu Huai, even a surprise attack by beastmen presents little threat. Duanmu Huai, being the most conspicuous in the team, naturally, attracted the attention of most beastmen. They howled furiously, charged at him, trying to prove their strength and power by causing the downfall of this terrifying presence. Unfortunately, their des couldn¡¯t even cause a scratch on Duanmu Huai¡¯s power armor, getting rebounded instead. Duanmu Huai, holding his war hammer tightly, swung it hard, sending all the beastmen in sight flying and leaving them like crushed pile of mud. Ogis calmly sat on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder. With one hand holding a book and the other hand open, almost invisible puppet strings formed a deadly trap in front of them. Any beastman who dared to intrude got sliced into pieces, like being on a make-shift meat grinder. As for whether they were fat or skinny, that was not something Ogis cared about. On the other hand, Ann didn¡¯t make much of amotion. Duanmu Huai kept her behind him, having her use fundamental spells like Manaria Magic Missile. They were effective enough to deal with the beastmen. As Duanmu Huai drew most of the attention of the beastmen, just like a tank drawing the hatred from enemies, the Frost Giant Bear Battle Group could fight more freely from behind. Cliff waved his giant swords andunched an attack against the beastmen with help from hispanions, while the rear archers shot down beastmen one by one. Even Kevin, their employer, wasn¡¯t idle. He had a shield in one hand and a sword in the other,ported himself properly in the battle. Not a single beastman couldst a round against Kevin¡­ he always managed to make his enemies lose bnce at the exact right moment, ending them with a final blow. ¡°Boom!!¡± When thest beastman fell, it was beginning to get dark. Everyone looked up, only to find the surroundings already dimmed. ¡°Phew¡­ I didn¡¯t expect we would spend this much time dealing with these beasts.¡± Cliff kicked the corpse of a beastman beside him venomously, and spit out swear words. ¡°You don¡¯t need to rush. We¡¯ve cleared a batch of beastmen near Midheim, thus protecting others from harm.¡± In contrast, Kevin seemed much calmer. He wasn¡¯t wrong either. As it had bete, and everyone was tired after the fight with the beastmen, with some having minor injuries, the group decided to rest overnight in the vige inn and head out first thing in the morning. They piled up the bodies of the beastmen and burnt them down, as a warning to other intruders. However¡­ something was indeed odd about the ce. ¡°Creak¡­¡± Duanmu Huai pushed open the door of the inn and walked into the hall, casually scanning the room. The inn was empty, not a single soul in sight. Tables and chairs were neatly piled up, with no signs of a fight. ¡°This is truly strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kevin approached, scrutinizing the hall, then turned to Duanmu Huai and said. In response, Duanmu Huai nodded. After burning the beastman corpses, they had conducted a cursory search of the vige, only to find something amiss. No signs of a skirmish, no bloodstains, or corpses. It was as if all the vigers had vanished overnight without a trace, no resistance, no struggle, and no clue about their whereabouts. ¡°Be cautious, don¡¯t drink the water here, and don¡¯t eat any food.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded. He wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. Although he had some guesses, there were too many possibilities, which made it hard for him to pinpoint the perpetrator. Soon, the other mercenaries returned to the inn, sealed off the area and most went upstairs to sleep. Duanmu Huai, Ogis, and Ann remained in the hall, pulling an all-nighter. ¡°I¡¯m actually finding this quite exciting.¡± Sitting next to Duanmu Huai, staring at the burning firece, Ann looked around excitedly. It wasn¡¯t surprising, it was probably the princess¡¯s first all-nighter. For a ¡°good girl¡± like her, just staying up past her bedtime was considered rebellious, let alone staying awake all night. This adventure was utterly exhrating for Ann. ¡°Once you get used to it, you¡¯ll realise it¡¯s actually boring work.¡± Duanmu Huai leaned against the wall, scanning the surroundings, shaking his head slightly. ¡°You should rest. I¡¯ll alert you if anything happens.¡± Earlier, Duanmu Huai had let out a reconnaissance servo skull. If anyone tried to cause trouble, he¡¯d surely be alerted. Soon, darkness fell. Duanmu Huai quickly fell asleep with his eyes shut. Ann, initially excited and fidgety, sumbed to sleep eventually, sprawled out on the table fast asleep. Only Ogis remained awake, sitting in front of the firece, reading a fairy tale book by the firelight. After some time, a faint sound rang out. ¡°Ting-ling-ling ¡­ Ting-ling-ling ¡­¡± Ogis lifted her head, ncing doubtfully outside. But beyond the inn was pure darkness, nothing to see. Simultaneously, a ring of bright blue light appeared around Ann, like some protective spell. Witnessing this, Ogis got up and walked towards Duanmu Huai. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hearing Ogis¡¯s voice, Duanmu Huai immediately opened his eyes. ¡°What is it? What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but¡­ Miss Ann, she¡­¡± At this point, Ogis didn¡¯t have to say anything more. Duanmu Huai saw the magic barrier emerging around Ann and immediately knitted his brows, standing up. As the princess of Manaria and the most powerful mage, although Ann might be a bit carefree, she always perfectly protected herself. If her protective spell was now triggered, that means¡­ someone isunching an attack? What on earth is going on? ¡°Thud¡­ thud¡­¡± Just then, Duanmu Huai heard footsteps from upstairs. Looking up, he saw the doors of the upstairs rooms opening one by one. The mercenaries within began to walk out slowly. Yet, they seemed to be not so much awake as in a sleepwalk, slowly descending the stairs and heading towards the inn¡¯s entrance. ¡°Stop!¡± Duanmu Huai nted himself in front of the door, trying to stop the mercenaries. However, they seemed to ignore his presence, continuing their march forward. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai let out a helpless cough. Then, he fixed a hard stare on the men, abruptly roaring. ¡°Stop right there!!!¡± Apanied by Duanmu Huai¡¯s thunderous yell, the sleepwalking mercenaries suddenly snapped awake. Their vacant eyes gradually regained rity, and, as they took in the situation before them, confusion covered their faces; they had no clue what was happening. ¡°Oh my, Sir Knight, what happened? What on earth is going on?¡± Ann was shaken awake by Duanmu Huai¡¯s roar. At this moment, Kevin, fully armed, dashed out of his room, staring at the scene before him, simrly stunned. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are we under attack?¡± ¡°No.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head, subsequently repeating what Ogis had told him earlier. ¡°Bell sound?¡± Kevin frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear any bell sound.¡± ¡°I think I heard it¡­¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Unlike Kevin, Cliff seemed somewhat unsettled. ¡°I did hear a bell in my dream. It seemed to be guiding me somewhere¡­¡± ¡°Ding-a-ling¡­¡± Before Cliff could finish, another faint bell sound floated over on the night breeze. On hearing this bell sound, the mercenaries¡¯ eyes turned vacant again. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai let out another cold huff, effectively restoring the rity in the eyes of the mesmerized mercenaries. ¡°It seems that the bell sound holds some special magical power.¡± ¡°Of course, and it¡¯s not just effective on us.¡± Duanmu Huai turned his head, looking out the window¡ª outside, they could see several shadowy figures moving slowly. They weren¡¯t anything else but the charred corpses of the beastmen that Duanmu Huai and the mercenaries had killed earlier. At that moment, these charred corpses were slowly shuffling forward like zombies, leaving the vige and heading into the depths of the dark mountains. ¡°We must leave immediately.¡± Kevin made up his mind instantly. ¡°The bell sound might be the main culprit causing the vigers to disappear. We must get to the root cause!¡± ¡°But we have no way to resist the bell sound.¡± Cliff frowned; when he heard the bell sound earlier, he felt his brain start to get foggy, as if he was sumbing to sleep. Clearly, it was not an ordinary bell sound, but a bell sound imbued with magic. Imbued with magic¡­ ¡°Ann, can you solve this problem?¡± Duanmu Huai turned to Ann. No matter what, as the most powerful mage of Manaria, the princess should have some ways to deal with it. ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s supposed to work on the mental level? No, the soul level? Anyway, I can try.¡± While saying this, Ann raised her hand. Soon, along with her chanting, rays of magic light rained down from the sky onto the mercenaries. ¡°This is a spell to ward against mental control, it should have some effect.¡± ¡°Ding-a-ling¡­¡± Just then, as if to verify Ann¡¯s words, the bell rang again. This time, however, the mercenaries had no reaction. ¡°Perfect.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai nodded his approval. Cliff and Kevin exchanged nces then turned to their subordinates. ¡°Fully arm yourselves at once, prepare to depart. We¡¯re going to see who in the world is causing this trouble!!!¡± Chapter 130 - 112: Tracking All the Way_1 Chapter 130: Chapter 112: Tracking All the Way_1 After packing their belongings, they set off again, following the unsteady corpses deeper into the forest. They did not light any torches. As a mage, Ann had cast a night vision spell on them. Even in the pitch darkness of the night, they could see clearly as if it was daytime. This brought great joy to the mercenaries who had initially questioned why they had to bring along a fragiledy. Now, they thought¡­ It was indeed more convenient to have a mage on board. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Following behind the corpses and watching the charred bodies wobbling in the snowfield, Cliff couldn¡¯t help butin. Just seeing walking corpses at night was horrifying enough, advancing with them was a scenario from nightmares. ¡°What do you think, Ann?¡± Duanmu Huai, who was still leading the group, scrutinized his surroundings, then turned to the bundled Ann in his arms and asked her opinion. She furrowed her brow, thought for a while and then shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, this kind of magic is strictly forbidden in Manaria. However, manipting corpses does seem more like necromancy¡­¡± ¡°Can we deal with it?¡± ¡°Fire magic should work in most cases.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded, not saying anything else. His war hammer, imbued with the holy power of Sigma, was more than capable of dealing with a necromancer. Thus, they followed the walking dead for almost half the night before Duanmu Huai finally stopped. ¡°It¡¯s just up ahead.¡± He spoke in a low voice to the rest of the group. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, they all paused. ¡°Can you see it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Duanmu Huai lifted his head. Through the scope on his helmet, he had a clear view of the scene ahead. In front of Duanmu Huai, a dpidated carriage brimming with bodies swayed on the mountain road. It was a scene of despair as the bodies writhed and wailed like tormented souls. A figure wrapped in a tattered robe sat on the carriage, clutching a withered magic wand and a small bell which he routinely jingled. Surrounding him, countless corpses converged from all directions. Duanmu Huai exined what he saw to the others, causing them to gasp in shock. ¡°So many corpses? What is it nning to do?¡± ¡°A typical necromancer could not possiblymand this many corpses!!¡± At this point, Kevin also furrowed his brow. As he stated, necromancers in this world do have the ability to summon spirits and raise skeleton soldiers and zombies. However, most necromancers have limitations in this respect ¡ª in other words, there are restrictions in terms of the number of corpses and the time they can control. The current situation, where a necromancer could collect the dead ¡ª and even the living, almost without limitations, was almost impossible to conceive. ¡°Whether it¡¯s possible or not, this is what¡¯s happening.¡± Duanmu Huai never concerned himself with theoretical problems. In many movies, scientists mainly argue about whether something is ¡°impossible¡±. But, if they argue that something is impossible, they better provide an exnation. No matter what, in this world where gods truly exist, nothing is impossible. Duanmu Huai was more concerned about whether it would be better to chop this necromancer up. ¡°Shall we attack?¡± ¡°It might not be that easy.¡± Kevin shook his head. ording to Duanmu Huai¡¯s description, the carriage alone was transporting countless corpses. In addition, skeleton guards and cavalry, even necrotic witches, were protecting the area around the carriage. Charging through with their current force was tantamount to seeking death. ¡°I¡­.I¡¯ve heard about¡­¡± However, a member in their group, a mercenary, was pale as a sheet. ¡°I¡¯ve heard¡­.about the legends of these night-walking corpses. There¡¯s a tale about an old necromancer who would gather corpses all over Imperial territory. Everywhere he went, he would jingle his bell, rousing all the sleeping bodies in the tombs to follow him. If anyone dared to stop him, they would be one of the bodies¡­ People don¡¯t know why the old mage does this. Some say that it¡¯s part of a pact he made with a powerful entity¡­¡± ¡°Alright, so he¡¯s a professional graverobber.¡± Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I say we will fight, then I am confident.¡± ¡°Since you are confident¡­¡± Speaking to this point, Kevin fell silent for a moment. ¡°So, let¡¯s give it a try, but, we must capture the necromancer alive. I have something to ask it.¡± Since the employer had spoken, the others, even if reluctant, had to continue moving forward as per Kevin¡¯s instruction. Soon, they arrived in a forest not far from the caravan. They saw dozens of skeleton soldiers carrying longspears on both sides of the carriage. Behind them were death knights riding skeleton horses, and necrotic witches floating on either side, their sphemous whispers driving the corpses onto the carriage like herded animals. Duanmu Huai simply watched all this quietly until thest corpse was loaded onto the carriage. Then, he nodded to Ann. ¡°Attack!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Already impatient, Ann leapt up at Duanmu Huai¡¯s order. Raising her hand high, a huge magic circle appeared above the caravan as she moved. Then, a fireball that seemed to burn like the sun emerged, illuminating everything before them. Seeing this, the necrotic witches by the carriage were taken aback. They hurriedly raised their wand in an attempt to dispel this terrifying magic. But at that very moment, Ann forcefully cast downward, and with her action, the fireball descended from the sky, directly bombarding the center of the carriage. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The exploding fireball swallowed the entire caravan. Most of the nearby skeleton soldiers and death knights were not spared. Everything around was engulfed in fire, burning fiercely. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± All the mercenaries were stunned any this sight, their incredulous eyes on Ann. It seemed like they never expected this young girl to possess such powerful magic. But before they could marvel any further, Duanmu Huai already stood up, grasping his war hammer, and darted out from the forest. ¡°Charge!!!¡± Following Duanmu Huai¡¯s furious roar, the others also clenched their weapons tightly and charged out along with him. At the same time, the undead guarding the carriage also detected Duanmu Huai and the others, hastily turning their weapons to initiate a counterattack. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± Just as Duanmu Huai dashed out from the forest, a death knight riding a skeleton horse was already charging toward him. However, Duanmu Huai did not even bother to block, aggressively sprinting forward. He instantly shattered the skeleton horse along with the death knight into pieces, and he left the finishing off to the others behind him. He had only one target! With his momentum unchanged after pulverising the death knight, Duanmu Huai continued to surge forward, bulldozing through the skeleton guards¡¯ defense line like a runaway lorry, right into the burning pile. The enormous carriage loaded with arge number of corpses had be arge bonfire, with mes reaching for the sky. However, not even this scorching fire could make Duanmu Huai retreat. He sprinted right into the burning pile, surging on. Soon, Duanmu Huai saw a battered skeleton moving slowly within the nearby mes, trying to reach out for a ck bell not far from him. That¡¯s it!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Seeing the ck bell, a cold light shed in Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes, and he strode over, snatching the bell from the ground. At the same time, another system prompt appeared before Duanmu Huai. [You have obtained the holy artifact ¡®Soul Summoning Bell¡¯] Whew¡­done! Seeing the system prompt, Duanmu Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief. That¡¯s one of the reasons why he advocated attacking immediately. After all, upon discovering the holy artifact, Duanmu Huai was naturally keen to retrieve it. But it¡¯s not over yet. Duanmu Huai stowed the bell, then grabbed the skeleton that was trying to turn and flee. He directly pulled it out of a bonfire¡ªthe poor old necromancer seemed to have only defended half an attack, its lower halfpletely shattered, and only the upper half was still wobbling there, Duanmu Huai caught it in one swift move. Meanwhile, Kevin and the other mercenaries had cleared the undead around the carriage. After all, the undead need mages tomand them, and when the mages are struggling to save themselves, theirbat prowess is undoubtedlypromised. ¡°This guy is the culprit.¡± Duanmu Huai walked out, holding the necromancer that was left with only half a body. ¡°So what now? Shall we kill it?¡± ¡°Please wait.¡± However, just then, Kevin stood out. With a smile on his face, he looked at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Could I have a little chat with it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Duanmu Huai pulled off the necromancer¡¯s wobbling pair of skeleton arms and threw it to one side. Kevin walked over. He whispered something to the necromancer, and the necromancer replied a few words, then burst into insaneughter¡ªsuddenly falling silent. Kevin got up and pulled out the longsword that pierced the necromancer¡¯s skull. Then, with a solemn expression, he walked up to Duanmu Huai and looked at the crowd. ¡°Gentlemen, it seems our duty is far from over.¡± Chapter 131 - 113 Narrow Path for Enemies_1 Chapter 131: Chapter 113 Narrow Path for Enemies_1 ording to Kevin, the information he got from the necromancer was ¨C this necromancer was a subordinate of Vampire Count Manfred. The vampire count was undertaking a terrible and evil task, that is, to resurrect the infamous necromancer mentioned in rumors, the creator of all undead creatures, the most powerful necromancer¡­ Nagash. The bodies he collected were for the army of the dead prepared for Nagash¡¯s resurrection. What¡¯s even more terrifying was the message given to Kevin by the necromancer. This time Nagash was not simply nning to resurrect himself. He was also trying to be the God of Death with this resurrection! For this, Manfred even kidnapped a princess from the High Elves and the archbishop from the Sigma Temple, intending to capitalize on their blood, magic, and souls to ensure Nagash¡¯s sessful ascension! ¡°We must stop all this!¡± Standing next to Duanmu Huai, Kevin was looking seriously at the mercenaries in front of him. ¡°If we can¡¯t stop Nagash¡¯s resurrection and prevent him from bing the God of Death, this world will face even more terrible sufferings. Of course, I know this is not part of our agreement, but I hope you can¡­¡± Listening to Kevin¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes silently. Perhaps to others, there was nothing wrong with what Kevin said, but Duanmu Huai did not see it that way. If Kevin really were the emperor, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be adventurering here¡ª this is a job for adventurers, not for an emperor. Therefore, Duanmu Huai guessed that Kevin was acting this way because he must have heard about some sinister n rted to rumors here, one that deal with attracting corpses. So, he disguised himself as a nobleman, hired mercenaries, and nned to investigate from here. On the other hand, even if the news of Nagash¡¯s resurrection is true, it might be part of a bigger conspiracy¡­ Alright, what¡¯s it to him anyway? Little did Duanmu Huai know, if Manfred knew his thoughts, he would probably be pissed. Actually, 90% of the reason why Manfred¡¯s resurrection n wasn¡¯t going well was because of Duanmu Huai. Firstly, Duanmu Huai reimed the magic wand at the monastery and the Crown of Witchcraft in the ruins of Todd¡¯s, on the instructions of the Lake Goddess. This made Manfred¡¯s trip almost in vain. Due to Manfred not having the ability to bore into subspace like Duanmu Huai, Manfred led his own army of the dead to have a real battle with the Chaos Warrior at Todd¡¯s Ruins. After the Pyrrhic victory, when Manfred entered the treasury, the Crown of Witchcraft had already been picked up by Duanmu Huai. As a result, Manfred was heavily scolded by Nagash from theherworld. Later, topensate for his mistakes, Manfred nned to rob the Dimension Stone that the Empire had brought back from Modheim, but he was again defeated by Duanmu Huai. Not only did Manfred not get the Dimension Stone, but another artifact known as the de of the Fallen, which was used to resurrect Nagash, was also taken away by Duanmu Huai. It was a pitiful loss both in people and goods. Of course, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know any of this. What he didn¡¯t know didn¡¯t happened, right? In the end, the other mercenaries also agreed to continue with Kevin, to thwart the ns of the vampire count ¨C not because they are noble, but because necromancers are the enemies of all living beings. On the other hand, the main part of this n is to rescue the captives; amongst them were a princess from the High Elves and an archbishop from Sigma. If they could build rtionships with these people, there would certainly be generous rewards. Wealth, fame, and status are all within reach! Yes, there are dangers. Because the ce they¡¯re heading to next was not just any ce, it was Manfred¡¯sir, thend of undead creatures ¨C Sylvania. But for mercenaries, so what? If they were afraid of danger, why would they be mercenaries? They might as well go home and farm. So, after that, the group continued on their journey to Sylvania ¨C the territory ruled by vampires. ¡°What a pity¡­.¡± Looking at the distant castle, Duanmu Huai let out a sigh. ¡°Pity? Sir Knight? Pity what?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s sigh, Ann blinked curiously and asked him. ¡°It¡¯s a pity we¡¯re here to save people. If we were here to kill, we could have just bombed it directly¡­¡± Duanmu Huai looked forward again and shrugged helplessly. The distant castle looked lonely and deste, no different from many of the old medieval spire castles in vampire movies. Dead trees were scattered around for dramatic effect. Paired with the crows and bats lingering in the distance, all it needed was some BGM and it could be used as the intro for a horror movie. If Duanmu Huai were not here to save people, he could¡¯ve directlyunched an aerial carpet bombing that would reduce the whole castle to tnd before dealing with the rest. But the pity¡­ they were here to save people. ¡°But, Sir Knight, I feel like you¡¯re not in a good mood? Do you dislike ghosts?¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I like them.¡± ¡°But, Sir Knight, you are very powerful! Those ghosts all ran away when they saw you! You were amazing!¡± ¡°¡­Stop talking.¡± Hearing what Ann was saying, Duanmu Huai¡¯s expression darkened. After entering Sylvania, the group naturally encountered ghost and spirit attacks. Out of nowhere, Ogis suggested that Duanmu Huai could scare away these ghosts, and from then on Duanmu Huai had to leave his helmet behind and continue onwards. As it turned out, since then, the group encountered no more attacks from ghosts and spirits, and they arrived at their destination smoothly. But this only made Duanmu Huai feel even worse. When he takes care of all this, he would definitely have a good chat with Ogis, about what she can say and what she can¡¯t. What did she mean by ¡°Master¡¯s face is unbelievably effective in driving away ghosts¡±? ¡°Is my face some sort of demon repellent?!¡± Forget it, there¡¯s no time to ponder meaningless topics now. Duanmu Huai dismissed his train of thought and turned his attention to Kevin. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s our next move? Do we have a strategy beyond a frontal assault? Or are we going to resort to the same old tactics and divide our forces?¡± ¡°For now, it seems that¡¯s the only way.¡± Kevin nodded with a bitter smile. ¡°If you can divert their attention, we might have a chance to sneak in from behind, find the captured prisoners, and rescue them.¡± ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll handle the main entrance, find your way in.¡± n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care much, his tactics always remained the same when cooperating with others. Given his size and prominence, it was basically impossible for him to do anything besides a frontal assault. Perhaps sneaking in arge wooden box could work? But where would he find such arge wooden box? Once the n was determined, Duanmu Huai, Ogis, and Ann made their way to the castle¡¯s main entrance, while the others led by Kevin moved around to the back. Whether they nned to use the sewers or scramble over the walls, it wasn¡¯t Duanmu Huai¡¯s business. The castle gate was shut tightly. As soon as Duanmu Huai arrived at the entrance, the ground in front of him flipped open, and several weapon-wielding Skeleton Guards climbed out. However, the moment these Skeleton Guards raised their heads to see Duanmu Huai¡¯s grim face, they screamed in horror. The soul mes in their eye sockets abruptly extinguished, and they once again copsed into piles of broken bones, motionless. [You intimidate the Skeleton Guards] [Skeleton Guards attempt to resist intimidation¡­ resistance failed] [Skeleton Guards plunge into chaos] [Skeleton Guards die] ¡­¡­Damn it. Duanmu Huai turned away, no longer looking at the system prompts in front of him. He then nced at Ann beside him. ¡°Blow up this gate for me!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Ann, who had been watching from the sidelines, was stunned when she heard Duanmu Huai, then hastily nodded and fired a huge fireball towards the gate. The next moment, the castle¡¯s gate was sted to smithereens, and Duanmu Huai, gripping his War Hammer, rushed in with a steely expression on his face, followed closely by Ogis and Ann. The castle¡¯s main hall was in disarray, not a soul to be seen, only a long table with several goblets, no food ¡ªas vampires didn¡¯t need it. ¡°Such barbarism.¡± From the second-floor balcony, a cold voice sounded. Duanmu Huai looked up, several figures were hiding in the shadows. ¡°Who gave you the courage toe to this castle? You ignorant barbarians are nothing more than hastening your steps on the road to death. Soon you will understand that in the face of the great Power of Death, you are nothing but¡­¡± However, before finishing, the figure fell silent, gazing at Duanmu Huai with surprise before suddenly stepping back. ¡°What kind of creature are you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the bloody monster!!¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai was infuriated. They were clearly the monsters here, yet they dared to call him one? ¡°Die!!¡± At that moment, anger sprouted from Duanmu Huai¡¯s heart and soared to his guts. He roared as his jetpack sted, propelling him across the hall. He clenched his War Hammer and ferociously mmed it down onto the vampires standing on the second-floor balcony!! Chapter 132 - 114: Beauty and the Beast_1 Chapter 132: Chapter 114: Beauty and the Beast_1 When Duanmu Huai furiously charged at the vampires, these self-imed elitists were all dumbfounded. Ordinarily, given the vampires¡¯ reflexes and speed, they could have avoided Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack quite easily. However, while watching this terrifying, furious figure gnash his teeth as if he was going to tear them apart, an intense fear erupted from the depths of their hearts. It felt as though invisible chains were binding their bodies, so that they couldn¡¯t even move. They could only watch, wide-eyed, as the Thunder Warhammer swung down on them, then¡­ ¡°Thud!!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s full-blown attack was so furious, he drove his opponent¡¯s head straight into his body, which then fell out of his buttocks. And the vampire¡¯s body was split in half by the Thunder Warhammer¡¯s onught. Blood sttered on Duanmu Huai¡¯s face; he then turned and faced the other vampires. Those vampires¡¯ eyes rolled back into their heads as their bodies copsed, and were subsequently smashed into two by Duanmu Huai. ¡°Get the hell out, you brainless blood-sucking hybrids!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s roar echoed throughout the castle. Soon, the door opened, and heavily armed Skeleton Guards charged out brandishing swords and spears. Clearly, their master couldn¡¯t tolerate such an insult and would make the offender pay. However, when the undead saw the bloody, hammer-wielding Duanmu Huai stride toward them, they felt an indescribable fear. The soul-mes in their eye sockets flickered wildly like candles in the wind, then went out. They watched as invisible spirits broke free from the necromantic bonds and escaped the bodies of the Skeleton Guards with a scream, leaving only piles of bones in their wake. ¡°Wow!¡± Following behind Duanmu Huai, and seeing all this, Ann couldn¡¯t help but admire. She had never seen anyone able to disintegrate the undead by merely standing there. Duanmu Huai was truly remarkable in this respect. Of course, whether she liked him was another matter entirely. Soon, the trio broke through the front door of the ancient castle and reached the courtyard¨Cwhere someone finally stopped them. ¡°Foolish mortals, you dare to barge into the great Necromancer Nagash¡¯s resting ce. Your foolish actions will be punished! Now, prepare to die in agonizing screams!¡± The person standing in front of Duanmu Huai was a burly Death Knight, his hand gripping a giant sword. His voice was filled with wickedness and anger, his stance implying that he¡¯d let nobody cross his line of defense¡ªif only his face not hidden by a helmet, his words would have been more convincing. ¡°Look at me, you bastard!!¡± Seeing the idiot who had literally wrapped his head in his armor, Duanmu Huai was infuriated. He roared, raising his hammer and charging directly at the opponent. He smashed away the Death Knight¡¯s giant sword with his war hammer and hit him in the face with his hard armor, knocking the arrogant Death Knight to the ground. Duanmu Huai then lifted his hammer and struck the Death Knight with all his might! ¡°Bang!!¡± The Thunder Warhammer smashed the Death Knight¡¯s head into pieces, reducing his helmet and skull to mere fragments. Meanwhile, the ground beneath Duanmu Huai¡¯s feet suddenly copsed, and the next moment, he and the Death Knight fell together with a ¡°boom.¡± ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Duanmu Huai coughed twice before standing up from the Death Knight¡¯s body; thetter was still iling his arms around, trying to grab Duanmu Huai. But Duanmu Huai had no interest in grappling with a bag of bones. He grabbed the Death Knight¡¯s arm, broke it like a matchstick, and stepped on its waist. He then grabbed the spine with both hands and made a backward pull! ¡°Crack!!!¡± The next moment, the Death Knight¡¯s body copsed into worthless pieces. It was only then that Duanmu Huai straightened up and looked around¨Cimmediately, he locked eyes with a pair of watery orbs. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Realizing Duanmu Huai was looking at her, she visibly shrank back. It was then that Duanmu Huai noticed that he hadnded in a dungeon. In one corner of the cell, a tall, slender elf woman sat, herrge eyes fixed on Duanmu Huai. Uh¡­if he remembered correctly, Kevin mentioned that the Vampire Count, Manfred, had captured a bald Archbishop and an Elf Princess? ¡°Are you the Elf Princess, captured by the vampires?¡± Duanmu Huai stared at her and asked. She nodded gently. Undeniably, from a superficial point of view, this woman perfectly fit the image of an ¡°Elf Princess¡±¡ªslender and beautiful, long ears, possessive of waist-length hair like a waterfall, and donning a scanty bikini-like dress. ¡°I am the Eternal Kin of Ausuan, Elissara. Greetings, gant uninvited guest¡­¡­¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai approached Elissara, scrutinizing her meticulously. She felt his gaze and shivered slightly. However, she still stood up, gazing fixedly at Duanmu Huai, motionless, resembling a princess in a fairy tale awaiting rescue by a knight. However, Duanmu Huai was not easily deceived. He knew too well that there were many tricks to impersonate someone else. Moreover, he was suspicious that this Elf Princess was trapped too easily ¨C ording to his memory, the elves in this world should share kinship with the bean sprouts in the universe. Given how difficult those bean sprouts from the universe are, there was no way the princess standing before him should be all helpless. Could it be a trap? But since she¡¯s not intimidated by him, it might just be real, but¡­.. after all, she is a vampire. With that thought, Duanmu Huai stretched out hisrge hand, clutching the elf princess¡¯s head and carefully checking both sides of her neck for bite marks. However, that wasn¡¯t the end. Duanmu Huai did not let his guard down, it was not like a novel or a movie, a vampire feeding doesn¡¯t necessarily bite the neck. There have been cases in the game where Duanmu Huai and hisrades had gone on a rescue mission for a nobleman¡¯s son who was captured by a vampire. After they killed the vampire and rescued the noble son, they confirmed that there were no bite marks on his neck and sent him back. However, within two days, the noble son was turned into a vampire and annihted his entire family. Eventually, the yers had to clean up the mess. Back then, Duanmu Huai and others were puzzled, they saw no bite marks, how did he turn into a vampire? After reading the nobleman¡¯s diary, they found out. After being captured, the nobleman struck an intimate rtionship with the vampire who bit him in a ce unspoken of¡­ Come to think of it, that is a blood-rich area, it might be easier than biting the neck. yers cannot strip off pants during rescue, the system wouldn¡¯t allow it! Of course, if they had read the diary back then, maybe there was a solution, but back then, Duanmu Huai and others didn¡¯t expect the vampire to be that cunning¡­. So, no bite marks on the neck now doesn¡¯t prove anything. Vampires are generally known to be crafty, especially considering that the elf princess was not bound or under any spell, she might very well have already be a servant of that vampire. So one must be careful and cautious in such situations. With one hand pressed on the elf princess, Duanmu Huai swiftly, with his other hand, grabbed her thin bikini-like clothing and pulled! N?v(el)B\\jnn *Rip* Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s fierce pull, the clothing on the elf princess fell at once. Hmm¡­ reality and games are indeed different, there is nothing to hide here. In the sunlight, the elf princess¡¯s fair skin radiated a faint glow, immacte as white jade. But Duanmu Huai had no time to appreciate this. He meticulously surveyed the elf princess from head to toe, even her soles ¨C only after confirming that she had indeed not been bitten anywhere, did he let go of the elf princess. Throughout this, the elf princess put up no resistance at all. Whether she was startled or had a different idea, Duanmu Huai could still feel her muscles tense as if unwilling¡­ Well, it would be a lie if someone willingly allowed themselves to be examined like a dead pig. The elf princess blushed, catching her breath slightly, but she merely stared at Duanmu Huai, silent. ¡°Apologies, I just wanted to make sure you haven¡¯t been bitten.¡± Noticing the elf princess¡¯s gaze, Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders, handing over the clothing in his hands. The princess took the clothes without a word, dressed hastily. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai looked around again, asking another question. ¡°By the way, I heard an Archbishop was captured too, where is he?¡± ¡°I¡¯m over here¡­¡­¡± Soon, a dry, weary voice echoed from another cell. Turning his gaze, Duanmu Huai saw a bloody, skeletal, bald old man leaning against the wall. Seeing Duanmu Huai, he couldn¡¯t help but give a wry smile. ¡°I thought¡­you¡¯d forgotten about me¡­¡­¡± Chapter 133 - 115 - What are you running from?!_1 Chapter 133: Chapter 115 ¨C What are you running from?!_1 Of course, Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t forgotten the bald old archbishop. He hastily broke the railing to pull the old man out. From him, Duanmu Huai learned of their dire situation ¨C the Vampire Count had taken them hostage to resurrect the necromancer Nagash during a ceremony. The elf princess¡¯s blood was vital to Nagash¡¯s divination, which is why Manfred fed her well, but ced her under a curse that made her weak and unable to escape. Hmm¡­ no wonder the Elf Princess was lifeless when Duanmu Huai examined her earlier. Even if she wasn¡¯t dead, she might as well have been. The bald old archbishop had a much worse fate. Manfred nned to use him as a vessel for the resurrected Nagash, and so tortured him in every possible way to make him mentally copse, turning him into a living dead. Then Nagash could possess his body and be resurrected. Duanmu Huai and hispanions had arrived just in time. Manfred should have started the ceremony to resurrect Nagash a while ago, but not all of Nagash¡¯s relics had been collected. In fact, several had been lost. An exasperated Nagash was on the verge of berating Manfred. Thus, Manfred had to find other relics to fill the void and left another necromancer, Heinrich, to guard the ce. As for this necromancer¡­well, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t encounter him, so that must mean Kevin and the others were not so lucky¡­ ¡°Boom!!!¡± A sudden loud noise came from outside. At this sound, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow. Well, that definitely sounded unfortunate. With no time to waste, Duanmu Huai quickly picked up the Elf Princess with one hand and the old archbishop with the other. Activating his jetpack, he leaped into the air and flew right out of the underground jail. But as soon as hended, he saw an explosion on the distant castle wall. A group of mercenaries were frantically rushing out, chased by a towering figure. ¡°You go help those two, I¡¯ll deal with this one!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai quickly ordered Ann. He rapidly elerated forward, positioning himself in front of the giant figure. With a swing of his hammer, he knocked away the giant axeing down on him, narrowly saving the two-handed swordsman from being cleaved in two. ¡°You finally came!!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai, both the two-handed swordsman and Kevin sighed in relief, quickly retreating. Duanmu Huai, holding his War Hammer, was sizing up the creature in front of him, which was about his size. It wore bright red armor, adorned with white skull heads and bat symbols just like Duanmu¡¯s. Carrying a giant double-edged axe, it had a hideous face resembling a skull under the helmet. Green mes flickered in its ck eye sockets, an intimidating sight to behold. ¡°So this is your opponent?¡± ¡°Beware! The Steel Knight!¡± Kevin shouted urgently this time as well. ¡°It¡¯s not an ordinary undead monster! Its name is Zeal, once the champion warrior of the Brutal God! And now, it is the death lord of Nagash!¡± ¡°Oh, finally a worthy opponent to practice with.¡± Hearing Kevin¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai squinted his eyes immediately. The champion warrior of the Brutal God? This creature won¡¯t be easy to handle, but¡­ let¡¯s deal with it when the timees! The death lord didn¡¯t seem to take Duanmu Huai seriously at all. Without even giving Duanmu Huai an extra nce, it raised its giant axe and made a harsh swing. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai, without any hesitation, tightened his grip on the war hammer, swung it forward, and directly hit the death lord¡¯s battle axe. ¡°Thud!!!¡± The war hammer shed with the giant axe, creating a chilling impact sound. The ground around the two crumbled downward. Both of them trembled all over. It was not until then did the death lord finally cast a serious gaze at Duanmu Huai. But Duanmu Huai was no fool. Just as the death lord was about to make his move again, Duanmu Huai shed backward suddenly, and dozens of puppets appeared in front of the death lord. These fragile puppets naturally could not withstand the death lord. They were utterly shattered under the smashing swing of the roaring battle axe. But for Duanmu Huai, his goal had been achieved. As the puppets were sent to the grave by the Death Lord, the massive mobile armor once again appeared on Duanmu Huai¡¯s person. At the same time, he once again expended 1000 experience to reset the card [Armed Enhancement]. Very soon, Duanmu Huai was shrouded in dazzling red light. With a roar, he brandished his war hammer and charged at the death lord once again! ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!!¡± The of their confrontation was like two humanoid tornadoes fighting each other, with no need for any tricks or cunning. They both simply wielded their weapons and swung at each other. Whoever could knock the other down first, would be the victor!! Zeal, already a formidable opponent as the Brutal God¡¯s champion warrior, has now been transformed into an undead, the death lord. Even a careless swing of its axe could shatter the fortified castle walls that even a catapult would struggle to prate. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai was no slouch. With the help of [Mobile Armor(3)], [Armed Enhancement(2)] and [Sacred Knight¡¯s Summon(2)], and an additional 2 attack points from his base body, his attack stat soared to a staggering 9. His blows from the Thunder Warhammer pushed Zeal backward continuously, making the terrifying death lord retreat at every swing. After each blow from the Thunder Warhammer, the ground beneath Zeal would crack as a result. This naturally enrages Zeal. Being a champion warrior of Chaos and also a death lord, he could not ept being pushed back by such a¡­ (What the hell is this thing?). How dare it!? ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Furious, Zeal roared and released his battle spirit in a swirling explosion. He once again grabbed his axe and took a swing at Duanmu Huai. Facing the blow that could split the earth, Duanmu Huai showed no fear. After all, he was wearing the [Mobile Armor]. Thanks to the [Guardian] trait, only the [Mobile Armor] would be destroyed if he was defeated. At this moment, Duanmu Huai spotted an opportunity to counterattack! Against Zeal¡¯s onught, Duanmu Huai charged fearlessly into the raging soul storm. He lowered his head, gripping his war hammer and breaking through the deathly force like a stubborn rock facing torrential currents. He made it next to Zeal and brought his war hammer down hard. At the same time, Zeal¡¯s axe had reached Duanmu Huai¡¯s head. In that fleeting moment, Duanmu Huai suddenly tilted his head, narrowly dodging the axe that almost grazed his ear, allowing it tond directly on his corbone. Meanwhile, the Thunder Warhammer in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand, imbued with Holy Light and lightning, struck Zeal¡¯s chest. ¡°Bang!!!¡± The next moment, both sides were sent flying, crashing heavily into the walls on each side. Seeing this, the others were dumbfounded, unable to say a word. ¡°Mr. Knight!?¡± Ann, who was busy lifting the curse from the Elf Princess and tending to the old Archbishop¡¯s wounds, was taken aback by the sight. She hadn¡¯t expected that the giant from the other side could send Duanmu Huai flying! ¡°Crash!!!¡± However, just as everyone was unsure what to do, the copsed ruins suddenly overturned, and Duanmu Huai strode out from them. His Mobile Armor waspletely shattered, but Duanmu Huai himself remained unharmed. But Zeal was not so lucky. Duanmu Huai¡¯s Thunder Warhammer was imbued with Sacred Power from Sigma. Having struck Zeal straight on the chest in thisst blow, the Sacred Power from Sigma broke through Zeal¡¯s defense and ranpletely through him. Upon standing up again, the armor and bones inside Zeal¡¯s chest had started to crumble and disintegrate. The Sacred Power of Sigma, assisted by lightning, had prated Zeal¡¯s entire body. But Zeal seemed unbothered. He just kept staring at Duanmu Huai, ready to grip his Battle Axe again, when suddenly his hands turned to dust and drifted away in the wind, and the enormous Double-edged Axe crashed heavily to the ground. ¡°Whoosh¡­¡­..¡± A fierce wind howled, turning the towering Undead Warrior to dust that dissipated in the wind. After the wind passed, the only thing left on the ground was the huge Double-edged Axe. ¡°Damn¡­¡­.¡± Only now did Duanmu Huai slump to the ground, inhaling sharply. Even though the Mobile Armor had blocked the Necromancer¡¯s Critical Hit for him, the subsequent impactnded squarely on Duanmu Huai¡¯s body¡ªjust as hard as if he¡¯d been hit by a runaway truck. ¡°Mr. Knight, are you okay!!¡± At this, Ann also hurried over, looking anxiously at Duanmu Huai as she asked. Duanmu Huai merely shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a little shaken¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡­.. we should leave this ce.¡± ¡°Master, we can¡¯t get away.¡± However, just then, Ogis walked over and said. ¡°We¡¯ve been surrounded.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai frowned, then stood up and looked out from the castle wall. As far as the eye could see, thousands upon thousands of Undead Army hadpletely surrounded them from all sides. Obviously, their adversaries were also ready for a fight. Having detected someone breaking into their prison, they naturally responded by bringing forth their full might. ¡°What¡­ what do we do now¡­?! Let¡¯s run!¡± Seeing all the Undying Spirits outside, the mercenaries became pale with fear. They were unlucky. Half of them had already died in the battle with the Necromancer, and the remainder were all wounded. Even Kevin was panting heavily, looking grave. However¡­¡­ ¡°Run? What¡¯s there to run for?¡± Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, frightening the shivering mercenaries even more as he squinted at the battlefield beyond the city walls¡ªin the midst of the Undead Army, a bald head stood out. ¡°Just in time, let¡¯s clean them all up in one go!¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai put on his helmet and then opened themunication channel. ¡°Mia¡ªprepare for ground bombardment!¡± Soon, the always leisurely and calm voice of the Artificial Angel sounded in his ear. N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Chapter 134 - 116 Blow it up!_1 Chapter 134: Chapter 116 Blow it up!_1 Those bloody bastards!! Caught in the midst of the Undead Army, Manfred was so angry that his facial features seemed on the verge of twisting. He was already annoyed for not having found all the relics, and even lost the de of the Fallen. Nagash, who was far in the underworld, berated him, leaving Manfred with no option but to seek other magical divine artifacts to substitute for the lost relics. And to his astonishment, his house was raided just a little while after he and Hairyachine left?! Originally, Manfred didn¡¯t care much as he had the former Champion Warrior of Chaos, Zeal, and the current Lord of Death defending his old castle. No ordinary thieves stood a chance against them, but then Hairyachine informed him that Zeal had been defeated? This made Manfred¡¯s blood boil. What kind of damned bad luck was this? Painstakingly, I ransomed and struggled to find the relics. Wasn¡¯t it tough for me? And you damn bastards just trample over here and ruin my hard work?! Can this be endured? But since you dare toe here, don¡¯t even think about leaving!! It¡¯s time for you to find out who actually owns Sylvania!! I will make you taste the true agony and terror¡­ hmm? What¡¯s that noise? Just as Manfred was about to issue an order, he suddenly heard a strange noiseing from the sky. ¡°Whoosh¡­¡± What¡¯s happening? What is that sound? Manfred, filled with curiosity, lifted his head to look at the sky. He then saw several strange little dark spots falling from the sky and exploding in mid-air, forming countless tiny balls of light. These light balls fell like rain, and then¡­ ¡°Boom¡ª¨C!!!!!¡± The next moment, the entire battlefield was engulfed in a sea of fire. The Hell¡¯s Wrath Missile is one of the Imperial¡¯s most powerful anti-personnel air-to-ground missile. Each Hell¡¯s Wrath Missile is filled with hundreds of incendiary submunitions. When they explode, a spectacr disy of colors bursts in the sky, like fireworks. However, each light spot that descends from the sky brings with it a destructive explosion and the onught of fire on the ground. Unlike in Modheim, this time Duanmu Huai isn¡¯t dealing with the Ratmen who burrow underground. So, there isn¡¯t a need to use armor-piercing bullets; instead, for these undead, fire is their greatest enemy, much more than the impact produced by an explosion. The effectiveness of the Hell¡¯s Wrath Missile, as one of the most powerful air-to-ground missiles, has been tested in battles against the Tyron Swarm. Compared to the Tyron Swarm, the Undead Army on the ground is nothing. Not to mention Manfred¡¯s formation is just a dense array of medieval style, basically a living target. If he doesn¡¯t st it into oblivion, it would be a disservice to this densely packed army of the dead!! ¡°Everybody lie down! Cover your heads with your hands! Ann, cast a Defense Magic!!¡± Simultaneously, Duanmu Huai was shouting at everyone to lie down and asking Ann to cast a protection spell. Everyone else followed his instruction andid on the ground in fright. They had no idea what was going on; they couldn¡¯t see what was happening outside the city wall. They could only hear the deafening roar and explosion, followed by the billowing smoke and fire that filled the sky. The hot temperatureing from all directions gave them the illusion of being in a furnace. After what seemed like an eternity, themotion outside gradually subsided. Everyone lifted their heads, bewildered, looking around. The air felt heated and had the scent of burning. It was hard to breathe. What¡¯s going on? What just happened?? Everyone got up and walked to the wall to look out. What they saw shocked them. The previously intimidating hundreds, thousands of Undead Army outside the old castle had vanished without a trace. The ground was charred, and thick smoke rose from it, blotting out the sun. ¡°What¡­ What is¡­?¡± Gazing at the sight, even Kevin was taken aback, his eyes wide open. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Duanmu Huai just rolled his eyes. ¡°Just consider it a divine intervention by Sigma.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Before Kevin could say more, the bald old Archbishop suddenly kneeled on the ground, looking up at the sky. ¡°Sigma above!! This is the might of Sigma!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Looking at the Archbishop¡¯s fanatical and excited expression, Duanmu Huai shrugged. Oh well, this wasn¡¯t the first time he allowed Sigma to fleece them. Let it be. As this bout of bombardment ended, so did the rescue mission. For Duanmu Huai, this time was almost like¡­an unexpected windfall! Ignoring the Undead Army that was bombed outside, all of which were worth experience points, they even managed to st a Necromancer to death. Plus, Duanmu Huai had earlier taken down a former Chaos Champion Warrior and a Lord of Death, leading to a sudden spike in experience points. Not only that, in order to resurrect Nagash, Manfred had gathered several Holy Relics. Naturally, all these spoils fell into the hands of Duanmu Huai. The Frost Giant Bear Battle Group also suffered heavy losses this time around. They didn¡¯t have Duanmu Huai¡¯s ability to single-handedly take down the Lord of Death, losing almost half their men. But being mercenaries, they were used to parting with theirrades in arms ¨C they might grieve, but they definitely wouldn¡¯t ept less money. They even demanded extrapensation. Kevin, without any hesitation, paid them. By the way, Kevin was indeed an emperor. Duanmu Huai figured that out when the archbishop knelt before Kevin, addressing him as ¡°Your Majesty¡±. Well, he had known that for a while now. ording to the Archbishop, it really was a conspiracy. The Archbishop, in his capacity as the high-ranking clergy of Sigma, was supposed to stay in Aldorf. However, the Great Crown Prince informed him that Manfred was plotting to resurrect Nagash and asked the Archbishop to personally lead a group to eliminate him. Although highly dissatisfied with the Crown Prince¡¯s opportunistic behavior, the Archbishop knew if Nagash was brought back to life, the future of the Empire would be even darker. Hence, he took it upon himself to lead the capable soldiers of the Sigma Temple in an attempt to exterminate Manfred. But as observed, they were ambushed. The other men were defeated and killed, while the Archbishop was captured by Manfred and used as a vessel for Nagash¡¯s resurrection. Whether this was a conspiracy between Manfred and the Crown Prince was uncertain, because that vampire didn¡¯t die on the battlefield ¨C Duanmu Huai did not see any system notification about Manfred¡¯s death. Probably, the bald vampire fled again when things didn¡¯t go his way. He had to hand it to him, if nothing else, the vampire was quite adept at running away. Including this time, he had managed to escape from Duanmu Huai twice now. There¡¯s a saying that goes ¡°once is enough, twice is too much, three times is not eptable¡±¡­¡­ it remains to be seen if he could escape next time. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om For now, everyone¡¯s adventure came to a halt. Although the Frost Giant Bear Battle Group hadpleted their mission, they did not immediately return to Midheim. Instead, they headed to Batenia Port to pass on the news to Osus that Elissara had been rescued and was now safe, asking them to send someone to fetch the High Elf Princess. As for Duanmu Huai, he would stay here and carry out the next thing, which is¡­¡­probably, the most important thing he had to do. That is, to fight back to Aldorf and reim his throne from those unworthy sons of his! However¡­¡­¡± ¡°Princess, are you sure you want to stay here?¡± Duanmu Huai looked at Elissara standing beside him and asked in befuddlement. The Elf Princess just nodded slightly, her head lowered, and did not say a word. Originally, Duanmu Huai had nned to have the Frost Giant Bear Battle Group escort the Elf Princess away, but the Princess insisted that since Manfred had not been cleared, and the Frost Giant Bear Battle Group didn¡¯t seem capable enough, she might likely be captured by Manfred again if she went with them. It would be safer to stay with Duanmu Huai. Although she seemed to make sense¡­¡­¡± ¡°What do you think she¡¯s thinking?¡± Duanmu Huai walked up to Ann and asked in a whisper. Ann responded with a mischievous smile. ¡°Well, Mr. Knight, isn¡¯t it obvious? Doesn¡¯t every story go like this? The knight saves the princess, then the princess falls in love with the knight. Isn¡¯t that just natural? I bet the Elf Princess must be in love with you!¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Duanmu Huai pointed to his face and questioned again, and Ann hesitated for a moment. ¡°Well, this¡­. might be¡­.probably¡­.maybe¡­.possible? After all, not everyone cares about looks, and you¡¯re not exactly ugly, Mr. Knight¡­. just a bit scary¡­. Maybe some people fancy that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Let¡¯s assume it¡¯s true. Watching Ann¡¯s eyes darting all over the ce as she answered, Duanmu Huai sighed helplessly. Well, at least she¡¯sing up with some reasons, isn¡¯t she? Chapter 135 - 117: The Starting Point of Advanced Level_1 Chapter 135: Chapter 117: The Starting Point of Advanced Level_1 [Divine Mission ¡°The Glory of Sigma¡± Stage Two Completed] [Mission Evaluation: Extremely Outstanding!] [You have saved the hope of the Empire and retained the spark of the Empire!] [Received 70000 experience, an extra 40000 experience, level promoted to level 34. +3 Specialization points, +3 Attribute points] [Judge level reached thirty, Advanced Mission Route can be unlocked] [Your deeds have drawn the attention of the Imperial Gods, you will receive their extra rewards!] [Randomly received +1 Blessing from the Imperial Gods] [The Brutal God¡¯s favorability towards you +50] [Divine Mission ¡°The Glory of Sigma¡± Stage Three Initiated] [Mission Objective: Assist the Emperor, Retake the Orthodoxy!] [Times may change, but monarchy is eternal] After silently reading the system prompts in front of his eyes, all Duanmu Huai wants to say is, you¡¯ve got some nerve. What does it mean, a blessing? It¡¯s clearly you trying to build a rtionship with me!! Is your Empire so poor, you can¡¯t find anyone else? With so many chosen, why must you fleece me like sheep?! Why, am I not worth paying for? Or did I give you a discount? Moreover, if you want me to do something, at least show some tact. Look at those in novels, games, animations, films, whenever deities need someone to do something, at least there¡¯s a load of wealth and beauty involved. Why when ites to me, you¡¯re so penny-pinching, giving me a little blessing and consider it done? Can¡¯t you send someone like a Holy Woman, Female Priest, Female Priestess, Nun, Lake Goddess Fairy or something to appease me? Ohh, speaking of the Lake Goddess Fairy, Duanmu Huai is infuriated. He just found out that every Holy Grail Knight has a standard Lake Goddess Fairy, dedicated for adventuring and being lovey-dovey with the Holy Grail Knight, why am I the only one without? Is the Lake Goddess still holding a grudge? It was just a Holy Grail that I took from you, surely you¡¯re not that petty. But whatever¡­ Silently staring at the system prompt that indicated [Advanced Mission Route can be unlocked], Duanmu Huai clenched his fists tightly. I¡¯ve been waiting for this!! The advanced mission seems simple, it¡¯s just that your initial profession has reached its limit, and you can now take an advanced profession. For instance, the Library Curator or the Great Judge are normal advanced professions, but beside these, there are also some hidden advanced professions. Duanmu Huai set his sight on these hidden advanced professions! He keeps thinking about it because of the oppression brought about by the game! In reality, Star Ocean Online is a pretty shitty game. ording to the game design, the path of yer growth is like this ¡ª collect Holy Artifacts to enable the construction point to improve the space station,plete missions to gain experience and level up. But often, the pace of yer growth and the speed of Holy Artifact collection are not proportionate. In some cases¡­some yers are lucky, and they can perform subspace travel even when they have not reached level 20. While some are less fortunate, the space station is still a mess even when they have reached the max level of 40. Ideally, advanced missions are only opened after reaching the initial level cap. But Star Ocean Online shamelessly set the advanced mission level at level 30, instead of level 40. At first, many yers were puzzled, but no matter what, it¡¯s always good thing being stronger and more powerful after advancing, so most yers would take on the advanced mission. Being able to advance earlier is always beneficial right? When you¡¯re strong, isn¡¯t everything easier? However, when yers started on their subspace journeys, exploring others, they discovered ¡ª there are a lot more advanced profession missions in the universe, and each is stronger than the one they had!! When yers, beating their chests and stamping their feet, tried to change their profession ns, they were informed ¡ª yers who have already advanced can only advance again when they reach level 60 unless they obtain an item called ¡°Retrospective Crystal¡± that can reset their characters to the pre-advanced state. What left yers speechless is, this ¡°Retrospective Crystal¡± is not for sale, but a gift. yers need to charge to over 50000 points to get it, and it is personal binding, non-transferable. After figuring out this point, all yers lost it. They were originally puzzled why an item that seemed useless was included in the recharge reward. ¡°Retrospective Crystal,¡± which only functioned to reset your character to the pre-advanced state, did not give any permanent attributes to the character, so yers didn¡¯t pay much attention to this at first. But when they were in space, they realized it was waiting here for them all the time! This damnpany!!! yers cursed out loud, but thepany acted as though they had not heard anything, leaving the yers with no choice but to continue. Some chose to reroll a new character, while some epted their bad luck and continued to y, just hoping not to be screwed over again when they could advance for the second time at level 60. Only a few big spenders seemed amused by this gimmick, for a time, possessing the ¡°Retrospective Crystal¡± even became a symbol of unting wealth, whether it¡¯s used or not, as long as you charge to 50000 points, you can get a ¡°Retrospective Crystal,¡± it¡¯s a symbol of status and wealth! Some guilds even went as far as not letting you in if you didn¡¯t have a ¡°Retrospective Crystal¡±! Duanmu Huai fell into the second category. He felt frustrated at the time, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he had already changed his profession to Librarian, and moreover, he intended to make money through this game. To recharge 50,000 points for this? He¡¯d rather die! How could it be that he was losing money instead of making money?! Besides, many of the profession changing tasks in the universe were one-time tasks, which basically meant if one personpleted it, then it would no longer be avable for others. Under this kind of ¡°stimtion¡±, many yers either chose to grit their teeth and charge ahead, or they chose to start over with a new ount. This was also one of the reasons leading to the ¡°End of Days¡± event. At that time, the majority of the advanced yers in the game set off to various parts of the universe to seek out hidden ss transfer tasks, leaving the Novice¡¯s Vige. This was also one of the main causes of the Novice¡¯s Vige¡¯s destruction. That¡¯s why, from the very start, Duanmu Huai had always focused on the power core, and had specifically found the power core of the Ancient Saints. After all, to carry out a safe subspace voyage, Ancient Saint technology was indispensable. With safe subspace voyage technology, Duanmu Huai would be able to go to his desired job change location and carry out a profession change. As for the timing, Duanmu Huai had already decided. Afterpleting this god-choosing mission and obtaining the Holy Artifacts from the three unfilial descendants, Duanmu Huai would be able to upgrade the Tribunal library to level 10. Besides obtaining a ¡°100%¡± research speed increase, he would be able to gain an additional point of ¡°Super Wisdom¡± that would allow him to instantlyplete any technology he was currently researching. By then he should be able to construct the Antimatter Reactor and the Super Dimensional Space Tunnel Engine to embark on his subspace voyage. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t n to just leave things alone, rather, he knew that while the ¡°End of Days¡± event may have seemed like a short event, it spanned a period of nearly ten years. Staying here was also pointless. Given the level of civilization on this, no matter what he does, he would not be able to stop the ¡°End of Days¡± event. Only by exploring the universe and sessfully changing his profession would he earn the qualifications to face Chaos Evil Gods head-on. As for thest part about the favorability of the Brutal God¡­¡­ Duanmu Huai chose to ignore it. Anyway, even after knowing it, there¡¯s nothing he can do. But for now¡­ let¡¯s see how his luck works out. Duanmu Huai looked at the system prompt in front of him and rubbed his hands together. The Imperial had many deities they worshipped. Among them, Sigma was naturally the most prominent, but this did not mean that the other gods were less significant. Apart from Sigma, the most powerful was Ulrick, after all, even the founders of the empire were his believers. If it were up to Duanmu Huai, he would have preferred to receive the blessing of the Goddess Shya who was in charge of healing and mercy because this goddess was the nemesis of the God of gue and was very effective at restraining the variety of gues and viruses spread by the God of gue. For Duanmu Huai, he did not fear the magic of the God of Trickery, nor did he fear the frontal attacks of the Brutal God nor did he worry about the mental harassment of the God of Lust; the only troublesome things were the gues and viruses of the God of gue. Well, let¡¯s see. Duanmu Huai reached out his hand and clicked on this prompt. [Randomly receive a God¡¯s blessing +1] [You have received the blessing of the God of Death, Moor] [Acquired the additional profession ¡°Death Guard¡± (increase attack damage by 30% against the undead)] ¡°Damn it!¡± Upon seeing this, Duanmu Huai almost spat out a mouthful of blood. The goddamn Death Guard! Moor was the God of Death worshiped by the empire, it was rumored that the souls of all who died would go to him. If there was any connection between Duanmu Huai and Moor, it would be that the Knight¡¯s Order of the God of Death, Moor, also used a skull as its emblem¡­¡­ But the skull he used and that of Moor¡¯s was not exactly the same thing, right?!!! My skull does not represent death!N?v(el)B\\jnn If Moor were here now, Duanmu Huai would definitely want to have a serious talk with him and exin that the two are not the same thing¡­ Unfortunately, he did not have Moor¡¯s contact information. Let it be then. Duanmu Huai silently added one point each to his strength, physical condition, and intelligence again. Then, he put all his specialty skill points into [Great Psychic Combat Training]. Afterward, he shifted his gaze to the next task. Although, Duanmu Huai was a bit puzzled. This task seemed to reveal some doubts. ording to the description when the second task waspleted, it seemed that without him, the king, Kevin, was doomed to die. The reality was indeed so. After all, even if Kevin had brought the mercenaries here, without Duanmu¡¯s defense and his bombardment of the undead army, all Kevin could expect was certain death. Therefore, ording to the original timeline, was Kevin supposed to die? Duanmu Huai rubbed his chin. He was not very familiar with the Empire¡¯s plot-line. After all, he was born in Zhen Dan in the game. In thete stage of the ¡°End of Days¡±, the Dragon Emperor of Zhen Dan built up a fleetparable to Zheng He¡¯s voyages to the West Indies, leading everyone to sail into the sea and escape to a different space. As for the situation on the empire¡¯s side, he was also not too knowledgeable about the specifics. So now that Kevin is alive, how big an impact will it make on this? ¡°Knock, knock, knock.¡± As Duanmu Huai was thinking, there was a knock on the door. Ann opened the door, poked her head in, and looked at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Ah, sir knight, they are looking for you. They want to discuss our next move.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s update, Duanmu Huai stood up. Now let¡¯s see what His Majesty the Emperor has in mind. Chapter 136 - 118: Three-party Plan_1 Chapter 136: Chapter 118: Three-party n_1 Duanmu Huai had already heard about the Emperor¡¯s predicament. As the Elf Scout had exined, the Emperor¡¯s way had been blocked as he led his troops in pursuit. But the issue wasn¡¯t that¡­ it was the fact that part of his soldiers had rebelled after his way was blocked! Not only did they rebel, but they also joined forces with the Norther Barbarians tounch an attack on him, intent on taking him down! Only then did the Emperor discover that the people around him had turned against him?!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The Rebel Army was vast in number, as were the Northern Barbarians. However, the Emperor and his personal guards weren¡¯t pushovers. In the end, the Emperor managed to survive, albeit at the cost of every single one of his guards. At this point, the Emperor realized that he was deep in crisis! He hadn¡¯t thought that the Evil God Cultists had infiltrated so deep. Clearly, it was possible that the entire Northern Expedition was a trap! After all, the Emperor led the battle initially because he heard of the Northern Barbarians preparing to invade the Imperial Territory. If the whole thing was a scheme, then¡­the trouble was great! Therefore, the Emperor decided to apply a strategy of escaping by a hair¡¯s breadth. He gagged the gauntlet onto another amputated hand and took off. He wasn¡¯t sure who among his troops were loyal and who were Evil God Cultists. If he rashly returned to the camp under such circumstances, he might get silently assassinated. The Emperor knew that if he were discovered to be alive, they would think their n had been exposed. At that point, they¡¯d be capable of anything. If they struck again, he might genuinely ¡°drop dead¡± during the expedition. So, the Emperor kept his whereabouts secret while observing the movements of the other princes. What he didn¡¯t expect was that after the news of his ¡°death¡± reached Aldorf, none of the other princes came to inquire about the situation; all of them fucking ran for the throne! Thankfully the Emperor was a former mercenary in his youth, he had a strong physique. Otherwise, he might have been infuriated to death by the manoeuvers of these unfilial sons. Nevertheless, the Emperor had his own sources and methods. After a thorough investigation, he found that everything was connected to an Evil God Cult called ¡°The Hand of Uzi,¡± whose god was the God of Trickery. Well, this made sense considering how those idiots who couldn¡¯t feel at ease executing someone without an alibi and various crime techniques would use such a style. It¡¯s clear now, Uzi¡¯s Hand initiated this rebellion, and it¡¯s highly probable they used other forces in their attempt to dismember the empire. Currently, it seemed all too evident that Manfred, trying to resurrect Nagash, the gue God of gue¡¯s devotees, and Ratman attacking Imperialnds, all appeared to be cutting into the meat of the empire. With the three princes now gathered in Aldorf, it seemed they intended to deal with all of them in one swoop. After all, once the three princes are all dead, the empire¡¯s copse would be imminent without a leader. If they could sacrifice them to the Chaos Evil God, the rewards would be immeasurable. That¡¯s why the Emperor decided to pretend to be Kevin and get rid of these hassles once and for all. That¡¯s why he hired the warband to foil Manfred¡¯s plot to bring back Nagash ¨C an evil and powerful necromancer reviving on Imperial soil was definitely not a good thing. Now that the crisis was over, the only thing left was to decide how to punish those unworthy descendants. The problem was¡­¡­ ¡°Do you have anyone?¡± Looking at Kevin sitting in the chair, Duanmu Huai asked this heart-piercing question. The only ones on the Emperor¡¯s side now were Duanmu Huai¡¯s warband and the bald Archbishop of Sigma. Given this Archbishop¡¯s influence within the empire, finding manpower shouldn¡¯t have been a problem. However, the elite of the Sigma church had already been sent away by him, so how much of his prestige remained in the Sigma church¡­was hard to say. It could easily turn out that they im the Archbishop has turned into a vampire and burn him alive, which would be the end of him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In the face of Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the Emperor was speechless. It was indeed a fatal question. In fact, he too wasn¡¯t sure who was sincerely loyal and who was the real traitor now. Of course, as the Imperial Emperor, there were naturally his supporters within the empire, like the old, bald Archbishop. But as his ordeal had shown, these loyal supporters of the Emperor were likely caught in some conspiracy and plots, or even dead. Under such circumstances, the Emperor returning to Aldorf was practically a death sentence. But to say he wouldn¡¯t return to Aldorf? He surely wasn¡¯t just going to sit back and watch the empire fall apart, was he? ¡°The Imperial Guards strictly follow the Emperor¡¯s orders. I believe they should be fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Upon hearing the Emperor¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°Fortunately, I also have a rmended candidate.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the Emperor looked at him curiously. ¡°Do you have a rmendation?¡± ¡°Yes, themander of the Thirteenth Security Force, General Pastte.¡± ¡°Pastte¡­?¡± Hearing this name, the Emperor was somewhat taken aback; he even pondered for a while before finally recollecting this individual. ¡°Him? But he isn¡¯t an outstanding talent.¡± ¡°Although he is not outstanding, he is very loyal.¡± Duanmu Huai ryed the events in Modheim to the Emperor, of course omitting the part about Pastte trying to make himself Emperor. Emperors of any era would not be happy to hear about their ministers having rebellious thoughts. Beyond this, it must also be said that General Pastte, as an Imperial soldier, has indeed given his full effort. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought¡­¡± After listening to Duanmu Huai¡¯s ount, the Emperor was also full of feelings. Indeed, as a General, Pastte¡¯s abilities were not exceptional and moreover he had ascended to this position relying on his family. The Emperor, therefore, did not value him much. This was apparent from the fact that he was in charge of a security force ¨C an organization whose primary duty was to maintainw and order in the city, akin to a police force. Had it not been for the severe shortfall of troops, the Great Crown Prince would never have sent General Pastte and his force to retake Modheim. Though General Pastte¡¯s capabilities were indeed limited, he still had basicmon sense and conscience. At least the fact that he did not allow the Great Crown Prince to take the Dimension Stone demonstrates that he is a patriotic minister. That was enough. Of course, perhaps due to Pastte¡¯s limited capabilities and his invisibility day-to-day, others did not pay much attention to someone like him, affording him the opportunity to survive. After all, tall trees catch much wind, and weren¡¯t those with strong appeal in the Sigma Church, like the bald Archbishop, wiped out in one swoop? Contrarily, somebody like Pastte who was indifferent to his grandparents managed to survive. It had to be said, after listening to Duanmu Huai¡¯s ount, the Emperor was indeed impressed. Although Pastte¡¯s abilities werecking, and prestige not high, one important point was that he was in control of the security force! While a regr police force may not be put on a battlefield, mostly dealing with matters of security within streets and alleyways, at the moment it was theck of means and soldiers to control the city of Aldorf that had the Emperor worried. While he did trust the loyalty of the Imperial Guards, they were required to defend the Pce and couldn¡¯t possibly be dispatched to maintain security in the streets and alleyways. If there was someone on his side to help maintain the security of Aldorf, then¡­ the Emperor could clear himself of all worries and deal with his three unfilial sons! There is no evesting monarchy, I will not rest until you three down-the-line traitors that kill the father to take his throne, are hanged on the gates of Aldorf!!¡± After much discussion, the three eventually settled on a n. Duanmu Huai, acting as the Emperor¡¯s envoy, would be responsible for contacting General Pastte, while the Emperor would return to the pce with the Archbishop to liaise with the Imperial Guards and then, on the night of the banquet, round up all the traitors in one fell swoop!! There¡¯s essentially no problem with the n. The only issue is¡­ ¡°Princess, what are your ns?¡± Looking at the High Elf Princess, the Emperor was also in a quandary. This was a matter of Imperial administration, and he couldn¡¯t get a foreign princess involved. However, Elissara just silently nced at Duanmu Huai when the Emperor asked her. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with him.¡± Then, the Elf Princess spoke. Chapter 137 - 119: Return to Aldorf_1 Chapter 137: Chapter 119: Return to Aldorf_1 When Duanmu Huai returned to General Pastte, the general looked as though he had aged several years. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally back!!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai appear, General Pastte seemed as though he¡¯d seen his savior. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t returned, I wouldn¡¯t have known what to do!¡± ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Seeing the worn-out and weary General Pastte, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. He had only been gone for a while, but the general looked like he was on the brink of death. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s that serious. If you hadn¡¯te back, I was nning to flee!!¡± Upon seeing Duanmu Huai, General Pastte, like seeing a life-saver, began pouring out his grievances with tears and snot. During this time, life has been indubitably rough for Pastte. He might not be in the higher ranks and didn¡¯t have to engage in the intrigues among the nobles and officials in feasts, but as the saying goes, bosses talk and the workers run. What could Pastte do? Could he reject this task? So he had no choice but to carry it out, right? But doing this, would the people of Aldorf notin? Of course, they would! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om As the royal city was aze with strife, the people of Aldorf were no fools. They knew that when the three princes gathered together, trouble was sure to brew. Most people didn¡¯t want to get involved in this messy situation. Besides, most of them were simple civilians uninvolved in imperial affairs, weren¡¯t they? The city was now sealed; who could escape? Those with some connections started to get busy. They dared not seek out the Great Crown Prince, at a time like this, expressing their intention to leave explicitly meant escaping. The imperial nobles and merchants were not that foolish! So General Pastte, themander of the security corps, was dealt the rotten hand. During this time, people continuously came in and out, either bribing him or threatening him, but in the end, what they asked was nothing more than for General Pastte to turn a blind eye and allow them to evacuate a few people from Aldorf. Of course, General Pastte could not agree to any of this! He might be ipetent, but he was not a fool! Once these hypocrites fled, they would vanish without a trace. If problems were caused, who would bear the resultant troubles, if not himself? Therefore, Pastte¡¯s position was rather simr to the Governor of Shuntian Prefecture in ancient times, solely responsible for the governance of the royal city. If he did well, it was supposed to be so; if he did not, he would be demoted and exiled to Ningguta to serve as a ve to armored people. He would have to be thankful if they didn¡¯t behead him. Indeed, it was tragically miserable. If it weren¡¯t for his firm belief that Duanmu Huai was the chosen one of Sigma and his steadfast worship of Sigma, he would have packed his things and ran off by now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Seeing Pastte so distressed, Duanmu Huai patted him on his shoulder,ughing. ¡°Everything is going smoothly, there will be no problems, just wait and watch.¡± ¡°Phew¡­ That¡¯s good.¡± Upon hearing this, General Pastte finally breathed a sigh of relief, copsing into his chair and wiping the sweat off his brow. ¡°What¡¯s the situation on your end?¡± ¡°Vulture sent me a message earlier, noting that the pile of Dimension Stones was moved out from the Magic Academy, with an unknown destination. He¡¯s on the hunt.¡± Vulture was the codename of the Witch Hunter, Duanmu Huai assumed he was dead in some corner, but it appears he¡¯s still alive and kicking. The dimensional stones have been relocated, huh¡­ Duanmu Huai closed his eyes, and connected with the ughter Puppets. Fortunately, he had suspected something was amiss before and had sent some of the puppets to track them. It appeared that they too, had been moved¡­underneath the royal city? Oh? You guys sure know how to pick a spot, nning to blow up the whole royal city, perhaps? ¡°Okay, I know how to handle this.¡± Duanmu Huai made a decision quickly, and then looked at Pastte. ¡°General Pastte, I have only one thing for you to do next. On the day of the banquet, there will certainly be some troublemakers on the streets. I hope you can lead your men and maintain order in Aldorf! Don¡¯t let anything happen to the Royal City, that¡¯s all!¡± In truth, the emperor¡¯s demands of Pastte were not high, only asking him to do his job ¨C if demands were set higher, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fulfill them, right? ¡°This¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, Pastte hesitated a moment, then decisively nodded. ¡°Alright, on the day of the banquet, I will issue a citywide curfew from the afternoon, not allowing anyone to go out. I will send all the soldiers to patrol the city. But¡­ can you tell me, what exactly are you nning to do? This won¡¯t affect the citizens in the city right¡­¡± ¡°If everything goes smoothly, it shouldn¡¯t. So don¡¯t worry.¡± Again, Duanmu Huai gave a smile and stood up. ¡°You just put your mind at ease, do what you¡¯re supposed to do, then have a good sleep. When you wake up the next morning, everything will be over.¡± Hearing what Duanmu Huai had said, General Pastte stayed silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. ¡°Let¡¯s hope¡­ let¡¯s hope it will be so.¡± After saying goodbye to General Pastte, Duanmu Huai returned to his home, only to see Ann and the Elf Princess, looking at each other. ¡°Alright, how are your searchesing along?¡± Duanmu Huai ignored the subtle tension between the two and asked a question. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, Ann frowned, revealing a bitter expression. ¡°It¡¯s really hard to track, and my knowledge of the magic here is limited, so I can¡¯t even make a guess¡­¡± ¡°The aura of the Chaos Evil God has contaminated this city.¡± The Elf Princess added softly, without borating further. Duanmu Huai was not surprised by their reactions. In fact, ever since the two girls entered the city of Aldorf, they had immediately felt a strong sense of unease and danger. After all, both Ann and the Elf Princess were powerful mages, so their sensitivity to spiritual energy would naturally be exceptionally acute. Their current sensations were probably simr to transitioning from a refreshing forest to a heavily polluted city. ¡°Anyway, it must not be anything good. What did your analysis find?¡± ¡°The core of the magic circle should be here.¡± Ann stretched out her hand and pointed to the royal city in the center of the map. At the same time, she held a mechanical pendant in her left hand. ording to Ann, this was a ¡°Mechanical Divination¡± technique popr in the Manaria Magic Academy. It could assist in finding the desired object to some extent. Of course, how effective it could be in this world was another matter entirely. The Elf Princess simply nodded in agreement. ¡°All the spiritual energy is concentrating here, there must be a node or something. Normally, the royal city does not allow such a high concentration of spiritual energy¡­¡± ces with too much concentration of spiritual energy often lead to anomalies, may even cause children to be deformed or spawn Psychics. For a ce like the royal city, simr barriers should have been there for istion. But now it seemed that their n had already been half sessful. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that they are nning to use the Dimension Stone to attract spiritual energy and then cause chaos in the royal city? They sure know how to make trouble.¡± After pondering for a moment, Duanmu Huai looked at the two of them. ¡°Do you have a solution?¡± ¡°Just absorb it, right?¡± ¡°Destroying the flow of nodes should stop the absorption of spiritual energy.¡± However, Ann and the Elf Princess gavepletely different suggestions. Then, the Elf Princess stared at Ann with a puzzled look. ¡°Are you dreaming? With such a massive amount of spiritual energy, how can it be absorbed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Unfazed by the Elf Princess¡¯ skepticism, Ann took out her sorcerer¡¯s book that she always carried with her from her waist. ¡°Just absorb the magic power into my sorcerer¡¯s book.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that possible?¡± Seeing the sorcerer¡¯s book in Ann¡¯s hand, Duanmu Huai asked curiously. He had traveled with Ann for a while and knew that she never parted with this book. She always used it whenever she cast spells. Duanmu Huai had no idea what the book was for, but he was sure¡ª¡ª it wouldn¡¯t be used to hit people like Lorena¡¯s Holy Canon. ¡°Of course!¡± At this, Ann became excited. ¡°Moreover, I was inspired by your spellcasting techniques, Mr. Knight. If I can absorb arge amount of magic power and condense it onto the pages, I can use the magic power to activate the magic at any time without chanting! I want to try it!¡± ¡°Oh, I see ¡­¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai finally nodded. It seemed Ann was inspired by his previous use of soul cards and misunderstood it as a kind of instant magic technique, so she wanted to try it herself. ¡°Stop kidding!¡± However, the Elf Princess directly interrupted Ann¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re just a human, you can¡¯t handle so much spiritual energy! Doing that will only bring disaster!¡± ¡°What, are you looking down on humans?¡± Ann also raised her eyebrows, ring at the Elf Princess. ¡°I am the top student of the Magic Academy, and my technique in magic maniption is not inferior to yours at all!¡± ¡°Humans are so arrogant, no matter how talented you are in spiritual energy, as long as you¡¯re a human, it¡¯s impossible¡­¡­¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright¡­¡± Seeing the two about to quarrel, Duanmu Huai quickly interrupted the argument. Ann was thinking based on themon sense of Manaria, and the Elf Princess was thinking based on this world¡¯smon sense on magic. Their standards werepletely different. Just as the Elf Princess said, it was no easy feat to be a mage in this world, especially for humans. They didn¡¯t have the spiritual energy affinity like the elves or the resistance of the dwarves. Therefore, constant use of magic would cause humans to mutate ¨C simr to the effect of long-term radiation exposure. This was also one of the reasons why themoners of this world resented mages. ¡°Anyway, I n to try Ann¡¯s method first. Princess, I understand your concerns, but we must prepare.¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, he looked at the Elf Princess. ¡°You can rest now, thank you for your help.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the Elf Princess paused for a moment and then lowered her head, obediently returning to her room. Seeing this scene, Ann chuckled lightly. ¡°I told you, she must have fallen for you because you saved her.¡± ¡°Haha¡± For Ann¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai tossed an exasperated look. He didn¡¯t want to say anything at the moment. Chapter 138 - 120 Eve of the Banquet_1 Chapter 138: Chapter 120 Eve of the Banquet_1 ¡°Phew¡­¡± Elissara let out a sigh as she returned to her room, copsing onto the bed. She reached out to touch her chest, feeling her heart beating wildly within. It was¡­ terribly thrilling. As an elf, an Eternal Kin, Elissara had seen many long years. For elves, time was both their best friend and their worst enemy. They lived longer than any other creature, but as they endured through the long lifespan, even the most worldly of elves¡¯ once vibrant, passionate hearts slowly calmed, bing as tranquil as a calmke. Living through year after year, day after day, many elves would be numb, inspiring some of them to seek out intense excitement, just to confirm they were still alive. Why else would their homnds originally have been invaded by the God of Lust? There was a logic to it. Elissara was no different. Her days werergely a repetition of the one before until the day she was abducted by Manfred. It was then that she felt something truly thrilling for the first time, but that was the extent of it. She didn¡¯t mind the abduction, and, if she were honest, she harbored a slight hope that it could end her boring life. Perhaps, she mused, it was even a good thing. However, she was rescued. For Elissara, it signified a new beginning. The human male. To tell the truth, when he suddenly appeared in front of her, merely ncing at the fierce face of that man rendered her breathless. His overwhelming aura, his ferocity and savagery that appeared to devour everything, caused her tranquilke of a heart to surge and roil ¡ª it was as if a mountain, not a mere stone, had been cast into it! She vividly remembered the nervousness of her first battle as a child, her unease and fear when facing the enemy, even the dread of the prospect of death ¡ª never had she felt the beauty of her life, the pulsation of her life¡¯s me, as intensely as in that moment. Her vision, which had been clouded over by the fog of countless years, had cleared once more. As the saying goes, after a brush with death, one cherishes life even more. Now, whenever Elissara remembered Duanmu Huai descending like a Demon God, tearing off her clothes without a care, and manipting her limbs at his will, a mixture of shame, despair, and fear surged in her heart like heavy fuel, reigniting her dulled me of life, and she once again began to appreciate the beauty and hope in the world. For precisely this reason, at this moment, some secret desires began to emerge in the depths of Elissara¡¯s heart. She wished to acquire more fear and dread from him, for him to treat her more roughly ¡ª as one would a pet or an animal, as a ve. Not intertwined with love and hope but entangled in terror and despair. The feeling was incredibly addictive. Simply put, to Elissara, looking at Duanmu Huai was like watching a horrifying movie ¡ª it may be frightening during viewing, but upon itspletion, the feeling of relief was tangible. But¡­ until when could thisst? Thinking about this, Elissara began to worry. As a high elf, it would be difficult for her to leave Osus. As an Eternal Kin, the restrictions were even more stringent. She traveled to the continent this time as a diplomatic envoy to negotiate with the dwarves. If not for that, she would not have left Osus. Moreover, after such an incident, it would be more difficult to leave Osus in future. It was predictable that when the envoy mission of Osus came to pick her up, it would be her time to leave. Could she¡­ take him to Osus? If she made him her husband¡­ although there might be political issues, what Elissara worried about was different. In Osus, there were too many elves like herself. Ordinary pleasures were insufficient to satisfy their tranquil minds. But if Duanmu Huai came before them, he would be a great source of excitement. There would be no shortage of elves drawn to him. More importantly, Elissara believed that Duanmu Huai was not an ordinary human that could be manipted at will. Although his aura was fierce, the way he looked at her was quite calm,cking the lust and passion often seen in human males. Given this, even if she made a suggestion, it was highly likely he would refuse¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Laying on the bed, Elissara turned and twisted, consumed with worry. But she did not mind this trivial problem. Having such worries was itself an experience she¡¯d not felt in a long time. ¡°The Elf Princess has definitely fallen for you, Sir Knight.¡± On the other side, Ann was still pestering Duanmu Huai about this matter, incessantly discussing the topic. ¡°While I was with her, the questions she asked were all about you, Sir Knight. Like what you usually do, what you like, where you¡¯ve been¡­ I can guarantee that the Elf Princess has definitely, definitely fallen for you.¡± ¡°Enough, enough. Why are you so hung up on this?¡± Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes, hearing Ann¡¯s words. ¡°Even assuming that¡¯s true, I have no intention of starting anything with her. Besides¡­¡± At that, Duanmu Huai nced at Ann. ¡°You seem to have forgotten that, technically, you¡¯re my fianc¨¦e.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Ahahaha¡­¡± On hearing this, Ann blushed, grinning awkwardly and averting her gaze. ¡°Well¡­ I haven¡¯tpletely forgotten, it¡¯s just, I¡¯m not used to it yet¡­¡± ¡°Just stop causing trouble.¡± n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes again. ¡°So, tomorrow, we go as nned. The banquet is in the evening. I suspect those fools wouldn¡¯t be dumb enough to make a move before the banquet. We need to find the location of the Dimension Stones and have you absorb their power to neutralize them¡­ anything else you want to add?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I wish Greiya coulde too¡­¡± ¡°Not right now; we¡¯ll think about itter.¡± Duanmu Huai cut off Ann¡¯s chatter, raising his hand to pat her head. ¡°So? Is there anything else you need to add?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai nodded in satisfaction. ¡°So, tomorrow, let¡¯s have a grand celebration at the banquet!¡± With that, he spoke out loud. Chapter 139 - 121: Entry_1 Chapter 139: Chapter 121: Entry_1 For Ann, she was looking forward to going to the banquet, after all, it was an Isekai banquet. She hoped to experience some exotic customs, however¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­Why do we have toe here¡­.¡± Ann was standing in a stinky sewer, feelingpletely desperate. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s for a fight. You don¡¯t really think we were going to attend a banquet, do you?¡± Duanmu Huaiughed at Ann, who was curled up in his arms. As Duanmu Huai said, although they were invited, Duanmu Huai never intended to attend the banquet. The reason was simple. With his bulky body, he was always eye-catching wherever he went and couldn¡¯t really sneak around. Besides, the banquet would inevitably be a bloodbath. Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t interested in joining the chaos. Compared to those dishes that might be poisoned or cursed, it was more important to deal with the problem at hand. Luckily, through the Reconnaissance Servo Skull, Duanmu Huai had obtained a map of the entire Royal City, and naturally, he had nned the route. Of course, most people wouldn¡¯t be able to handle this route. ¡°Wuuuuuu¡­¡± ¡°Alright, now is not the time to throw a tantrum. Let¡¯s get to work.¡± Duanmu Huaiforted Ann then immediately sprang into action.N?v(el)B\\jnn While the sewer system in the Royal City was safe, it was far from unobstructed. The sewer system in a ce like a Royal City was naturally secured. So the sewer system here was sealed with iron bars as thick as arms and even applied with a Magic Seal to prevent destruction. For ordinary people, this would naturally be difficult to break through, but now¡­ ¡°Wuuuuu¡­¡± Although she looked dismayed, Ann obediently followed Duanmu Huai¡¯s instructions and broke the Magic Seal of the sewer entrance. Then Duanmu Huai walked to the entrance, reached out, and grabbed the thick iron bar, which was almost as thick as a person¡¯s arm and pulled! ¡°Creek¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The next moment, the sturdy iron pirs in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hands started to twist and soften, like noodles. After forcefully tearing open arge hole, Duanmu Huai went in first, followed by Ogis, Ann, and the Elf Princess, who entered the sewer system of the Royal City and started to move downwards. To the yers, the sewers in the game were nothing special. At least in the game, sewers were essentially just dirty water and some monsters. But real sewers were obviously not like that. The corrupt and foul smell filled the entire sewer, with greenish-ck sewage carrying all kinds of filth. Food waste, and even rotting corpses¡­ ¡°Wuuuuu¡­!!!¡± As soon as Ann entered the sewer, she shrunk into Duanmu Huai¡¯s arms, not daring to take a look outside. Ogis calmly sat on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder as always. Even the Elf Princess was holding on to Duanmu Huai¡¯s cloak and huddled on his back. Though she didn¡¯t speak, her actions clearly showed that she didn¡¯t want to look or touch any of this filth. In the current situation, Duanmu Huai seemed like¡­ well, the song says it all¡­ ¡°With a chicken in my left hand, a duck in my right hand, and a fat baby clinging onto my body DU-YA-DU-YA-AI¡­¡± If Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t so tall and huge, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry three others on his body, right? The sewer was unbearably stinky, and an ordinary person would faint if they spent too long here. Fortunately, Duanmu Huai was wearing a fully enclosed Power Armor and didn¡¯t need to worry about that. Ann and the Elf Princess quickly cast an Air Purification Spell on themselves. As for Ogis ¨C puppets don¡¯t need to breathe, right? However, because of this, there were no guards or sentries here. Even the Cultists who would be causing trouble wouldn¡¯te here to find death. Therefore, the group didn¡¯t face any obstacles. After forcefully breaking through several sewer exits, Duanmu Huai and his party finally reached the end of the sewer. The ancient sewer system was different from the modern ones. It had to consider the flow and disposal of waste. The sewer system in the Royal City used groundwater as a power source to bring waste out of the city, and discharged it into underground cavities and rivers. If Duanmu Huai¡¯s sensation about the Dimension Stone was correct, it should be located at the central hub of the underground sewer system. ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Duanmu Huai once again took a look around, then turned to his two Magic Advisors. Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, both of them started to think. Soon, the Elf Princess shared her opinion. ¡°Perhaps they n to use the water flow to contaminate the whole city? The Evil God Cultist often does such things. If these waterways share the same source as the underground river, the Spiritual Energy would pollute the water and affect others.¡± ¡°But I can feel arge amount of Magic Power stirring vigorously below. They might be using the water flow to cool down the high temperature generated by the release of magic.¡± Ann also put forward her views. She didn¡¯t know much about the Evil God Cultist, but her ability to sense Magic Power was far superior to that of the Elf Princess, a point that was very important to Duanmu Huai. Chapter 140 - 121: Entrance_2 Chapter 140: Chapter 121: Entrance_2 ¡°A vigorous cirction of magic power? Is that dangerous?¡± ¡°Of course, the magic power down there is very unstable¡­ Hmm, maybe it¡¯s because the person controlling magks the necessary skill? If you aren¡¯t careful, you can easily lose control of the magic power, causing an explosion.¡± ¡°How powerful could it be?¡± ¡°Destroying the entire Royal City wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Having heard Ann¡¯s answer, Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment, then turned to look at her. ¡°Ann, suppose we rush over now, to deal with the out-of-control magic power, how confident are you?¡± ¡°Eh? Well¡­at most one minute.¡± ¡°Is that enough time?¡± ¡°We can use the stable form of Colettus Magic to firstly stabilize it, and then¡­¡± As she spoke, Ann stretched out her fingers, drawing in the air a set of calctions resembling high math equations, then she nodded. ¡°No problem, I can handle it.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai nodded, then he took out the Thunder Warhammer and held it in his hand. ¡°Now, listen carefully everyone, the n is simple. We rush directly to the water source, secure the Dimension Stone, Ann, while I distract those guys, you go straight in and take control of the magic power. Don¡¯t bother with anything else. Ogis, it¡¯s your job to protect Ann, Princess, please assist from the sideline, is everyone clear?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Following Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the three of them each nodded, then Duanmu Huai turned around, looking straight ahead. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s get started!!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the very next moment, Duanmu Huai began to sprint forward. In the dim sewer, arge figure d in ck armor moved as quiet as a ghost, sprinting forward at an incredible pace. It was not that Duanmu Huai himself was fast, but the ¡°Gravity Gloves¡± he was using ¨C gloves that freely manipted gravity. Naturally, they could be used on oneself. By reducing one¡¯s own gravity, one¡¯s speed naturally increases. This was a unique use of the Gravity Gloves that Duanmu Huai had developed. Just the simple act of increasing and reducing gravity could produce various effects, truly a divine artifact for yers. It was with these gloves that Duanmu Huai was able to sprint as fast and nimble as a cat, without making any noise. By the time the soldiers guarding the water source realized something was amiss, Duanmu Huai had already appeared in their field of vision. ¡°Who is that?!!¡± The guards shouted as they raised their weapons, however, at the same time, Duanmu Huai extended his hand towards them and pulled forcefully! Invisible gravity instantly changed direction, dragging the guards and the iron door they were guarding. The soldiers screamed and writhed. At this moment, they were not flying forward, but falling towards the abyss. They could only watch in despair as they ¡°fell¡± before this terrifying ck beast. Then ¡­he swung the Warhammer.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Boom!!!!!¡± The sweeping warhammer knocked the fully armed soldiers flying. Their bodies and limbs twisted and deformed under the impact, falling along with the heavy iron door. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai lunged into the water source. In contrast to the filth of the sewer, the water source was exceptionally clear, with water gushing from a white stone-carved circr pond that sloped into a torrent in the middle of a massive hollow. At the same time, Duanmu recognized a massive Dimension Stone at the very center ¨C it was the stone he had dug out from Modheim¡¯s slums, situated at the heart of the fallen city. At this moment, the Dimension Stone stood upright in the middle of the water source, emitting a dazzling magical glow. Around the crystal stood nine Circles, each with a mysterious drawing inside, and an Evil God Cultist standing in each one. However¡­.something seemed strange at the moment. From the middle of the Dimension Stone, energy burst out like lightning, striking the disciples who were shaking their bodies as if they had epilepsy, appearing as if they were being forced to do the disco dance. What was going on? Duanmu Huai¡¯s question was quickly answered. ¡°As expected, the magic has gone out of control!¡± Ann, who rushed in right after him, eximed upon seeing the scene, Duanmu Huai turned to look at her. ¡°Out of control?¡± ¡°Yes, they were likely trying to use the nine Circles to stabilize and diffuse the powerful magical force erupting from the centre, but something seems to have gone wrong. They are nowpletely tangled with this force, like a person being struck by electricity and unable to separate.¡± ¡°Oh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± ncing at the stone powder next to the Circle, everything suddenly made sense to Duanmu Huai. Clearly, these Evil God Cultists had used the Dimension Stones to set up the Array and tried to stabilize the magic power. However, these Dimension Stones had been secretly substituted with ordinary stones ¨C stones that cannot absorb magic power. So, these idiots screwed up. Hahahahaha. Chapter 141 - 121: Entering the Scene_3 Chapter 141: Chapter 121: Entering the Scene_3 ¡°Can you absorb it?¡± Deep down, Duanmu Huai sneered at the stupidity of this group of Evil God Cultists, then quickly got to the main point. ¡°Of course, but it will take some time!¡± While saying this, Ann walked over to the pond near the water source, then took out her ever-present Sorcerer Book from her waist and raised it high. She then opened the pages. Apanied by chanting, a shining magic circle appeared out of thin air,pletely engulfing the entire ball of mana, and the bubbling source of magic power began to calm down gradually. ¡°Phew¡­¡­.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was not as knowledgeable as Ann, he had studied at Manaria Magic Academy so he knew that the boiling mana was beginning to settle down. However, looking at those cultists whoy on the ground like dried corpses, Duanmu Huai was rendered speechless. Nine, it seemed, was the number of the God of Trickery. That is to say, these idiots had gathered the three princes to ughter each other using cunning plots, and then used their evil technique below, hoping to benefit from the fight. However, because they didn¡¯t anticipate the Dimension Stone being swapped for a regr stone, their n failed and they ended getting involved in it themselves¡ª¡ªHahahaha, this is definitely the consistent style of the idiotic followers of the God of Trickery. However, it¡¯s not over yet. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re pretty quick too.¡± Just then, a voice came from outside. Duanmu Huai turned his head and saw the Witch Hunter had appeared there at some point, looking exactly the same as before. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai stared at him and waved his hand. ¡°Long time no see, I thought you were dead.¡± ¡°Hahaha, luckily¡­¡­I didn¡¯t¡­¡­¡± However, before the Witch Hunter could finish his sentence, Duanmu Huai suddenly raised his hand and reached out for him. Instantly, an invisible gravitation bound the Witch Hunter¡¯s body, firmly suppressing him in his ce. The next moment, the Witch Hunter let out a shriek and transformed into a sticky, pink, blob-like monster with limbs. It swung its body desperately while letting out a piercing scream with its wide-open mouth. ¡°How did you¡­¡­¡± ¡°Next time, don¡¯t turn up conveniently, or people might suspect you.¡± Duanmu Huai stared coldly at the demon in front of him, then squeezed his right hand tightly. The next moment, the demon exploded and vanished into thin air. The Elf Princess stared in surprise at Duanmu Huai after witnessing this. ¡°How did you know it was a demon?¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The Elf Princess, of course, knew what that pink creature was ¨C a Pink Terror Demon, a demon of the God of Trickery. They can transform into any object in existence, in fact, these little pink figures are best at counterintelligence and camouge, even the elves have a hard time distinguishing who has been transformed by the Pink Terror Demon. ¡°Experience, and its timing is all too convenient.¡± Looking at the ground before him, Duanmu Huai snorts. He even suspected that the Witch Hunter he first met in Modheim was a disguise of the Pink Terror Demon. However, he doesn¡¯t care. His suspicion mainly arose from the convenient appearance of the Witch Hunter who was never informed about his n, this was enough for him. That¡¯s why yers trust Soul Cards more, after all, you never know if the NPC that is always following you might be a Pink Terror Demon in disguise, popping out at an unexpected moment to stab you in the back, then whispering in your ear ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a mole¡±¡­¡­ However, things are far from done. Duanmu Huai had spotted arge group of life responses approaching quickly via the Reconnaissance Servo Skull. Clearly, looking at them, these guys areing with bad intentions. ¡°Ogis.¡± Duanmu Huai gripped his war hammer and blocked the exit by striding over to the door. ¡°Protect Ann, I¡¯ll handle things here!¡± Chapter 142 - 122: Blood-Red Banquet_1 Chapter 142: Chapter 122: Blood-Red Banquet_1 Meanwhile, within the royal pce, a banquet is underway. Under the melody, men and women with heavy makeup and splendid attire all dance gracefully. However, in spite of their actions suggesting that they are enjoying the banquet, their tense eyes and nervous faces show that they are not asfortable as they seem. At this moment, their gazes are fixed on the three figures on the stage. ¡°Elder Brother has recaptured Modheim, indeed a great achievement.¡± Admiring the robust young man before him, the Second Prince lifts his wine cup with a smile. ¡°As it seems now, you being the Imperial Emperor is a well-deserved title.¡± ¡°Hmm, naturally.¡± The Crown Prince is sitting on his chair, swirling the wine in his cup, his eyes fixated on his younger brother. He has never liked this thin, monkey-like brother of his. Seeing him trying to tter now, the Crown Prince still doesn¡¯t look pleased. ¡°Heh, hehe, everyone knows Big Brother is the strongest.¡± The Third Prince, on the other hand, is as usual engrossed in enjoying the delicacies and fine wine. His round body, like a ball of skin, is tightly wrapped in the finest silk from Zhen Dan, making him look like a round human ball with short arms and legs. Two useless beings. The Crown Prince conceals his disdain deep in his heart and looks at the two once more. ¡°So, since you both have admitted, ording to the agreement, isn¡¯t it time for you to hand over the holy artifacts that you possess?¡± ¡°That is natural.¡± The Second Prince pulls out a scepter as long as a forearm, studded with white diamonds, and ces it on the table. The Third Prince, with some difficulty, stretches out his hand and removes a ne with a disk from his almost unnoticeable neck. These are the other two holy artifacts, the Scepter of the Wind God and the Wrath of the Earth God. Seeing this, The Crown Prince raises his eyebrow, about to reach out and grab them when suddenly the Second Prince grabs the scepter. ¡°Wait, Elder Brother, have you forgotten something?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°ording to the imperial decree, only the one who collects all four holy artifacts is eligible to be the Emperor. I believe the Hammer of Fire God is in your hands¡­ So, where is the Gift of the Water God?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Upon hearing the Second Prince¡¯s inquiry, the Crown Prince¡¯s face darkens. ¡°This is none of your concern. In fact, I think it¡¯s meaningless. Without an heir, it doesn¡¯t matter whether the Gift of the Water God exists or not. Besides, I think that the method of choosing the emperor this way is not praiseworthy. Hence, I n on reforming the imperial session system.¡± ¡°The system indeed breaks hearts, brothers are forced to stand against each other to be the emperor, it¡¯s really heart-wrenching¡­ But, rules are rules, so I want to see the Gift of the Water God¡­¡± At this, the Second Prince narrows his eyes, a faint smile gracing his lips as he stares at the Crown Prince. ¡°Could it be that after the grandiose expedition to the City of Silver, Elder Brother didn¡¯t find the Gift of the Water God?¡± ¡°¡­Hmmph!!¡± Hearing his brother¡¯s veiled usation, the Crown Prince snorts. As the Second Prince has said, the Crown Prince¡¯s main reason for leading the army to recapture the City of Silver was to find the Gift of the Water God. ording to a clue he obtained through a royal channel, the Gift of the Water God should have been ced in the Temple of the City of Silver. However, when the Crown Prince led his troops to defeat the gue Followers and the Ratman Army upying the city, and came to the temple, he found that the Gift of the Water God seemed to have been taken! Who could it be? ¡°I must admit, I have my suspicions about this too.¡± With a nce at the Third Prince, still engrossed in his feast, the Crown Prince staunchly stares at the Second Prince. ¡°When I arrived at the Temple in the City of Silver, the holy artifact that should have been there was nowhere to be seen. Both of us know very well that the barrier that guards the holy artifacts cannot be broken unless by someone of direct royal blood.¡± ¡°Oh my?¡± The Second Prince feigns surprise. ¡°Going by Elder Brother¡¯s inference, could it be that you think I took it?¡± ¡°This is Aldorf.¡± The Crown Prince stares at his brother, his tone detached. ¡°Since you¡¯re both here, I think, you should give me an exnation. No matter who it is, as long as they hand over the Gift of Water God, I will let this matter rest for good. As long as you remain loyal to me, I guarantee that your power and status will not be threatened.¡± ¡°But with a single thought from Elder Brother, we¡¯d lose our heads, wouldn¡¯t we?¡± The Second Prince smiles faintly. ¡°Elder Brother, do you think I would just sit idle?¡± ¡°You have no choice.¡± Staring at the Second Prince, the Great Crown Prince spoke coldly. ¡°Hehehe.¡± Faced with the words of the Great Crown Prince, the Second Prince suddenly burst outughing. ¡°Since the beginning, elder brother, you¡¯ve always thought that you do everything the best, so you never care about the opinions of others. Surely you can¡¯t really believe that all of this is a matter of course¡­no, I think brother also understands that the Emperor has always looked down on you. Otherwise, why would you conspire with the Northern Barbarians to assassinate the Emperor?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡ª!!¡± Hearing this, the Great Crown Prince¡¯s face changed drastically as he mmed the table and rose abruptly. At the roar from the Great Crown Prince, the nobles, who had been trembling in fear, instantly went silent, standing still, not daring to move. Even the music that was ying seemed to have stopped at some point. However, the Second Prince continued to sit leisurely in his chair, swirling his wine ss and looking at the Great Crown Prince with interest. ¡°Is it strange? Elder brother, why do you think I know all of this? To tell you the truth, I was shocked when I first learned about this n. I didn¡¯t expect that elder brother, who has always been so tough, would actually resort to such a shameful assassination scheme.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re wondering how I knew about it? The reason is simple¡­¡­.¡± The Great Crown Prince did not hear the rest of what the Second Prince was saying, as at that moment, a sharp de suddenly emerged from behind him, aimed at his heart. Years of battlefield experience allowed the Great Crown Prince to instinctively react at the moment the de was about to strike. He leaned over, and the de plunged into his back, piercing through his lungs. ¡°Pugh¡ª-!!¡± The Great Crown Prince suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, turning his gaze toward his own trusted aide behind him. At this moment, he was stabbing the dagger into his own body with a ferocious smile. ¡°You¡­¡­¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om However, before the Great Crown Prince could say anything more, thetter suddenly twisted the de, apanied by a surge of intense pain the Great Crown Prince screamed, falling to the ground. Screams erupted. The guests present were already shaking with fear, but the Second Prince stood up without concern, walking up to the Great Crown Prince and looking down at him. ¡°Elder brother, you never expected it, did you? In fact, inparison to you, an unenlightened idiot, I am the most loyal follower of the God of Changes. You actually thought that you could use the power of the God of Chaos without paying a price? The fact has proven, your stupidity really leaves me speechless.¡± ¡°So, you sent him by my side¡­ and¡­ persuaded me to worship the Evil God?¡± ring at his younger brother, the Great Crown Prince gritted his teeth while thetter appeared rxed. ¡°Elder brother¡¯s words are quite unpleasant, what do you mean persuade? I didn¡¯t coerce you into doing anything. You sought the help of the God of Changes yourself, didn¡¯t you? I just utilized elder brother¡¯s n conveniently¡­ and now, everything is over, elder brother.¡± While speaking, the Second Prince bent down and stared at the Great Crown Prince. ¡°This pce, this country, everything here is mine now¡­and you, after all, are just a clown dancing in the palm of my hand. Oh, and the Dimension Stone you painstakingly obtained, and the ceremony- don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll finish the ceremony in your stead and offer the God of Changes the sacrificial gift he desires¡­¡± ¡°Hehehe, hehehe¡­¡± However, before the Second Prince finished his words, he was interrupted by a moronicughter. Irritated, he stood up and looked at the Third Prince who was still stuffing a chicken leg into his mouth at the table. ¡°My foolish brother, don¡¯t you understand what¡¯s happening? Or have you be so stupid that you can¡¯t see it all?¡± ¡°I, I know, hehehe¡­¡± The Third Prince, his face full of fat, nodded hard. ¡°But, I don¡¯t like it, hehehe¡­ we¡­ are all brothers, why then¡­ fight each other? We should all lovingly get along, isn¡¯t that great?¡± ¡°It seems you really don¡¯t understand.¡± Looking at the Third Prince who seemed like a simpleton, the Second Prince snorted coldly. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter, just listen to me obediently, got it? Dumbass?¡± ¡°This, this isn¡¯t good, it isn¡¯t good.¡± The Third Prince vigorously shook his head. ¡°Together, it¡¯s good when we¡¯re together, together! Yes, together!!¡± ¡°Bang!!¡± As the Third Prince continued speaking, suddenly, the huge turkey in front of him exploded. Immediately, countless cockroach-like insects crawled out and scattered in all directions. Meanwhile, the nobles who had eaten the banquet food let out shrieks of terror. They agonizingly tore at their own skin as their well-maintained skin began to swell and decay. Countless tiny flies crawled out their mouths and ears. With each cry, they spread dark green, gueden poisonous fog, rapidly filling the entire hall. Meanwhile, the Third Prince raised his hand high, and with his movement, his clothes and skin began to fall off, revealing his body riddled with pus-filled sores and foul smell. ¡°Praise the Merciful Father¡ª¡ª!!¡± Chapter 143 - 123 A Night of Chaos_1 Chapter 143: Chapter 123 A Night of Chaos_1 ¡°You¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The Great Crown Prince and the Second Prince were stunned when they saw the Third Prince, who was now emanating a foul smell and exuding poisonous insects and mosquitoes. The Second Prince¡¯s face was ashen, his expression ferocious. ¡°You foolish idiot, do not think that pledging allegiance to the God of gue gives you the freedom to do as you please!¡± As he spoke, the Second Prince lifted his scepter. Soon, a gale was howling; a tornado, spinning violently, rose from the ground, attempting to whisk everything in its vicinity away¡ªhowever, at that moment, an unexpected change urred. The War Hammer at the Great Crown Prince¡¯s waist unexpectedly emitted golden mes, sshing outwards like a shower of light and instantly entering the spiraling vortex. The next moment, under the fierceness of the gale, the tiny sparks transformed into billowing mes, engulfing the entire hall! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The whole pce instantaneously became a scorching, gigantic furnace. In the blink of an eye, the merciless mes reduced the mosquitoes, the fetid poisonous gas, and the ugly insects to ashes. Even the unfortunate guests were not spared. They were either painfully howling as they were burned to char, or silently turned into ashes. When the mes dissipated, only the three princes barely remained alive within the hall. The Great Crown Princey on the ground, his body charred. His skin resembled wood that had been burned to charcoal. The Second Prince fared somewhat better, holding his magic wand, he looked around with rm. Though he had utilized his magic power to protect himself from being burned to nothingness at the final moments, his tattered clothes revealed that he was not entirely unscathed. As for thest prince, the Third Prince, he was currently seated on the ground, his eyes dull,ughing foolishly like an idiot. However, at this moment, his fatty body was being seared by the golden mes. He looked like a giant pig that had been thrown into a fire pit, the merciless mes tearing at his skin, his muscles, charred his internal organs. Torn chunks of meat fell from his body as pustules emerged, bursting open on his skin; putrid yellow pus seeped out in an attempt to extinguish the mes but only caused them to burn hotter. ¡°How, how is this possible¡­¡± Staring at the golden mes around him, the Second Prince turned pale. He knew what these mes were, but¡­ why?! ¡°Thud¡­ thud¡­ thud¡­¡± The sound of footsteps echoed. The Second Prince lifted his head to see a group of Golden Armored Guards carrying spears, marching towards him. These were the Royal Pce¡¯s Imperial Guards. They had not shown up for some time, even though the Second Prince had hoped to win them over. He did not expect to meet them under such circumstances. However, soon, the Second Prince saw a figure among the Imperial Guards that he could not believe. ¡°You, you¡­!!¡± ¡°You all have truly disappointed me.¡± Under the protection of the Imperial Guards, Kevin slowly emerged from the other side of the corridor. He stared at the ravaged banquet hall and his three sons with a solemn and cold expression. Kevin, both serious and remote, had cast away his previous adventurer¡¯s attire, wearing his Emperor¡¯s clothes; he looked quite imposing. ¡°You, how are you still alive?¡± Seeing Kevin, the Second Prince¡¯s face changed dramatically. He hastily retreated backwards, as if realizing something. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, you are an imposter!!¡± As he spoke, the Second Prince raised his hand, pointing it at Kevin. ¡°How brazen! Who gave you the audacity to impersonate the Emperor? Guards! Arrest this man! Now!!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still as foolish as ever.¡± Looking at the Second Prince¡¯s reaction, Kevin shook his head. Then he reached out¡ª the next moment, the ¡°Hammer of Fire God¡± at the Great Crown Prince¡¯s waist abruptly flew out andnded in Kevin¡¯s hand. Simultaneously, a golden radiance exploded from the hammer, encasing Kevin. At that moment, a magnificent shadow manifested behind him, it was the figure of the founding Emperor of the Empire! ¡°How can this be¡­!¡± Upon witnessing this, the Second Prince¡¯s face turned ashen. Only those with royal blood could use the Imperial Holy Artifacts. As princes, they could also use these artifacts, but in actuality, this was only because the Emperor had granted them permission. In other words, as princes, they only had ¡°usage rights¡± not ¡°ownership rights¡± before their official coronation as Emperor. Being their imperial father, if he wanted to reim the ownership, it would only take a thought to do so. So, this was it! At this moment, the Second Prince finally understood. It was clear that their father had taken the gift of the Water God and directed this deceitful drama, ying them all along! ¡°My child.¡± Looking at the Second Prince, whose expression fluctuated between gloom and astonishment, Kevin began to speak in a calm voice. ¡°Your betrayal was not surprising to me, but I still want to know, why? What gave you the audacity to murder your father and usurp the throne?¡± ¡°Hehehe, hehehe¡­¡± However, facing Kevin¡¯s inquiries, the Second Prince only chuckled softly. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve done is for this Empire, Father.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing the Second Prince¡¯s words, Kevin just stood there, staring at him silently. The Second Prince now seemed to be letting go, raising his hands and staring at the Emperor. ¡°Father, you understand. The power of Chaos is so great that we can¡¯t possibly defeat them. I saw the future. In the future, this world will be destroyed, and our country, our people, will be obliterated!¡± At this point, the Second Prince raised his voice abruptly. ¡°So, what is the point of our existence? No one will know of the Empire anymore, our culture, our religion, everything, will bepletely destroyed! Is this our ultimate fate? Can we only sumb to such a fate?¡± The Second Prince clenched his teeth and fists. ¡°I can¡¯t ept it, I can¡¯t ept that everything ends like this, so I made a choice.¡± ¡°So your so-called choice is to be theckey of the Evil God?¡± ¡°Exactly, so what?¡± The Second Princeughed tragically. ¡°Although the Master of Thousand Changes is the Chaos Evil God, it is not as brutal as the Brutal God, nor as dirty and ugly as the gue God, nor as filthy as the God of Lust. It merely yearns for wisdom and hope. So, why can¡¯t we follow its will and yield to it?¡± Here, the Second Prince pointed to the charred bodies of the nobles in the banquet hall. ¡°Father! Look, look at these people! They extolled Sigma with their mouths, but in the end? In the end they still live luxuriously,ughing and joking at the wine table, plotting behind the scenes. Did Sigma enlighten this country? What¡¯s the use of believing in Sigma? They are all followers of Sigma, but they live lives as depraved as those of the Evil God Cultists! Since this country has already decayed beyond cure, and even Sigma cannot correct it, why not simply remove this unclean skin, follow the guidance of the Master of Thousand Changes, and be its loyal servants! In this way, at least this country, the people of this country, can continue to survive, and as long as the Master of Thousand Changes exists, our Empire will never be destroyed!!¡± At this point, the Second Prince even clenched his fists as if he were insane. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? Father? Everything I did was for the continuation of the Empire! Sigma cannot rescue the Empire from the shadow of destruction, and we are destined to find our own way!!¡± Hearing the words of the Second Prince, Kevin remained silent for a moment, and then silently sighed. ¡°Foolish child.¡± Kevin shook his head, staring at his son. ¡°The moment you put your fate in someone else¡¯s hands, you are no longer allowed to choose.¡± ¡°We were born with no choices, Father.¡± The Second Prince smiled bitterly in helplessness. ¡°Whether for the country or the people, everyone¡¯s fate has already been decided. We just deceive ourselves into thinking we can control our own destinies, but all that is simply an illusion. Like chess pieces on a chessboard, no matter how they choose to move, in the end, they can only abide by the rules of the board.¡± At this point, the Second Prince threw away the Scepter of Wind God in his hand and pulled out a gem from his bosom. ¡°No matter what you n to do, Father, I have made my decision, to dedicate this city to the Master of Thousand Changes, and allow the Empire to endure forever!!¡± With the roar of the Second Prince, the gem in his hand erupted with a deep blue glow. Quickly, a huge eye symbol appeared out of thin air. Simultaneously, the oppressive sense of powerful magic erupted instantly, sweeping across the entire field. Even the elite Imperial Guards could not resist the pressure radiating from the eye, inevitably retreating. Only Kevin was still standing there, holding the War Hammer, looking at the Second Prince holding up the gem. However, at this moment¡­ suddenly, an unexpected incident urred. The eye symbol, which originally floated above the head of the Second Prince symbolizing the Master of Thousand Changes, suddenly began to flicker, just like a malfunctioning neon sign. But then, the next moment, it abruptly vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, the surging magic power also vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed. ¡°What, what¡¯s going on?¡± The Second Prince looked in surprise at the gem in his hand. He had already nned to summon a portal using the power of the Dimension Stone and then sacrifice the entire Royal City. But just now, the Second Prince suddenly noticed that the magic power disappeared! It¡¯s like driving a car and suddenly realizing the fuel tank is empty! Why did this happen? ¡°See, I told you, my child.¡± Staring at the Second Prince, Kevin grasped the War Hammer. ¡°When you hand your fate to someone else, you don¡¯t get to choose the oue.¡± Chapter 144 - 124 Arrival of the Early Morning_1 Chapter 144: Chapter 124 Arrival of the Early Morning_1 Duanmu Huai had no idea what was happening above, and he had no interest in finding out. For Duanmu Huai, what he needed to do now was destroy the ritual¡¯s core. As for the issues above, he would leave them to Kevin and the others to handle. After all, this country was blessed by Sigma, not by him. Could the fate of the Empire be any of his concern? Was Sigma expecting to fleece him? Not to mention, Duanmu Huai was busy himself! Although he didn¡¯t know what was happening above, shortly after, arge group of gue creatures rushed from the other side of the sewer andunched an attack on Duanmu Huai and the others. It must be said that for these beings, whose bodies were already rotten and stinking, the sewer was their home field. The mere sight of these creatures, covered in the filth of the sewer yet utterly unperturbed, was enough to cause anyone to lose their mind. The Elf Princess initially fought alongside Duanmu Huai, but after a few rounds, she couldn¡¯t help but choose to retreat¡ªthese creatures were just too disgusting. However, luckily, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t need to go hand-to-hand with these filthy creatures as he did before. After all, his time studying at Manaria Magic Academy hadn¡¯t been a waste! ¡°Ha!!¡± Duanmu Huai raised his hand, and soon, under the influence of the Gravity Gloves, the sewer began to tremble. Broken stones whistled forward like bullets, hitting the bulky bodies of the gue monsters and stopping their advance. At the same time, he released a spell card with a swipe of his left hand. Summon Ice Avatar! A biting chill spewed out, freezing the flowing water in front of him. A giant ice avatar emerged from the frozen water, blocking the path of the gue monsters like a wall. As the Ice Avatar held back the gue Monsters, Duanmu Huai made another move. A bolt of lightning shot out, piercing through the Ice Avatar and hitting the gue Army within. The gue monsters struck by the lightning howled in agony. However, before the gue creatures could recover, sharp ice thorns, like spears from the sky, directly prated their bodies, nailing them firmly to the ground. Chain Lightning Strike! Then¡­ Ice Spike Strike! Finally¡­ Freezing Storm!!! The howling cold wind filled the entire sewer, freezing everything in its path. Even the flowing water in the sewer turned into solid ice at this moment. As for the gue monsters, they were directly frozen into ice sculptures and then shatteredpletely. ¡°How can this be¡­?¡± Seeing the scene in front of her, the Elf Princess murmured in surprise, nearly at a loss for words. Ann continued to absorb magical power, while Ogis was standing guard beside her. Even though the Elf Princess wanted to go over and check the situation, the doll-like girl firmly refused her approach¡ªif Duanmu Huai told her to protect Ann and not let anyone near, naturally Ogis would obey. So, the Elf Princess had to shift her attention and watch Duanmu Huai¡¯s battle. But to the Elf Princess¡¯s surprise, this man could actually use magic! And it¡¯s very powerful too!? How is this possible?! The Elf Princess almost did not believe her own eyes. Generally, when most people saw Duanmu Huai¡¯s outfit and him, their first reaction would be that this man was a very fierce warrior, but they would definitely not associate him with magic. But seeing Duanmu Huai manipting wind and rain in front of her, he disyed the skill, calmness, and maturity of a Mage. Moreover, the magic he cast was quite strong. Though it was unclear, the Elf Princess could feel that Duanmu Huai was using a very unique spiritual energy technique. Right¡­ just like that youngdy. Thinking of this, the Elf Princess once again looked at Ann, who was fervently absorbing the energy of the magic crystal, and her brows furrowed slightly. Many people don¡¯t know that human magic and High Elves have a very close rtionship. A long time ago, the High Elves taught human magic at the request of humans, and the Magic Academy in Aldorf was established as a result. So, the magic used by humans and High Elves are fundamentally the same. However¡­ theirs ispletely different. Whether it¡¯s the young girl named Ann or the magic that Duanmu Huai uses, their way of handling spiritual energy ispletely different from the high elves. Moreover, from their skilled techniques, it can be seen that this is not the result of a random improvement by someone, but a systematic usage method. Could it be that the Empire has established a new magic research system at some point? Thinking of this, the Elf Princess¡¯s eyes lit up. Perhaps¡­ this might be an opportunity. ¡°We have seeded!!!¡± At this time, Ann¡¯s shout interrupted the Elf Princess¡¯s thinking. She turned her head and was surprised to see that the spiritual energy bound by the magic circle in front of Ann was gradually weakening. It turned into a stream flowing into the magic book in Ann¡¯s hand. Soon, apanied by the influx of spiritual energy, the ck text on the magic book in Ann¡¯s hand began to change into the shimmering blue magic symbols. As the pages turned, many energies were absorbed and transformed. But what surprised the Elf Princess most was¡­ Ann didn¡¯t show any difort or unease at all. On the contrary, she was guiding this power very smoothly andpetently, not showing any difficulty. How is this possible? The Elf Princess knew very well how fragile humans were. Ordinary people would probably mutate just by getting close to such a density of spiritual energy. Right now, Ann was in the heart of the spiritual energy. In theory, even if the spiritual energy was not out of control, her body should show various changes when invaded by spiritual energy¡ªhuman mages working more with spiritual energy would mutate more, eventually turning into monsters. However, this girl waspletely unconcerned, to the point that the Elf Princess was wondering if she was a half-elf. But she doesn¡¯t look like one¡­ Meanwhile, as thest trace of the spiritual energy was absorbed by the Sorcerer¡¯s Book, Ann breathed a sigh of relief. The Dimension Stone, which had been floating in mid-air and emitting dazzling light, now fell to the ground like a piece of gray ss, then shattered with a ¡°bang¡±, turning into a pile of fragments on the floor. With the dissipation of the swirling magical power, everything came to an end. After once again repulsing the attack of the gue Magic Beasts, the enemy seemed to realize that their n had failed and stoppedunching attacks. Duanmu Huai also led the others out of the underground sewer after this. When everyone crawled out of the sewer, the sky in front of them was already showing the colors of dawn, and the view of Aldorf city seemed to be peaceful. Thus, a new day had arrived. Duanmu Huai learned about what had happened within Aldorf city from General Pastteter. On the night of the banquet, several Evil God Cultists attempted to start fires in Aldorf city to cause amotion. Fortunately, General Pastte had enacted martialw that night, arresting anyone who dared to step out of their house, leading to minimal damage. As for the royal pce, it wasn¡¯t so lucky. Duanmu Huai saw the entire pce was ravaged as if it had been bombed, with holes everywhere. He heard this was the result of a fight between the Emperor and his three unfilial sons. In short¡­. in the end, these three unfortunate guys were beheaded, paraded through the streets, and then burnt to death. In this way, this troublesome matter was somewhat resolved. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the end for the Emperor. He still had to consolidate power across thend and continue to prevent the Northern Barbarians froming down south ¨C but this had nothing to do with Duanmu Huai anymore. ¡°Are you sure all you want is this?¡± The Emperor, sitting on the throne, asked Duanmu Huai in front of him. Duanmu Huai nodded in reply. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s what we agreed upon. You¡¯re not going back on your word, are you?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the Emperor shook his head with a bitter smile. He then made a gesture, and soon, several attendants came over and handed over what they had in their hands ¨C the remaining three Holy Artifacts. This was the agreed upon reward between the two parties. ¡°If you wish, I could give you a piece ofnd, even give you the title of Earl¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not interested.¡± Duanmu Huai, extending his hand to pick up the Holy Artifacts, shook his head at the Emperor¡¯s offer. ¡°I have more important things to do. From now on¡­ you¡¯ll have to work hard on your own, Your Majesty The Emperor.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, with the current state of the empire¡­I do have a lot to handle.¡± Saying this, the Emperor sighed and looked at Duanmu Huai again. ¡°In that case, I wish you all the best. Either way, you and your battle team saved this city. If it weren¡¯t for you all disrupting their nefarious ns, the entirety of Aldorf might have beenpletely destroyed by now. I will broadcast your deeds throughout the empire, so that everyone will know that it was you who saved our nation.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Hearing the Emperor¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to mention our team¡¯s name.¡± ¡°I understand, the Pink Bunny Battle team¡­uh, I will remember that.¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, the Emperor froze for a second, but he still nodded quickly in response. ¡°By the way¡­ now that you¡¯ve given me the Holy Artifacts, who do you n to choose as the next heir to the empire?¡± n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Looking at the Holy Artifacts in his hand, Duanmu Huai curiously looked at the Imperial Emperor ¨C his three sons had revolted, so who was he nning to choose as the next heir to the empire? However, as Duanmu saw it, the Emperor didn¡¯t need to be too depressed about this. After all, he wasn¡¯t the first emperor to have rebellious sons. ¡°I¡¯vee up with apletely new idea.¡± The Emperor thought for a moment, and then decided to share his idea with Duanmu Huai. ¡°As you can see, blood ties can¡¯t guarantee loyalty. My foolish children can go against me for various reasons. If they take over the empire, it will only bring pain and disaster to the country. So, I n to implement a new electoral system ¨C I will appoint the lords of the various territories within the empire as electors, and when I abdicate, the next Emperor will be chosen from among these electors. There will be no consideration for family background or status, only achievements¡­ only the one with the most support can be the Emperor.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± Listening to the Emperor¡¯s answer, Duanmu Huai was speechless. Well¡­ best of luck then. After that, Duanmu Huai bid farewell to the Emperor and returned to the space station with Ogis and Ann. As for him, he didn¡¯t care what the Emperor¡¯s reward was. Nextes the real substantial transformation of his own space station! Chapter 145 - 125: Launch_1 Chapter 145: Chapter 125: Launch_1 Back at the space station, Duanmu Huai returned to the terminal and initiated the space station¡¯s construction system. [Core Cabin (Complete)][Reactor (Not Unlocked)][Strengthening Chamber (Not Unlocked)] [Tribunal Library (LV5)][Strategic Command Room (LV1)] [Power System (Not Unlocked)][Defense Module (Not Unlocked)][Weapon Module (Not Unlocked)] [Extinction Order (Not Unlocked)][Void Barrack (LV1)][Void Dockyard (LV1)] [Special Building (Not Unlocked)] [Remaining building points: 7] ¡°Just barely enough, I must say.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He had managed to acquire four Holy Artifacts in Manfred¡¯s old castle and with the three transferred over by the Emperor, it should be enough. So, let¡¯s get started. First off, upgrade the [Tribunal Library] to LV10! [Tribunal Library upgraded to LV10, gained 100% increase in analysis speed, and extra +1 Super Wisdom] [Super Wisdom (finished researching currently analyzed item)] ¡°Initiate Super Wisdom!¡± [Super Wisdom Initiated ¨C Antimatter Energy Core Analysispleted] [New building unit acquired ¨C Antimatter Reactor] [New building unit acquired ¨C Super Dimensional Space Tunnel Engine] ¡°Excellent!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai clenched his fist and nodded. Next¡­, unlock the reactor and the Super Dimensional Space Tunnel Engine! ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± With Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the originally dim space station gradually brightened and simultaneously, apanied by a faint roar, the floor began to shake slightly. Powerful energy instantly connected the entire space station, transforming it from the dim light to bright illumination. At the same time, in front of Duanmu Huai, new system prompts appeared again. [Station engine detected as active] [Form transformation mode activated] [Avable Transformations ¨C Queen Glory ss Battlecruiser] ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, Ancient Saint¡¯s science and technology are truly impressive.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but exim. It¡¯s like a yer¡¯s space station gaining the ability to transform just like a base vehicle in RTS games after it acquires power and engine. You can retract it to be a normal vehicle, then stretch it out to form a base when you¡¯re in the right ce. As for the transformation forms, they¡¯re directly proportionate to the output of the reactor. Typically, the reactor that yers get initially is basically only enough for a scout ship ss and a Moon ss cruiser at most. But in his case, the Ancient Saint¡¯s Antimatter Reactor could actually support a Queen Glory ss Battlecruiser¡­ Ancient Saint Science and Technology, terrific indeed. The Queen Glory ss Battlecruiser is one of the most powerful warships a mid-level yer can possess. It is equipped with two Mass Projectors, twelve torpedounchers, six Large Bombardment Turrets and a Light Spear and Macro Cannon. Along withsers and close defense cannons and anti-aircraft turrets, it forms a huge firepower center that resembles a mobile fortress. Basically, all Imperial warships look very simr. First of all, you construct a steel base. Then, you build a Gothic-styled cathedral that stands several tens to hundreds to thousands of meters high on the base. Next, you build a long corridor stretching from a few hundred meters to several kilometers in front of the cathedral. After that, you attach heavy armor to both sides of the corridor, and install various types of Macro Cannons and Light Spears as well as gun turrets all around it. Finally, you fit a triangr head at the front to ram at any time and attach an engine at the rear end of the base toplete it. A church with an engine attached to it is called a battleship. That¡¯s pure Imperial style science and technology. Not to mention, that Gothic elegance and nobility that permeates to its very core is indeed quite pleasing to the eye. ¡°Activate transformation.¡± Standing before themand tform, Duanmu Huai issued themand in a calm tone. ¡°Beep¡­ Beep¡­¡± Soon, a rapid rm sounded, echoing in the deste cabin. All the people who were originally here had been sent back to their original worlds by Righteous, so there was no need to worry about any issues. As the rm sounded, the fortress in front of them began to gradually transform. The formerly stretched corridors that served as hubs connecting to vast different areas began to rotate and close like a person bringing their extended arms together. Following that, the huge, sturdy Void Dockyard began to transform, folding into robust and robust armor and shielding the outside of the corridor. After that, window after window opened as gigantic Macro Cannons appeared, pointing at void space, ready to fire and tear any object within range into shreds. Standing next to Duanmu Huai and witnessing this colossal metal transformation outside the window, both Ann and Kukulu were in awe. Simply standing here, watching those impossibly colossal entities slowly moving, transforming and aligning themselves was a deeply impressive and humbling sensation. After a short moment, the space station that was once suspended in the universe turned into a gigantic warship. Duanmu Huai reached out and opened themand tform before him. Soon, a star map, along with dense, web-like lines extending across it, appeared before him. Webway. Seeing these lines, Duanmu Huai breathed a sigh of relief. This was what he needed, the best technology among the ck tech of the Ancient Saints, without a doubt. The so-called Webway refers to the channels built by the Ancient Saints for navigating the subspace, which can be considered simr to subway tunnels. The Webway can safely protect warships within it from being eroded or threatened by the subspace, keeping all threats outside. During the Human Empire era, humans did not possess the technology to construct the Webway. Their method was even cruder, which was to directly enter the subspace and then teleport across¡ªit was certainly a tiring task. It¡¯s like sailing on a dark sea without anypass or star to discern direction. However, during the Human Empire period, the great Emperor constructed something called the ¡°Star Torch.¡± This being fundamentally acted like a lighthouse in the subspace. The burning Star Torch illuminated the darkness of the subspace, guiding the direction for those warships. But after the ck Hole Project, the Human Empire was thoroughly wiped out, and naturally, the Star Torch also disappeared without a trace. Of course, the Webway isn¡¯t that easy to ess. Only the Ancient Saints knew how to open and close it; although the Spirit race could use some of the Webway technology, the genuine Webway could only be used by the Ancient Saints themselves. Except for yers. As a veteran gamer, Duanmu Huai had studied how to open, activate the Webway and teleport within it in the game. The extent of the Webway controlled and blocked by the Spirit race did not even amount to one-ten-millionth of what the Ancient Saints had built. Just looking at the densework of lines was enough to rify this. Duanmu Huai¡¯s finger slid on the star map; with his motion, the star map in front of him began to disy in different forms. He removed the damaged, sealed parts of the Webway one by one, and then found the intact Webway signs. ¡°What are you doing, Sir Knight?¡± Ann curiously stared at the star map in front and questioned. ¡°I am finding a route¡ªa route to our next target.¡± ¡°Next target? Another world?¡± ¡°Close enough.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded, and Ann immediately became excited. ¡°So will I go along too? Can Greiya apany us this time?¡± ¡°This time, only I can go.¡± ¡°Eh¡­.. Why?!¡± Hearing this, Ann pouted, showing an unhappy expression. Duanmu Huai nced at her and shook his head. ¡°Because this is my trial, as you know¡­ As a knight, I have to go through a trial to reach the next stage¡­¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Ann nodded, then looked at Duanmu Huai with renewed curiosity. ¡°So, Sir Knight, how long are you nning to be gone?¡± ¡°Judging by the current situation¡­¡± Duanmu Huai was sliding the star map, connecting the Webway passages again. ¡°At least a few months.¡± Simultaneously, the star map emitted a blue light, indicating that the Webway had been connected. Duanmu Huai turned his head and looked at the girls. ¡°Alright, you guys go back first. After my trial is over, I wille and see you guys.¡± ¡°Alright then¡­Sir Knight, be careful.¡± ¡°Bon voyage, Sir Knight.¡± Ann, Kukulu, and others bid farewell to Duanmu Huai and then walked through the portal back to their own world. Duanmu Huai shrugged and looked at Ogis.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Ogis, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to watch over my warship during this time, can you do that?¡± ¡°Of course, Master.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s order, Ogis nodded slightly. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai pressed a button. The next moment, the space in front of the warship began to copse suddenly, followed by a rotating, expanding, wormhole-like cavern gradually appearing. Simultaneously, the warship¡¯s engine roared, releasing a dazzling me, and sailed straight into the wormhole. It was only an instant. The next moment, the scene in front of Duanmu Huai changed; chaos, a tunnel flickering with multicolored light, filled his field of view. But this processsted for less than ten seconds, and the dark universe reappeared before his eyes¡ªas well as a bright red. ¡°Ancient Saint tech truly is awesome.¡± Looking at the star map navigation marker in front of him, Duanmu Huai silently praised. Normal subspace travel isn¡¯t this quick and easy. In theory, once yers can transform, they will receive a series of coordinates from afar, then the yers will follow the coordinates to the next destination, embarking on their cosmic adventure from there. But Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t need to go through all this trouble. Like a yer clearing levels, knowing where the hidden weapon is and just going to get it right from the start is better. Why take the long way round? Indeed, this was the ¡°hidden weapon¡± Duanmu Huai wanted¡ªThe Secret Advanced Quest. And now, it is finally within reach. Chapter 146 - 126 Heading to Hell_1 Chapter 146: Chapter 126 Heading to Hell_1 Before Duanmu Huai embarked on his mission, he reflected on the history of Star Ocean Online. As per the history of Star Ocean Online, during the 20th millennium, human civilization reached its peak, a period poprly recognized as the Golden Age of Humanity. Humans practically ruled the entire Milky Way during that time, having colonies on numerous celestial bodies of varying sizes. The crisis of mechanized intelligence, however, marked the end of the Golden Age; coupled with the conspiracies of the Chaos Evil God, the human empire began to wane rapidly. Interference from the subspace storm cut offmunications between humans and most of their colonies, plunging even the sr system humans inhabited into a state of turmoil. At this juncture, the Emperor rose to the asion, pulling the failing human empire back from the brink of catastrophe. He created gic prototypes and led an army in a vast expedition, reiming the colonies lost after the Golden Age, to restore the glory of humanity. However, Horus¡¯s rebellion dealt another significant blow to the human empire. After a few millennia, it was on the verge of destruction. Eventually, a desperate,st-ditch measure known as the ck Hole n swept across the entire Milky Way. Within all this, there was one critical factor to note. Although many human colonies survived, the civilizations of these colonies were at different development stages. Indeed, many human colonies outside the sr system fell into a state of atrophy and regression after losing contact with the human empire during thete Golden Age. Over time, many colonies regressed to the point of having almost no difference from primitive societies. In fact, when the Emperor brought his fleet to these colonies, he found manys in the stages of either primitive or feudal societies. Nheless, the human empire at that time didn¡¯t take these colonies very seriously, perhaps the Emperor intended to slowly develop these colonies after the grand expedition, but the rebellion disrupted those ns¡­ Therefore, even though the human empire had the capability to send churches into the sky, many of the colonies were considerably primitive. Following the ck Hole n, the human empire was destroyed, leaving these colonies to develop on their own. Consequently, the development of many colonies varied significantly, ranging from primitive societies that hadn¡¯t progressed for tens of millennia to interster civilizations embarking on space exploration. Another intriguing fact was that, possibly due to the residual impact of the ck Hole n, many colonies in the gxies considered their owns to be Terra, the origin of the Human Empire. Indeed, during space exploration, yers would encounter countlesss that imed to be Terra¡ªnumbering in the hundreds or perhaps thousands. Of course, none of them was the genuine Terra. The yer who first discovered this secret task of advancement happened upon a civilization in the midst of development¡ªthat civilization had achieved space exploration within their star system. But, they encountered an issue at a research base on one of theirs, identally connecting to subspace. And then¡­naturally, the base was annihted, everyone in it perished. The yer arrived there, responded to a distress signal, being an adventurous soul, dived into the base, battled fervently and even ventured into the subspace connected to the base. When the task ended, he gained apletely new advanced profession. Compared to many challenging advancement tasks, this task wasn¡¯t very difficult. In essence, it followed a temte of ¡°I don¡¯t know who I am, I don¡¯t know where I am, I just know that I¡¯ve to fight fervently¡±¡ª¡ªin short, just kill everything that obstructs your way. The reason Duanmu Huai chose this mission was due to the special effect of this advanced profession¡ª it could absolutely exterminate all demons. Yes, exterminate. Typically, subspace demons couldn¡¯t be killed. Even if defeated in the physical world, they would merely be reborn in subspace. This was simr to how the demons Duanmu Huai had encountered before. Regardless of how relentlessly Duanmu Huai fought, the demons were merely ¡°banished¡± from the physical world and returned to subspace¡ªthey weren¡¯t annihted. However, this advanced profession allowed yers to exterminate the demon¡ªthoroughly, in both the physical world and subspace. This sent shockwaves through many yers. It was implicitly understood which was more significant¡ªbanishing or killing. An offer was even extended by a professional gaming team to that yer for a trial. But then¡­there was no ¡®then.¡¯ On hearing the offer, the yer was so excited that he told his parents he was forgoing university to be a professional gamer. His promation was met with a swift and effective joint beating from his parents, leaving him incapacitated for life. In the end, all his gaming equipment was confiscated, let alone undergoing the trial. He even made the news as a negative role model, serving as a warning to high school seniors to study diligently and not to be distracted by online gaming¡­ Thus fell a powerful being who could genuinely y demons, defeated by his parents¡¯ wrath. It was definitely a scheme by the God of Trickery. Well, it was about time for his own debut. Standing in front of the paratrooping capsule, Duanmu Huai gathered his thoughts. The radar had just detected a subspace explosion. Though he did not know how long ago it happened, at least from what he could tell now, the base had likely be a domain of death, much like the ill-fated settings of many sci-fi movies. Only by going there would he know for sure. With this thought, Duanmu Huai entered the capsule. A restrainer swiftly descended, clutching the shoulders of his power armor, securing him tightly. The next moment, the capsule burst out from beneath the warship like a cannonball, howling through the atmosphere, hurtling towards the steel base below. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The heavy, sturdy drop pod punctured the dome of the base andnded hard inside the Steel Base. Followed by the sound of jet propulsion, the tightly closed hatch slowly opened. With his War Hammer in hand, Duanmu Huai stepped out, vigntly eyeing the front. Before Duanmu Huai,y a dimly lit steel hallway, with bloodstains and corpses scattered around. Red alert lights flickered, making a harsh beeping sound. Hmm, atst, it feels a bit familiar. Seeing the scene in front of him rxed Duanmu Huai somewhat. After all, this felt like his familiar battlefield, especially in those space stations invaded by Chaos or among the Spaceship Wrecks, full of simr scenes¡ª¡ª¡ª Well, frankly, this was the kind of battlefield he was used to. So, which way should he go next¡­¡­. While thinking, Duanmu Huai moved forward, recalling the forum post he had seen by a yer. It was mentioned that the subspace explosion in the base was no ident. Instead, a scientist in the base was misled by a demon and chose to believe in the Faith Demon, intentionally opening a channel to subspace. Well, such heresy is everywhere, and if found, must certainly be put to death immediately.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Just as Duanmu Huai was deep in thought, suddenly, a humanoid monster charged out from around a corner. It was dressed in human soldier¡¯s armor, but its face was distorted and pale, much like a moving corpse. Duanmu Huai barely bothered looking at the monster before stretching out his left hand, grabbed it by the head, and smashed it on the wall beside him! ¡°Bang!!¡± The next moment that monster¡¯s head smashed against the steel wall, instantly sttering it into pieces. ¡°As expected, it was corrupted by subspace.¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the bloody body, scoffed, and moved on. Due to the suppression of the real-world, unless Subspace Demons reach a certain level, they have difficulty manifesting physically. Therefore, at the early stages of a subspace explosion, most demons would inhabit different living beings, twisting their souls and minds, mutating them into monsters for battle. Of course, these monsters aren¡¯t particrly strong or threatening. At least not for a Judge. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Then, apanied by a beastly roar, Duanmu Huai saw several twisted soldiers approaching. They held weapons, their eyes aimed at him like madmen before they pulled their triggers. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!!!¡± A series of guns went off, but unfortunately, none of the bullets could even so slightly scratch Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor. Duanmu Huai, instead, quickened his pace and charged directly at the soldiers, attacking him and abruptly lifted his War Hammer, and swung! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The whistling War Hammer flung the three soldiers obstructing him, they flew like unwanted and discarded rag dolls and smashed harshly into the nearby wall, instantly falling silent. However, it wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°Hehehe!!!¡± A sudden sh of red lightning, and a small-sized monster appeared out of thin air in front of Duanmu Huai, cackling as it jumped at him. But Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t even turn around, just stepped back, causing the small monster to be struck by the back armor, before being stuck between him and the wall. With a slight force, there was a ¡°snap,¡± and the monster sandwiched in between stopped reacting, resembling a squashed bug. ¡°These demons don¡¯t seem to be very strong.¡± Duanmu Huai turned around and looked behind ¨C the demon that he just squashed had already turned into ash and disappeared into the air. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai frowned slightly. Given his experience, these demons were rtively weak. Although the yer who posted the mission didn¡¯t specify the strength of these demons if they were just this weak, they could hardly fulfill a hidden promotion requirement. Or could it be that these were only the outermostyer of demons? Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai withdrew his thoughts and looked ahead. Never mind, he will find out as he proceeds. Chapter 147 - 127: Demon Killer_1 Chapter 147: Chapter 127: Demon Killer_1 For Dr. Braid, it was an extraordinarily exciting day. As the head of this research facility, Dr. Braid had discovered secrets unimaginable to the average person. Underneath the destion of this alien world, an advanced civilization had once lurked. That civilization was ultimately destroyed, but Dr. Braid had obtained a new technology from their leftover records. A technology that could lead to a ce called ¡°Subspace¡±. Afterward, Dr. Braid sessfully replicated this technology and eagerly opened a gateway to Subspace. There, he saw and felt¡­ the truth of the universe. It was the source of this world and everything within it! Therefore, he opened the portal, attempting to fully merge this realm with Subspace. In doing so, he could gain infinite power and be a deity beyond humanprehension! Initially, the n was going very smoothly. The fools in the base were no match for the demons. Whether it be the powerless researchers or armed soldiers, they all met a painful and hopeless death amidst the screams and howls of the Subspace demons. But then ¡­¡­ What the hell is that? Watching the surveince screen before him, Dr. Braid was dumbstruck. Within the screen, a towering armored monster rampaged through the corridors. The demons, capable of easily ying fully armed soldiers, seemed as helpless as chicks against it. Their attacks couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on this horrifying armored beast. Not even the mes they furiously spewed forth, capable of melting steel, could leave any trails on its body. On the contrary, this armored monster was killing the demons like an expert. Most people would be scared stiff at the sight of the terrifying demons, yet this armored monster seemed to disregard thempletely. It merely swung its war hammer, sweeping it across like performing a simple cleanup task, instantly smashing any demons in its way into pieces. ¡°Bang!!!¡± On the screen before him, Dr. Braid watched as the armored monster swung its war hammer once more, sending a sealed iron door flying. But simultaneously, a demon that had been waiting inside the room roared and charged towards the monster. It looked like a bull without horns, not only thick-skinned but also possessing powerful impact force ¨C even an armored vehicle was no match for it! However, what happened next was beyond Dr. Braid¡¯s belief. Against the bull-like demon¡¯s charge, the armored monster showed no signs of evading or defending. Instead, it roared back and charged against the demon. With a ¡°bang¡±, the bull-like demon couldn¡¯t even hold out for a second before it was overturned and sent flying towards a corner by the armored monster, splitting into two halves on impact. ¡°Sssss¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Seeing this, Dr. Braid sharply inhaled in shock. What in the world is this creature? Yet the fight wasn¡¯t over. At that moment, arge demon rushed towards the armored monster. This stout demon looked like a fat man ofrge build. Its arms were giant rocket propellers capable ofunching powerful fireballs. However, this time, the tubby devil didn¡¯t choose to fire. Instead, it rushed forward and smacked its hand onto the war hammer held by the armored monster, restraining it. Then, the tubby devil roared and raised its hands, aiming for the monster¡¯s head. But just then, the armored monster let go of the war hammer, reached behind, and brandished a chainsaw sword, swinging it forcefully at the tubby devil! ¡°Buzz¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The whirling chainsaw sword split the tubby devil in two like slicing through fat pork, the fatty cuts gleaming with oily lustre under the light. The tubby devil didn¡¯t even have a chance to resist before being sliced into two bs of meat and crashing to the ground. The armored monster then picked up the war hammer, stepped over the body of the tubby devil, and continued to advance. At this moment, Dr. Braid could no longer afford to be shocked. In fact, when he saw the creature pull out the chainsaw sword, Dr. Braid seemed to realize something. He hurried to theputer, opened it, and quickly, various images came into view on the screen ¨C those were pictures of the ancient inscriptions that the research base had unearthed from the ancient civilization within this. It was these materials that gave them knowledge about the lost civilization hidden beneath the surface of this. ¡°Just as I thought¡­!!!¡± Seeing one of the photographs of the inscriptions, Dr. Braid¡¯s face turned grave. The image was a depiction of thest standing stone ¨C a horrifying warrior, d in skull armor and wielding a chainsaw sword, charged at an onught of demons. Single-handedly, he vanquished all the demons and destroyed the portal. However, afterwards, this terrifying warrior turned around and started purging the inhabitants of the ¨C for they had defied the sacred will, colluding with demons! This was the true reason for the extinction of the civilization on this ¨C they were not destroyed by the demons, but by the very entity that was supposed to be their salvation! But¡­ that should have happened thousands of years ago!! Where on earth did this thinge from? Looking at the photograph of the inscription in front of him, Dr. Braid was covered in cold sweat. He initially thought that whatever had happened on this was already ancient history. But the monster that appeared before his eyes now seemed like a nightmare from a fairy taleing to life¡­ Could this really be possible? No, it can¡¯t be! Thinking of this, Dr. Braid shivered. He could feel the nightmares of hell¡¯s depths raging and hating the armored monster before his eyes. Such a fiery anger that it felt like it would burn his brain into charred coal, even he could feel the heat. It absolutely cannot be allowed to ruin everything! Although he didn¡¯t know exactly what this armored monster was, Dr. Braid was sure that its target was the demon he had just summoned. Under no circumstances could he allow it to seed!! Of course, Duanmu Huai had no idea what the mastermind behind the scenes was thinking. In fact, there was only one thing he was doing right now, all in line with the single sentence of the secret advanced mission he had triggered. [Breach Hell, eliminate demons!] Simple, direct, just kill! Of course, Duanmu Huai was not an idiot. To breach Hell, naturally, he had to go to subspace. For Duanmu Huai, going to subspace was not difficult, even if there weren¡¯t any subspace fragments resonating with his soul here. He knew how to enter subspace ¡ª if that idiotic doctor had opened a fissure into subspace here, then there must be a core. All he had to do was find a focal point and burrow in. After all, as a yer, Duanmu Huai had done such actions thousands of times, he could do it with his eyes closed. But¡­how many demons does he have to exterminate to call it quits? Strictly speaking, demons in subspace are endless. As mentioned earlier, unless you possess a special ability, it is actually very difficult to kill these subspace demons. At most, you could temporarily eliminate them, only to see them resurrect. However, Duanmu Huai doesn¡¯t have time to worry about such small matters. In short, first, he charges into the subspace, and then decides what to do next! As the saying goes, ¡°Where there is a will, there is a way!¡± Wait, that¡¯s not the original saying. Well¡­¡­ ¡°The end is in sight, the journey always has a destination!¡±? Forget it, they all mean the same thing.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Duanmu Huai shook his head and continued forward. Although he was totally unfamiliar with this base, it was no matter. Because the reconnaissance Servo Skull has already scanned the whole base clearly. Now, all he had to do ording to the map in front of him was to find the ce with the strongest subspace fluctuations. Of course, this is not an easy task. Due to the previous battle, the entire base had been sealed off. Even quite a few ces had beenpletely blocked. Just like the elevator door right in front of Duanmu Huai waspletely sealed. ording to game rules, he should probably go look for an ID card or something to unlock the door first, then enter¡­¡­EMMMM, but this is reality, not a game. Duanmu Huai reached out, grabbed the elevator door, and pulled hard! ¡°Boom!!¡± Apanied by a frantic rm sound, the heavy iron door was ripped open directly by Duanmu Huai. He then peered down into the nearly hundred-meter-deep tunnel and leaped down!! ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The wind whistled past Duanmu Huai¡¯s ears, the invisible force of gravity bound his body like shackles, pulling him down rapidly. Just as Duanmu Huai was about tond at the very bottom, he lifted his right hand, and the impact was effectively countered by the gravity gloves making hisnding on the floor akin to a stone falling heavily. But, this was not the end. ¡°Screech¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Just as Duanmu Huainded, a harsh friction sound suddenly came from above. Then, the elevator came thundering down, crashing directly towards Duanmu Huai! However, in the face of the falling elevator, Duanmu Huai neither dodged nor ducked. Instead, he directly grabbed his Thunder Warhammer, and made a grand swing at the elevator car!! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!!¡± The entire ground shook violently in that instant. A momentter, the severely damaged elevator door was smashed open, and Duanmu Huai simply strode out from it, his armor not even scratched! Just what kind of monster is this!! Witnessing this scene, Dr. Braid¡¯s legs gave out from fear. That blow just now, even some powerful demons wouldn¡¯t able to withstand it, but this monster emerged unscathed? Recalling the scenes witnessed from the inscriptions on the stone tablet, this steel monster single-handedly vanquished all the demons and even went on to kill the aliens who had summoned them¡­could it be true? How then could this creature be killed!! Eureka!! With that thought, Dr. Braid¡¯s spirit lifted as he suddenly thought of a solution. Going by the route this steel monster is advancing, it¡¯s heading towards the location of his transfer device. It¡¯s highly likely that it ns to proceed as depicted on the stone tablet and destroy the transfer device, closing off the gateway to Hell. If that¡¯s the case, why not reverse the y and throw him directly into hell? The demons here may have been incapable of dealing with this steel monster, but can unlimited demons of Hell not deal with him?! Chapter 148 - 128 Delving into Hell_1 Chapter 148: Chapter 128 Delving into Hell_1 Duanmu Huai naturally had no idea that someone was nning a trap for him, but the deeper he went, the more he felt something was not quite right. Because, the demons he encountered were somewhat different from the ones he knew. Generally speaking, as a Judge, Duanmu Huai was very familiar with the demonic minions of the four Chaos Evil Gods. But the demons he was meeting now were not the minions of the Chaos Evil Gods, but more like¡­ the Primal Demons? Well, this is interesting. Contrary to popr belief, the Chaos Evil Gods did not always exist in Subspace. In fact, in the beginning, the Chaos Evil Gods were just a group of¡­um¡­ things simr to spiritual energy, without self-awareness or form. Subspace at that time was very peaceful. Apart from some demons born of emotional projections of life, there were no particrly powerful beings. Here it should be exined that, due to the disordered and chaotic nature of time in Subspace itself, observing the timeline of the Subspace through human perspective is meaningless. Simply put, when an Evil God is born, it will exist in the past, present and future of Subspace all at once, and form a unique existence. However, this does not mean that its existence begins at its birth.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Take the God of Lust for example, the youngest among the Chaos Evil Gods. It originated from the Elf Tribe in the universe¡ª¡ªthe Aida Spirit Tribe, which is basically rted to elves, equally long-lived, powerful, and dominated. Eventually, over the long years, the Aida Spirit Tribe could no longer derive pleasure from simple hedonism, so they began to pursue more stimting sensory experiences and crave more intense emotional ups and downs. Finally, these twisted, fallen, and filthy intense emotions intertwined and created the God of Lust¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªits birth resonated within the entire Subspace, and most of the souls of the Aida Spirit Tribe were absorbed into it, making it one of the Chaos Evil Gods. The moment the God of Lust was born, it existed in the past, present and future of Subspace. ording to this rule, though it is born because of the Aida Spirit Tribe, from the moment it was born, the God of Lust would also exist even without the Aida Spirit Tribe in the past. The same is true for the other three Evil Gods. From a human perspective of time, they are not deities who were born with the universe, nor the deities who created this world. But one day, when they were born, they became the only existing beings in the past, present, and future of this universe. However, to facilitate understanding, it¡¯s better to describe in ordance to the human concept of time. ording to the yers¡¯ exploration, what is currently known is that at the very least, when the Ancient Saints were exploring the universe and building thework, the Subspace was still calm. There was no trace of the Evil Gods, only some very generic Primal Demons. They are also projections of life¡¯s emotions, but at the time, life¡¯s emotions were not as intense or passionate, hence no Evil Gods appeared. So perhaps some will ask, if that¡¯s the case, then how did the Evil Godse about? There is no conclusive evidence or investigation results from the yers regarding this. The current evidence points to the Ancient Saints¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªbecause ording to the investigation results of the ruins and some historical records, when the Ancient Saints first entered the Subspace to construct thework, it was quite peaceful until they met a species called Fear of Death. This species had an extremely short lifespan. Therefore, they desired the nearly eternal life of the Ancient Saints, and were, of course, refused. What makes you think you can just walk up to me and demand eternal life? Even the mantis would not agree to that, let alone the frog. So, the Fear of Death got angry and enraged. If you don¡¯t give it to me, I¡¯ll seize it! Next, the war between the Fear of Death and the Ancient Saints, known as ¡°Heaven¡¯s War¡± was started. It can be imagined that, at the time, facing the Ancient Saints, the Fear of Death had little power. There was a huge difference between the two sides, like the fully armed Imperial Army against the junk-armed private soldiers of mountain bandits. But the Fear of Death, who had been beaten down by the Ancient Saints, did not just concede. Instead, they found a backer¡ª¡ªthe Star Gods. The Star Gods at that time were also an existence that existed in the Milky Way universe from the beginning. But at that time, they were just a pile of nerds who liked to bask in starlight. Later, the Fear of Death gave the Star Gods a physical body, giving them self-consciousness and a substantive body. Afterwards, a Star God suggested to the Fear of Death¡ª¡ª¡ªsince you are so afraid of death, why not simply discard your fragile body and ascend mechanically? In this way, don¡¯t you have eternal life? Upon hearing this, the Fear of Death thought, hey, that does make sense. So, ording to the Star God¡¯s words, they gave up their bodies and transferred their thoughts into a living metal¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªbut this also foreordained the doom of the Fear of Death. Their life and soul became the property of the Star Gods, and what was transnted into the living metal was just their thought. And so, the Fear of Death ceased to be, and the Space Undead was born. Chapter 149 - 128: Deep into Hell_2 Chapter 149: Chapter 128: Deep into Hell_2 Whether Space Undead are considered lifeforms is a debate among yers. Some yers believe that although Space Undead have lost their lives and souls, they still possess self-awareness, emotions, and cognitive abilities and should therefore be regarded as living beings. However, other yers assert that Space Undead are no more than robots that ¡°assume¡± they have self-consciousness, as if someone has programmed them to feel emotions and think logically. To these yers, Space Undead are not truly alive or even truly ¡°undead¡± ¡ª they are simply a group of robots. Can something without a soul or life still be considered a lifeform? The principal piece of evidence used to support their belief is that Space Undead can be infected by viruses, causing logical errors and turning them into a creature known as ¡°Skinners.¡± This, in and of itself, is enough evidence. Well, that¡¯s not important. Regardless, after this, the Star Gods and the Space Undeadunched an attack on the Ancient Saints, escting the War of Heaven and causing the Saints to retreat. Most people believe that it was this intense war that swept across the Milky Way that caused the previously calm Subspace to be overwhelmed. Countless races were drawn into the war and their pain, anger, and despair ultimately led to the birth of the Chaos Evil God. By the way, after defeating the Ancient Saints, the Space Undeadunched a counterattack against the Star Gods, shattering and sealing them. This act of betrayal cost the Space Undead greatly. To avoid retribution from other survivors (mainly the spirit race who were steadfast allies of the Ancient Saints), the Space Undead chose to hide in their tombs and sleep ¡ª waiting to wake up and breathe in the air of freedom after all other lifeforms had died due to the passage of time. Even though they no longer needed to breathe. That being said, most of the demons in Subspace are now under themand of the Chaos Evil God. Encountering such ¡°pristine¡± demons like the ones here¡­ well, it¡¯s been a while since Duanmu Huai hase across any. Consequently, he spected that this might be a fragment of Subspace that leads to a Demon World untouched by the Chaos Evil God. After all, Subspace is theoretically infinite, while the Chaos Evil God is finite. Even the so-called omnipotent God of Trickery isn¡¯t truly all-knowing or all-powerful; it merely gives the illusion of being so. Therefore, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Duanmu Huai if a Demon Fragmented World were quietly growing stronger beyond the purview of the Chaos Evil God. However, this does at least reassure him that he won¡¯t inadvertently stumble into the territory of a Chaos Evil God. That would be much more problematic. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Bang!!!¡± Duanmu Huai swung his war hammer again, striking it hard against the giant monster in front of him. It was a giant spider with a human body, much like a Spider Spirit from myth. Although this Spider Spirit wasn¡¯t particrly strong, it managed to reproduce at an rming rate. For Duanmu Huai, the time wasted killing little spiders that crawled out from every corner far exceeded the time he spent dealing with thisrge one ¡ª that is, if thetter didn¡¯t insist on confronting Duanmu Huai in the name of ¡°How dare you harm my children¡±. Otherwise, he would have had no way to deal with it. But now¡­ The Thunder Warhammer smashed the Spider Spirit¡¯s head t and knocked it to the ground. Duanmu Huai then pulled out his Chainsaw Sword and swung it violently at the Spider Spirit. Apanied by a sh of the de, the upper body of the Spider Spirit was severed from its arachnid body. He then approached and forcefully stomped on the fallen humanoid half! ¡°Squish!!!¡± Blood sttered everywhere. The next moment, the annoying little spiders scattered, while Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t even nce at the body he had squashed into pulp, instead continuing to stride forward. ¡°Huh¡ª¨C!!!¡± Watching this scene through a monitor, Dr. Braid turned deathly pale. He thought he had long since be ustomed to the cruelty, wanton violence, and terror of the demons. But seeing this massive armored creature so easily dispose of one of his most elite demons, he felt an indescribable fear rise from the depths of his heart. But stay calm! He¡¯s almost reached the teleportation room!!! sping his fists tightly, Dr. Braid motivated himself. As soon as the armored beast arrived in the teleportation room, he would immediately activate the portal and send it to Hell. Once there, the beast would never be able to return, it would be torn to shreds by the demons and be just as ugly and pitiful as the rest¡­ ¡°Boom!!!¡± However, at this very moment, the door was abruptly smashed open. The heavy steel door rolled out, hitting the adjacent wall with a deafening boom. The sudden noise startled Dr. Braid, his finger hovering over theunch button and his eyes fixated on the entrance. Soon after, Dr. Braid saw the towering figure emerging from the dust. Even though he had seen this creature on the surveince monitor, Dr. Braid was suddenly consumed by an indescribable fear when he saw it with his own eyes! Its dark, bizarre, heavy armor was embedded with white skulls and red cross signs. This massive figure seemed like a terrifying and powerful shadow monster in Dr. Braid¡¯s eyes,pletely shrouding him under its shadow. The mere sight of it left Dr. Braid gasping. The beastly aura was palpable, rendering him immobile. It was as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, his heartbeat was bing fainter, and his vision was gradually dimming. Soon, everything around him started to disappear from his sight, reced by the monstrous figure that filled his entire field of vision. He opened his mouth to gasp for air, to scream, to vent out this unbearable terror. However, Dr. Braid felt like he waspletely constrained, as if he was tied to a stone and sunk into the sea. Even when he opened his mouth, he couldn¡¯t breathe in a single trace of air. On the contrary, he could feel his lungs wheezing desperately, trying to extract whatever air they could from the surroundings. However¡­ this was the limit. When the armored monster stared at him with its glowing red eyes, Dr. Braid felt the tight string in his chest snappletely, and at the same time, he plunged into the boundless darkness. [You have intimidated Dr. Braid] [Dr. Braid tries to resist intimidation¡­ resistance failed!] [Dr. Braid is ovee with terror ¨C Dr. Braid can¡¯t resist extreme terror] [Dr. Braid dies suddenly!] Damn, what the hell?! Gazing at the system notification in front of him, Duanmu Huai was dumbfounded. How the heck did his intimidation skill be so strong? He hadn¡¯t even taken off his helmet, just one nce at that guy and he got scared to death? Could this really happen? While Duanmu Huai was grumbling, Dr. Braid¡¯s skinny body shook a few times before it mmed down onto the control panel in front of him, heavily hitting the control button. ¡°Beep¡ª¡ª Beep¡ª¡ª¡ª Beep¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± The next moment, Duanmu Huai noticed a strange device in front of him began to emit a dazzling yellow glow. But before he could react, everything around him turned pitch ck¡ª¡ª¡ªImmediately after that, Duanmu Huai found himself in an apparently endless wilderness stained red with blood. Here, volcanoes roared, spewing mes and toxic fog into the sky. Far off, terrifying and eerie stone structures were erected. Demons with gruesome images were everywhere, turning their heads to look at Duanmu Huai and issuing angry howls with their mouths wide open. Clearly, they did not wee Duanmu Huai¡¯s arrival. But¡­ Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t need their wee, either. ¡°Looks like I¡¯vee to the right ce.¡± Gazing at the army of demons in front of him, Duanmu Huai sneered, gripping his warhammer. ¡°Then, let¡¯s have a good fight!!¡± Chapter 150 - 129: Deep in Hell_1 Chapter 150: Chapter 129: Deep in Hell_1 Within the subspace, the concept of time doesn¡¯t exist. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Duanmu Huai had no idea how many demons he had in; he had somewhat be numb to it all. Countless demons surged from every direction, attempting to engulf the enemy before them. However, Duanmu Huai, brandishing his War Hammer, consistently annihted them one wave after another. He lost count of how many demons he had bludgeoned to death, to the point where he was feeling somewhat weary. ¡°Huff¡­.¡± After smashing a minotaur into a bloody pulp with his War Hammer, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but yawn. He felt as though he was ying a demon-ying game, constantly grinding enemies. But the problem was ¨C these beasts weren¡¯t dropping any Dark Golden Loots, were they? That guy could really hold out, huh. Looking back at the initial post by the yer iming ¡°The mission isn¡¯t hard, just ying demons¡±, Duanmu Huai was filled with admiration. The sheer number of demons would overwhelm most yers! Just like a truck driver cruising down the highway would eventually tire, staring at these demons brought no more emotional response to Duanmu Huai. He felt like a robot, mechanically swinging his War Hammer, smashing demons, advancing, smashing more demons, and then advancing again. To be frank, if he could use Soul Card, Duanmu Huai really wanted to summon Ogis for a chat. Unfortunately, when he entered Hell, the servant summoning from the Soul Card was sealed off. Clearly, this mission was a solo demon-ying journey for Duanmu Huai, not something that could be delegated to others. ¡°Boom!!!¡± After an unknown amount of time, a sudden burst of explosion and rumbling echoed from the distance, snapping Duanmu Huai out of his mindlessly mechanistic demon-ying spree. He instinctively turned his head towards the sound, seeing pirs of fire rising into the sky and the sounds of battle resonating through the air. Was that¡­ a war? There were others grinding demons in hell like him? Suddenly, Duanmu Huai was wide awake. It was as if a bored yer suddenly stumbled upon a surprise event, instantly invigorating them. Duanmu Huai then bulldozed his way through the demons blocking him and stepped on their corpses, heading towards the source of themotion. Momentster, Duanmu Huai finally arrived at the edge of the battlefield, witnessing the two sides at war. Sure enough, one side was the all-too-familiar demons and the other unexpectedlyprised humans. Or at least, they appeared to be humans. They were dressed in full-body armor simr to Sacred Knights, wielding swords, spears, and firearms, locked in fiercebat with the demons. Unfortunately, these unknown warriors seemed to be at the end of their strength. It appeared it was only a matter of time before they werepletely annihted by the demons. That just won¡¯t do! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai instantly furrowed his brows. Grinding demons solo in Hell for so long had bored him; he would chat even with a rabbit if there was one. But these were humans¡­ Regardless, since they were also enemies of the demons, naturally, he should lend a hand! With that thought, Duanmu Huai no longer hesitated, he leaped down from the cliff, diving straight into the battlefield below! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The sudden appearance of a massive silhouette startled both parties. The warriors wielding energy weapons looked at the towering figure in front of them, uncertain whether he was foe or friend. The demons on the other hand, appeared just as bewildered. Only after Duanmu Huai picked up his war hammer and devastated the demons in front did they finally realize what was happening. Gosh, he¡¯s with us!! With Duanmu Huai¡¯s reinforcement, the demons were instantly thrown into chaos. With his strength, ying these demons was like grinding low-level creatures in Diablo; swing the War Hammer, and piles of bloody fleshy sprinkled on the ground, ensuring even the snipers in the distance weren¡¯t spared. He simply reached out and with the aid of his Gravity Gloves, pulled the sneaky creatures in front of him and smashed them into pulp with his War Hammer. In just a moment, the tide turned in their favor. The previously disintegrating knights managed to regroup and under Duanmu Huai¡¯s protection,unched another charge at the demons. After a big chunk of their numbers were wiped out by Duanmu Huai, they also began to scatter and flee frantically. It was clear that although these demons resembled the minions of the Brutal God, they definitely were not. If the Brutal God were to find out that his demons were fleeing, that would be a tragic sight. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!!¡± However, the battle was far from over. As the demons scattered, a roar echoed suddenly, a gigantic demon, a few dozen stories tall and adorned with bull¡¯s horns, charged out from the side, its massive de aimed squarely at Duanmu Huai! ¡°Dammit!¡± Seeing the colossal demon, Duanmu Huai roared back. Immediately, a gleam shed at him, followed by ¡°Armed Enhancement¡± and ¡°Sacred Knight¡¯s Summon¡± exploding again. Simultaneously, Duanmu Huai lifted his War Hammer and charged headfirst towards the massive deing his way!! Chapter 151 - 129 Deep in Hell_2 Chapter 151: Chapter 129 Deep in Hell_2 ¡°Boom¡ª!!!¡± Just as the sword in the enormous demon¡¯s hand was about to sh Duanmu Huai, Duanmu Huai raised his right hand and activated the gravity gloves again, which changed the direction of the sword¡¯s gravity in front of him. At the same time, he gripped his war hammer tightly and swung it hard, hitting it directly on the side of the sword. Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s full-strength blow, the sword held by the huge demon was deflected and smashed heavily onto the ground, instantly smashing a huge trench into the ground. Those knights and demons who didn¡¯t manage to dodge in time either lost their lives under the giant sword or fell into the abyss of the trench, vanishing without a trace. But it wasn¡¯t over yet!! ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Apanied by rising dust, Duanmu Huai leapt up. Then he gripped his chainsaw sword tightly with both hands, fixated on the glowing red core of the massive demon¡¯s chest. The next moment, jetpacks on Duanmu Huai¡¯s back exploded with a strong st of airbined with the speed provided by gravity, and like a bullet, Duanmu Huai rocketed towards the demon¡¯s core! From afar, one could only see a ck stripe whizzing across the sky, piercing into the demon¡¯s chest. The next moment, the demon¡¯s back blew open, and the howling shock wave mixed with the formidable attack of the chainsaw sword blew open the armored chest of the demon, piercing through its heart. The mighty demon, having suffered this fatal blow, lost all resistance, falling back onto the ground in a desperate attempt to fight, to no avail. ¡°Thunk¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The massive body of the demon fell heavily to the ground, the sight of which sent others demons panicking and fleeing. As the dust settled, Duanmu Huai, covered in blood, fell from the sky, reappearing before the steel knights. Staring at the armored giant covered in fresh blood who had once again appeared before them, the steel knights didn¡¯t move. They only watched him closely. Following that, the leading knight put down his weapon, kneeling halfway on the ground. As if taking their cue from him, the other knights also put down their weapons, knelt, lowered their heads, and began murmuring a word. It was a word Duanmu Huai found familiar. ¡°Astarte¡­¡­¡­¡± After that, Duanmu Huai chatted with the warriors and finally understood their origins. As it turned out, these warriors were also descendants of the Human Empire ¨C but they themselves had long forgotten this piece of history. To them, they had acquired a new name. The Yajinians. These Yajinians live in a ce called Nur¡¯s Ring, a world created by beings known as ¡°Elemental Spirits¡±. Like the Star Gods and the Ancient Saints, these beings were creatures that existed from the beginning of the universe. However, this group of Elemental Spirits wasn¡¯t as warlike and kept to themselves. Later, the Yajinians reached an agreement with the Elemental Spirits and began to develop here. Their world wasn¡¯t entirely peaceful, but it was prosperous. Eventually, an alien civilization known as the Mek Tribe arrived. After some friendly exchanges, the Yajinians became the Mek Tribe¡¯s vassals. The Mek Tribe provided them with advanced culture and knowledge, and the Yajinians became the frontiers of the Mek Tribe, fighting for them in various fields ands. As would be expected, through this process, they ended uping to the subspace and encountered the demons there. This wasmon. Almost all civilizations wishing to explore across gxies would sooner orter have to interact with the subspace. At first, the Yajinians were pushed back by the demons. But theyter secured their footing. They even acquired Hell Essence from some demons they had captured ¨C a strong and mysterious demonic power. This power not only could grant the Yajinians eternal life, but it could also strengthen their technical powers. In this circumstance, almost all members of the Yajin n fell under the influence of this demonic energy (or spiritual energy, to put it inly). They had almostpletely abandoned the Elemental Spirits they once worshipped. Only the Night Guards still maintained the traditions of old.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om However, during their next expedition into Hell, the Night Guards were astonished to discover that the Yajinians¡¯ overlord, the Mek Tribe, had already made a pact with the hellish demons. The Mek Tribe wanted the power of Hell to maintain their own immortality, and for this, they even betrayed Nur¡¯s Ring and the Yajinians. They also imprisoned the Elemental Spirits whom the Yajinians worshipped, making them constantly produce Hell¡¯s power for the Mek Tribe. They even nned on invading and decimating Nur¡¯s Ring, assimting it with Hell, and even using the souls of the Yajinians on Nur¡¯s Ring to refine this vile power! After learning this, the Night Guards tried to convince the people of Nur¡¯s Ring to resist the Mek Tribe. However, the Yajinians who were already corrupted by Hell¡¯s power had already abandoned their traditions. In order to preserve their tribe¡¯s purity and traditions, the Night Guards started a civil war and once again stormed into the depths of Hell, nearly obliterating the Mek Tribe¡¯s Yajin energy production factory. But there were traitors amongst the Night Guards, leading to their attack¡¯s failure. The remaining troops were either annihted or had to flee. The group Duanmu Huai encountered was such a unit of Night Guards who were being chased by demons. Had he not intervened, these Night Guards would surely have met their fate. The fact that these Night Guards could recognise Duanmu Huai was due to their traditions. Even though tens of thousands of years had passed, and the Human Empire had faded into history¡¯s dust, the ancestors of the Yajinians hadn¡¯tpletely forgotten their history. Their mythologies still detailed how the ancestors of the Yajinians travelled aboard their metallic arks to escape disaster and, under the guidance of the gods, arrived at Nur¡¯s Ring. And amongst these frescoes, naturally, there were depictions of Astarte¡ªthe great angel wearing skull armor, fulfilling the will of the gods to protect mankind. Now, in the eyes of these Night Guards, the legendary Astarte just materialized before their very eyes. It was the providence of the gods!! Well¡­¡­Duanmu Huai really wanted to tell them that the Judge and Astarte belonged to different organizations. But he decided against it. After regrouping with these Night Guards, Duanmu Huai immediately had his next objective. He had to fight his way back to Nur¡¯s Ring and take the Mek Tribe and the demons down! Joking aside, who is Duanmu Huai? He is the Judge of the Empire! As for the Mek Tribe, an Alien race, how dare they ally with the Chaotic Demon and enve the people of the Empire? If this isn¡¯t causing for purging, what is?! It¡¯s time for these damned Alien races to taste the wrath of loyalty! Chapter 152 - 130 Nurs Ring_1 Chapter 152: Chapter 130 Nur¡¯s Ring_1 After determining the next objective, Duanmu Huai and the Night Guards retreated towards their transportation base. ording to the Night Guards, the demons had begun a major onught against Nur¡¯s Ring, and they were uncertain of its current situation. However, they could predict that the circumstances were dire. Given that many Yajinians in Nur¡¯s Ring had already be captives of Hell Energy, they might surrender immediately at the appearance of demons¡­ This had happened before, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it happened again. Previously the Night Guards had fought a civil war with the defensive forces of Nur¡¯s Ring and attempted to infiltrate Hell to destroy the factory built by the Mek Tribe and the demons, but they failed. Now, Nur¡¯s Ring itself had virtually no defensive ability left. Facing the rampant demons, what they could aplish was a moot point. Operating with the Night Guards allowed Duanmu Huai to sigh in relief. Perhaps because these Night Guards were veterans who¡¯d survived countless battles, they were stronger mentally, not sumbing to fear like some scrawny scientists. As a result, Duanmu hadpanions to chat with on the road. They were curious about Duanmu¡¯s origins and the history of their Empire¨C as traditional warriors, they had a keen interest in the origins of their race. As Duanmu Huai fought the demons on the road, he shared the state of the Empire with them. Naturally, once the Night Guards learned the once thriving Human Empire had been destroyed, they couldn¡¯t help but sigh. However, given their civilization was also on the brink of annihtion, they prioritized their worries. Finally, under the protection of Duanmu Huai, the battered group of Night Guards safely returned to the base, and they opened the portal to Nur¡¯s Ring. With the vista shing before their eyes, Duanmu saw a magnificent city in the next moment. ¡°This is it, Your Honor, the Judge.¡± The leading Night Guard spoke out. ¡°This is Nur¡¯s Ring¡­¡­..¡± Before he finished speaking, he stopped, falling silent. Duanmu Huai lifted his gaze to the city before them. ¡°It seems, we arete after all.¡± In front of Duanmu Huai was a magnificent city ¨C or rather, it used to be. Now, it was entirely shrouded in a decaying, somber gloom. It was clear that this city was once built amidst lush green forests, consisting of tall structures with round arched tops. But now, these structures were in shambles, showing signs of attacks everywhere. In the distance, they could even see a giant mecha, frozen in the act of piercing a giant demon with a long spear. The whole city was silent. Duanmu Huai had never visited Nur¡¯s Ring before, but he could imagine it had once been a different ce. ¡°We must find His Majesty the King!!¡± The Night Guards at this moment had an ashenplexion. Although they had anticipated that their homnd may fallpletely into the hands of the enemy, they were not prepared for the shock and sorrow that overwhelmed them when they saw the sight with their own eyes. Very quickly, however, the leading Night Guard gathered hisposure, rallied his spirits, and led the way towards the Royal Pce with Duanmu and the others.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om However, very soon after they entered the city, they realized something was wrong. This city didn¡¯t appear to have been attacked recently. Rather, it seemed as if a long period, maybe decades, or even longer had passed. This wasn¡¯t particrly strange, as the concept of time in the subspace was chaotic and disordered. Therefore, when they came out from subspace, they may appear at any time point: past, present, or future. Just like now. When they entered the pce again, they only saw ruins and debris covered in dust. ¡°How could this¡­¡­..¡± Seeing an empty throne and lifeless holy statues around them, the Night Guards fell to their knees, crying silently over their misfortune. Duanmu Huai just stood there, carefully studying the surroundings. ¡°¡ª!!¡± Just then, the formerly empty throne began to radiate dazzling light, and a glowing ghost, crowned with a royal cor, appeared on the throne. Gazing at the Night Guards in front of him, he failed to conceal the sorrow and sighs in his eyes. ¡°Your Highness!!¡± Upon seeing this ghost, the Night Guards quickly knelt halfway,y down their weapons, and respectfully saluted him. The ghost, known as the king, had a solemn and sorrowful expression. ¡°I never imagined I¡¯d see you again, my children. I once thought, you all had been permanently devoured by the malevolent Hell, and also¡­¡± When he said this, the King turned towards Duanmu Huai, who was standing in front of him. Upon recognizing the skull and blood-red cross symbol on Duanmu¡¯s armor, the King paused. ¡°Your Majesty, this is the angel of the great God! His Honor, the Judge!¡± The Night Guard quickly spoke up at this moment. ¡°In Hell, his timely appearance saved us from the demons! If not for him, we might not have made it back to Nur¡¯s Ring safely!¡± ¡°Astarte¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing the Night Guard speak, a trace of excitement also emerged in the eyes of the Ghost King. Duanmu Huai merely shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, the empire has also been destroyed for several thousand years already, it¡¯s not much different than your current situation.¡± ¡°Really¡­¡­¡­¡± In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s reply, the king showed a weary smile and then nodded. ¡°Indeed, as you have witnessed, Nur¡¯s Ring¡­¡­ has been destroyed. The demons breached our defenses and destroyed all life¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Please issue yourmand, Your Majesty!!¡± The Night Guard once again lifted his head to look at the king. ¡°No matter what yourmand is, we will aplish it, even at the cost of our lives!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s rted to the demons, I¡¯m willing to help.¡± Duanmu Huai looked at the king and spoke. He had already detected that this might be a key thread in this hidden advanced mission. If he couldplete this main task, he might receive rewards much greater than those given for a simple advancement!! ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Sure enough, after hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the king hesitated before falling silent for a moment, then finally spoke again. ¡°This isn¡¯t normally something I should be asking, but¡­ this concerns my subjects. Therefore, I hope you will heed my wish ¡ª¡ª I hope you can go to hell, find the Yajin Energy Factory andpletely destroy it!¡± Speaking these words, the king clenched his fists in frustration. ¡°Those damned demons, they not only destroyed my kingdom, they even sealed off the Elemental Spirits and enved the souls of my subjects¡­¡­!!¡± Upon hearing the king say this, Duanmu Huai immediately understood his meaning. In the world of Star Ocean Online, capturing souls is amon urrence. Especially, if you don¡¯t have faith in any deity, when you die, your soul will likely fall into the hands of the Chaos Evil God. Therefore, in many worlds, everyone worships a certain deity. In this way, when they die, their souls will go to be with the deity they worship. In Nur¡¯s Ring, they originally worshipped an entity called the ¡°Elemental Spirits¡±. ording to the Night Guard, when the Yajinian people die, their souls would return to the ¡°Elemental Spirits¡± and find peace. But now, the demons had imprisoned the Elemental Spirits, which meant that the souls of the Yajinians had all fallen into the hands of the demons. Considering what these demons would do with the souls of the Yajinians¡­ there was no need to ask. It definitely isn¡¯t anything good. ¡°I just want to ask you, to help free the souls of my people¡­¡± Nur¡¯s Ring had already been destroyed, and rebuilding Yajinian¡¯s civilization was basically a fantasy. Now, thest wish of this kingdom¡¯s final king, was to free the souls of his subjects from the endless very and torment of the demons. As expected, when the king made his request, Duanmu Huai saw a message appear before him. [Activate Hidden Task ¡°Peace of the Soul¡±] [Task Goal: Destroy the Yajin Energy Factory located in Hell and free the imprisoned souls!] [Human souls must not be defiled by Chaos!] Sure enough!! Seeing the system prompt in front of him, Duanmu Huai clenched his fist in excitement. Before transmigrating, the yer hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about the Yajinians. He probably hadn¡¯t found this task storyline, but for Duanmu Huai, it was different. A hidden main task within this secret advancement task, could ensure he reaps big rewards! Not to mention, this task doesn¡¯t conflict with the advancement task. Killing demons is one thing, and destroying the factory is another, they can be done together, right? Duanmu Huai had grown a bit tired of just killing demons, and now having a goal could spur him on even more. This was definitely more interesting than wandering aimlessly in Hell, hitting random targets! With this in mind, Duanmu Huai regained his focus and looked at the spirit of the king in front of him and nodded. ¡°Rest assured, I will definitely free those souls from the demons!¡± Chapter 153 - 131 Yajin Factory_1 Chapter 153: Chapter 131 Yajin Factory_1 After triggering the mission, Duanmu Huai and the Night Guards rushed back to Hell tobat the demons. Although this might sound somewhat overconfident, to be honest, if Duanmu Huai had to evaluate, he would say¡­ the demons here were the weakest ones he had ever encountered.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om As a Judge, Duanmu Huai had plenty of experience fighting with demons in the game world. He saw the demons under the Four Great Evil Gods to be quite distinct. The demons of the Brutal God were wildly murderous, fought to the death, and were terrifying whenunching an all-out attack. The demons of the God of Trickery had ever-changing methods, endless magic and evil techniques, which was quite a headache to deal with. The demons of the God of gue were covered with viruses and rot, standing there was equivalent to contaminating the environment. If one did not have some protective measures, there wasn¡¯t much difference between winning and losing the battle. The demons of the God of Lust, although not skilled in closebat, had excellent mental and mind maniption abilities. One had to be careful not to fall into their traps. But the Primal Demons of this world¡­ how should I put it¡­ Apart from their sheer number being a ¡°barely¡± threat, they did not excel in any other aspects. Moreover, perhaps due to the influence of the previously assimted world, many of these demons had modified parts of their bodies into machinery. However, this only enhanced their firepower to some extent but did not pose much of a threat. If Duanmu Huai were to evaluate, these Primal Demons were less ferocious than the Brutal God¡¯s, had less diverse methods than the God of Trickery¡¯s, and were even less disgusting than the God of gue, let alone the tricky attack techniques like the God of Lust¡¯s demons. If they weren¡¯t hiding in the corner of this subspace, they would have been wiped out by some Great Demon long ago. You want to rule the world in this state? How is this different from a vige chief aspiring to reign over the whole country? Not to mention Judges and Astarte, even if a random member of the Star Realm Army came along, they could easily kill you with a shlight! ¡°Roaaaarrrr!!!¡± Duanmu Huai, holding a heavy hammer, charged at the demon crowd like a ferocious beast. The closer he got to the power factory, the more numerous the demons, and the more methodical their attack. If in the open country their attacks were scattered, ambushing from all directions by teleportation, then now these demons had begun to reorganize and tried to block Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack. In the front line of Duanmu Huai were arge group of Hell Yodemons, roughly the same size as humans. They had no special weapons, just used their fists, relying on their own strength and speed far greater than humans to assault the enemy. To put it simply, they were like the cannon fodder at the front line of the battle. Behind the Hell Yodemons was a brain creature, the size of a carriage, with mechanical limbs simr to a spider. Atop it stood a cannon, firing round after round at Duanmu Huai. On either side of the mechanical spider, two giant Tubby Devils with their arms transformed into cannons were also pouring fire toward Duanmu Huai, trying to bury him under this fierce bombardment. If it were the Night Guards, they would probably have been stopped by the fierce artillery fire of the demons. But Duanmu Huai simply ignored the demons¡¯ attack. The bombardment hitting him didn¡¯t even make him pause, he just charged forward like a rushing rhinoceros, and next moment collided heavily with the Yodemons serving as cannon fodder. ¡°Bang Bang Bang!!!¡± The Yodemons¡¯ ws madly swiped down, hitting against Duanmu Huai¡¯s power armor, to no avail. On the contrary, they were directly sent flying by Duanmu Huai, scattering in the air like fairies tossing flowers, and then falling to the ground. Just in a moment of confrontation, Duanmu Huai broke through the line of defense formed by the Yodemons and came in front of the mechanical brain-spider. Then he raised his war hammer and struck at the carriage-sized brain in front of him! ¡°St!!¡± The swollen brain was smashed like a balloon, then Duanmu Huai grabbed the handle of the war hammer with both hands and swung it forcefully! The whistling war hammer swept across, creating arge hole in the fat bodies of the two Tubby Devils beside the mechanical spider-brain. The two fat devils swayed for a moment, then fell silently to the ground. At the same time, arge and eerie demon appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. Its lower half was like a tank¡¯s body, while the upper half was a robust demon. One arm was transformed into a steel cannon, and the other held a wildly spinning chainsaw, which it swung down fiercely towards Duanmu Huai! ¡°ng ng ng ng¡­!!!¡± Duanmu Huai raised his war hammer to block the chainsaw swung down by the demon. The saw teeth of the chainsaw were spinning wildly, trying to cut through the war hammer in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care, he roared, raised the war hammer in his right hand, and at the same time, he reached for the Chainsaw Sword at his waist with his left hand, drew it out and shed at the demon! Chapter 154 - 131 Yajin Factory_2 Chapter 154: Chapter 131 Yajin Factory_2 ¡°Swoosh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The next moment, the colossal figure of the demon right before him was cleaved directly into two halves by Duanmu Huai. Even the tank-like chassis underneath it became a pile of scrap metal in the explosion. However, just as Duanmu Huai cut the demon, a shadow appeared behind him. Suddenly, a creature with the upper body of a demon and the lower body resembling a snake silently slithered out from behind him. It wrapped tightly around Duanmu Huai¡¯s body like a python, restricting his motion. But the very next moment, Duanmu Huai extended both hands and crushed the Naga demon to smithereens. So you want to ambush me? Looking at the shattered pieces of the demon in front of him, Duanmu Huai sneered, then took a step forward and looked up ahead ¡ª¡ª the main gate of the Yajin Energy Factory was now within sight. Duanmu Huai turned his head. At this moment, the Night Guards were standing beside him, their bodies bathed in blood. ¡°How many are left?¡± ¡°Only three of us are left.¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯s query, the leading Night Guard gave a bitter sigh. They had lost most of their manpower when they were besieged by the demons. By the time they returned to Nur¡¯s Ring, there were less than ten Night Guards left. And when they returned to Hell and followed Duanmu Huai to this ce, there were only three of them left.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om This was inevitable. Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor was not on the same level as them. Additionally, though Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t summon Servants, he could still use his Magic Cards. The Night Guards¡¯ equipment, however¡­ was somewhat inadequate. Not to mention, the strength of the Night Guards came from the Elemental Spirits. Now that the Elemental Spirits have been imprisoned and humiliated by the demons, they obviously wouldn¡¯t receive any external blessings and strength. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving on.¡± Duanmu Huai retracted his gaze and looked ahead. ording to their previous clues, there were three imprisoned Elemental Spirits in this factory. All they needed to do was break the seals on these Elemental Spirits and grant them their freedom. The enraged Elemental Spirits wouldn¡¯t need Duanmu Huai to act, they wouldy waste to the Yajin Energy Factory. So, what they needed to do next was release the seals on the Elemental Spirits. But¡­ Duanmu Huai was somewhat puzzled. Why did the demons here seem slow to react? ording to what the King said, the Mek Tribe had coborated with the demons to build this Energy Factory, mainly to provide the Mek Tribe with energy for survival. If he destroyed this factory, the Mek Tribe would definitely be going blind. Shouldn¡¯t they have sent heavy troops to defend or retreat? In fact, Duanmu Huai was already prepared to face the Mek Tribe and the Demon Army. But¡­ there was nothing? No way, the Mek Tribe couldn¡¯t be¡­ that ipetent? Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai voiced his doubt to the Night Guard beside him. Thetter¡¯s answer surprised Duanmu Huai. ording to the Night Guard, the Mek Tribe had high-tech advancements and nearly endless life spans. Well, nearly. The Mek Tribe would die eventually. It was rumored that after a certain number of years, members of the Mek Tribe would undergo a phenomenon called ¡°disintegration¡± and meet their end. For this reason, the Mek Tribe had always been few in number¡­ Come to think of it, if the Mek Tribe had arge poption, they would not need the Yajinians to be their henchmen and vanguard in the army, would they? Well, no matter. Their goal was now within sight! Duanmu Huai gripped his War Hammer and walked through the gate. Next, they just needed to release the seals on the Elemental Spirits, and everything would be set!! While Duanmu Huai invaded the Yajin Energy Factory, apletely different scene was ying out in Manaria. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so bored! So bored! So bored!!¡± The princess of Manaria ¡ª¡ª Ann, was currently lying on her bed, rolling around restlessly with a pillow in her arms, looking utterly unupied. ¡°Ann, you seem a little restless recently, aren¡¯t you?¡± Watching Ann tossing and turning on her bed, Greiya, sitting beside her, swished her tail, put the book in her hand down, and looked at Ann curiously. ¡°It¡¯s because I want to go on another adventure, but the knight didn¡¯t take me with him this time. And he hasn¡¯t responded till now, which makes me worry about whether he¡¯s okay or not¡­¡± ¡°The knight should be fine, right?¡± ¡°Easier said than done¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing Greiya¡¯s doubtful reply, Ann pouted unhappily. Not long after Ann returned to Manaria, Greiya also returned. Naturally, the two of them talked about their respective ¡°sightseeing trips¡±. Greiya had really gone sightseeing. Lorena had taken Greiya and Felin around the Holy City, then they toured the city¡¯sndmarks and historical sites, making the two dragonkin feel quite content, having a very peaceful and serene journey. But things were different for Ann, she first went on an adventure trip to the Northern Land, encountering ghosts and Undead Creatures, then fought with Cultists and Vampires. In the end, she even participated in a battle that determined the fate of the Empire and yed a key role in it. Chapter 155 - 131 Yajin Factory_3 Chapter 155: Chapter 131 Yajin Factory_3 Ann looked quite proud as she spoke, even showcasing the medal the Imperial Emperor had given her as a token of gratitude. At the same time, Greiya listened with a worried heart, afraid that Ann might have gotten herself into some trouble. However, it seemed that Ann hadn¡¯t been injured in any way. ¡°Ugh¡­ I still wish I could travel with the knight, though!!!¡± As she spoke, Ann extended her hand to pound her pillow vigorously. ¡°But, isn¡¯t the knight¡¯s work usually pretty dangerous?¡± Greiya didn¡¯t say this lightly. When they had defeated Evil Dragon Fafner together, she had traveled with Duanmu Huai. She knew about his quick-wittedness and extraordinary courage, which often led to risky actions. To be honest, it would take a strong heart to travel with him. Ann was lively and active, but the academy hadn¡¯t given her any big headlines. Getting together with Duanmu Huai actually fulfilled her intentions. As for Greiya, she was somewhat averse to such danger and prefers to stay peacefully on her own, rather than causing a massive stir wherever she goes. However¡­ ¡°Ann.¡± Looking at Ann, who was frowning and looking grumpy, Greiya hesitated before asking a question. ¡°Do you¡­ like the knight?¡± No wonder Greiya had this thought. She had known Ann for so long, yet she had never seen her be so concerned about a man. Although Ann was attentive to everyone around her, as a woman herself, Greiya could sense that Ann had a special tone in her voice when she spoke about Duanmu Huai. But, it¡¯s not sure whether Ann had noticed or not. ¡°Uh¡­ well¡­¡± At the question from Greiya, the Ann who¡¯d been rolling on the bed stopped, awkwardly hugging her pillow closer. The reason was simple. Greiya¡¯s question had straight-up hit Ann¡¯s deepest thoughts. Although Ann was vibrant, kind, and quite popr, unlike the silent and introverted Dragonkin, Greiya, she felt incredibly lonely. Yes, she may be affable and approachable, highly respected among her citizens, but she was, after all, a princess. The Princess of the Kingdom of Manaria, and furthermore¡­ most powerful mage of the Kingdom of Manaria. This status meant that no one could interact freely with her. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om What about the students at the Magic Academy? They probably didn¡¯t care about Ann being the Princess of Manaria, but on the other hand, Ann¡¯s outstanding magic talent also created a gap between her and the other students. For instance, whenever there wereplex issues, the students would ask for Ann¡¯s help and she was more than happy to provide solutions. But, when she fully exined their concerns, she noticed they did not understand what she was talking about. Although Ann believed she¡¯d given the easiest exnations, to the ordinary students, they still felt like they were listening to a foreignnguage. This was the difference between a top schr and an underachiever. Ann thought that she¡¯d exined clearly, but the other students couldn¡¯tprehend it. In that case, what could they say? All they could say was ¡°As expected of her majesty, the princess¡± or ¡°You¡¯re really incredible, we could never do that.¡± Clearly, these weren¡¯t the types ofpliments Ann desired. This was why Ann instantly wanted to befriend Greiya when shey eyes on her; both of them were princesses who shared amon loneliness. What about Duanmu Huai? Initially, Ann was just interested in him. But as her adventure with Duanmu Huai progressed, she gradually developed a different kind of feeling. Firstly, there was Duanmu Huai¡¯s attitude towards her. He didn¡¯t treat her any differently because she was the Princess of the Kingdom of Manaria or his fiancee. Ann had thought he might take advantage of the fact they were engaged, but Duanmu Huai had never done anything strange. Although Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t always the epitome of a gentleman, he didn¡¯t hesitate to use Ann when needed. But this was exactly what touched Ann the most. Being a princess, even with her parents and family, she was expected to maintain some formality. Contrarily, Duanmu Huai¡¯s unceremonious actions brought her immense joy, which was why she wanted to continue traveling with him despite the possible dangers involved. Being with Duanmu Huai helped Ann forget her royal status, enabling her to act more like an ordinary person. At least for now, Ann felt a closer connection with Duanmu Huai. But¡­ Does this mean she¡¯ll marry him one day? After all, they¡¯re engaged and she doesn¡¯t detest him at all. It seemed he didn¡¯t dislike her either. This meant they were bound to marry one day, and then¡­ have children? Remembering what she¡¯d read in her textbooks, Ann¡¯s face turned bright crimson. Of course, she wasn¡¯tpletely oblivious about such matters. But that was an ordinary man in the textbook, but with the knight¡¯s towering, muscr figure¡­ would that really work? Would he perhaps end up hurting her? And him being so formidable, must also mean he¡¯s sizeable¡­ ¡°Aaahhhhh!¡± At that thought, Ann quickly buried her red face in her pillow, rolling around in embarrassment. But faced with Ann¡¯s reaction, a baffled look fell over Greiya¡¯s face. She couldn¡¯tprehend why talking about this topic would make Ann feel so embarrassed. What on earth just happened? Chapter 156 - 132 You are not loyal! _1 Chapter 156: Chapter 132 You are not loyal! _1 When Duanmu Huai finally reached the deepest part of the Yajin Factory, he was left with only one Night Guard, who was battered and out of breath. ¡°I can feel¡­the call of the Elemental Spirits¡­¡± The Night Guard lifted his head, looking towards the heavy gate closed in front of them. ¡°They¡­ they¡¯re right behind this door¡­¡± ¡°Stay back.¡± Duanmu Huai casually remarked. Then he walked up to the sealed iron gate, reached out to pry open the slight gap between the doors. Following this, the originally tightly fixed iron gate was forcibly pulled open by Duanmu Huai, emitting a harsh sound of metal friction and breakage. However, Duanmu Huai seemed not to care, he just forcefully extended his arms, prying the gate apart and then gave a strong push! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The next moment, the steel door was torn apart and heavily fell to the ground. Duanmu Huai then grasped his war hammer and strode in. The Night Guard, dragging his battered body, followed Duanmu Huai into the room. Ahead of them was a giant, observation deck-like hall. At the front of the hall,y a seemingly bottomless abyss. Within the abyss, a blue column-shaped object, under the chains binding it all around, was radiating a dim blue glow. If Duanmu Huai was not wrong, these should be the Elemental Spirits mentioned by the Night Guard. Well¡­although they look different from what he had imagined as ¡°Spirits¡±. He had been expecting to see three beautiful little sisters trapped somewhere¡­now it seems those hopes were in vain. However, there was something even more startling nearby. The sides of the abyss were lined with track, which carried metal cages. In these cages were Yajinians ¡ª or rather, their souls. These souls were to be refined and squeezed in this factory, to be converted into energy supply. They are now being extracted from the peacefully sleeping Elemental Spirits, and taken away¡­¡­ On seeing this, the Night Guard gritted his teeth, turning to look at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Judge, Your Honor¡­.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded, then strode forward with the intention of freeing these Elemental Spirits. However, just as he took a step, several reddish circr portals appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. Soon after, Duanmu Huai saw a few tall figures stepping out from within, blocking his path. These demons were tall, with long horns on their heads, wearing dark green armor, holding battle axes and sharp des in their hands. Seeing them, the Night Guard at Duanmu Huai¡¯s side immediately became livid! ¡°Traitors!!¡± ¡°You know each other?¡± Duanmu Huai turned his head, curiously looking at the Night Guard at his side, who nodded vehemently. ¡°Yes, Your Honor, they used to be members of the honorable Night Guards, but they betrayed their oaths and faith, selling themselves to the Demons and the Mek Tribe!¡± ¡°We just made the right choice.¡± n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om One of the Demon Guards sneered, interrupting the Night Guard¡¯s words. It scornfully stared at the battered Night Guard, its eyes shing with an evil, red glow. ¡°Look at you, poor little guy, the Elemental Spirits you worship have been captured. So what are you still insisting on? The queen will truly dominate this world, ruling all. No one can¡­¡± However, the words of the Demon Guard weren¡¯t finished when, Duanmu Huai suddenly reached out and attempted to grab him. The Demon Guard felt as if his body was uncontrobly flying towards Duanmu Huai, and before he could react, the heavy hammer was justing at him. His head was smashed into a pulp as a result. ¡°Bang!!¡± The demon guard¡¯s body hit the ground, and Duanmu Huai tightly grasped his war hammer, staring at the few other Demon Guards. ¡°You betrayed humanity, abandoned the people and countries you should have protected, and willingly descended into servitude to aliens and chaos? You¡¯re no longer loyal, so your existence is meaningless! Die, traitors!¡± ¡°Who do you think you are!?¡± Seeing theirrade being killed, the other Demon Guards were shocked. They then drew out their weapons, roared, and charged towards Duanmu Huai! ¡°Die!!¡± As a judge, Duanmu Huai regards all those tainted by chaos as his enemies, especially these traitors who have sold their bodies and souls to chaos. They are the number one execution targets of the Tribunal. In any era, whenever Judges encounter such traitors, they have only one way to go: death! Therefore, facing the Demon Guards charging at him, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t hesitate. He roared, and with a whoosh, he swung his hammer towards them!! ¡°Stupid idiots!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s iing hammer, one of the Demon Guards didn¡¯t choose to evade but instead met it head-on. It quickly raised both hands; a shield formed from red hell energy appeared in front of the Demon Guard, aimed at the hammer Duanmu Huai was swinging! ¡°You can¡¯t possibly imagine the power of the demons¡­¡± Sadly, he didn¡¯t get the chance to prove to Duanmu Huai how powerful demons can be. The mighty hammer shattered the forcefield shield in the demon guard¡¯s hands, hit his face, shattering his cheekbones, breaking his teeth, sting his eyeballs, and blew his head away like a baseball. The body without a head wobbled for a moment on the ground, then copsed with a thud. Fresh blood gushed from the neck, sttering on the ground. However, no one paid it any mind. At that moment, Duanmu Huai had already reached out and grabbed another idiot who was trying to sneak attack while hisrade had distracted him. ¡°Even demons are no match for me, where does your confidencee from to think you shackled by mere remnants of Chaos Force can confront me?¡± Duanmu Huai stared at the Demon Guard his hand was gripping, jeering coldly. All the while, his grip tightened and tightened. Before long, his iron glove effortlessly pierced through the demon guard¡¯s skull like cracking an egg. Then, with a forceful clench of his left hand!! ¡°Ssh!!!¡± The Demon Guard¡¯s head violently exploded: chunks of flesh and brain matter were all that remained in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand, the once sturdy skull now willingly crushed to fragments. ¡°You¡¯ve all lost the purity of being human.¡± Looking at the twisted, deformed skull fragment with a pair of crooked horns in his hand, Duanmu Huai gave a cold huff. ¡°Then purification is your only option.¡± Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t an extremist Judge from the Alien Tribunal who abhorred extraterrestrial beings. For him, any human who dares to sell their soul, forsaking humanity to turn to Chaos, are unforgivable traitors. Besides immtion by purifying mes, there is no other path. He flung the corpse from his hand, and then he marched forward. All the Night Guards who had sold their bodies and souls to the demons could not stop him for even half a minute before they werepletely exterminated. Then, Duanmu Huai arrived at the tform¡¯s front, raising his head to gaze at the billowing Pir of Fire before him. Elemental Spirits. To Duanmu Huai, his first encounter with Elemental Spirits was nothing remarkable. He simply extended his hand out, held up the War Hammer, and swung hard at the chains on the tform. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!!¡± The breaking chains shook the prison binding the Elemental Spirits. And finally, when Duanmu Huai swung his War Hammer for onest time, breaking another chain, the azure Pir of Fire burst forth like an unshackled Giant Dragon, drilling straight through the dome and into the skies. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Even though Duanmu Huai could not hear the Elemental Spirit¡¯s roar, he could feel its rage from the energy field osciting in the air. Indeed, being a hostage of invaders from another world would not be a pleasant experience. The boiling blue mes erupted from the Elemental Spirit, quickly engulfing the cages imprisoning the souls of the Yajinians. Then, the blue me vanished into the sky. Only a single spark gently floated down,nding in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand. Simultaneously, a line of system notifications emerged before Duanmu Huai. [Hidden task ¡°Peace of the Soul¡± stage onepleted] [Task Evaluation: Outstanding] [You have freed the imprisoned souls, but their rage is far from subsided! Only blood for blood can bring peace to these souls!] [Obtained Elemental Spirit Mark ¨C You have gained the Elemental Spirit¡¯s approval, from now on, youmand an invincible army!] [Hidden task ¡°Peace of the Soul¡± stage two activated] [Task Objective: Exterminate the Demon Army and the Mek Tribe, avenge the Yajinians] [Blood for Blood!] As expected, the task was more than just that. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow. But this was better, the task required him to exterminate the demons, which fits the advancement requirements. This meant that once hepleted the task, he could immediately advance his career! But¡­ the system said I have an army? Where is it? Duanmu Huai looked around doubtfully. But when he turned around, he jumped¡ª behind him, thousands upon thousands of Night Guards in soul form respectfully knelt before him. So that¡¯s how it is. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai instantly understood everything. Given the extinction of the Yajinian civilization, the Elemental Spirits could no longer receive their faith and protection. So, they simply gave the souls of these Night Guards to Duanmu Huai and then slipped away. And yes, in the game, Duanmu Huai knew that many Ghost Fleets increased their soldiers in this way. However, he didn¡¯t expect this to happen to him. Regardless, having an army of ghost soldiers was quite menacing. So what Duanmu Huai needed to do next was to follow the mission objectives and eliminate the Mek Tribe and the Demon horde! But where did they go?? After asking the Night Guard Ghosts, Duanmu Huai learned that before his arrival, the Mek Tribe had already joined forces with the demons to find another human habitation. Currently, they wereunching arge-scale attack on that, trying to thoroughly assimte it into Hell just like Nur¡¯s Ring. Good grief, no wonder there was hardly anyone here! Having learned the whereabouts of the enemy, Duanmu Huai¡¯s next course of action was clear! If that¡¯s the case, he¡¯ll go to that, get rid of the overbearing Mek Tribe, and utterly shred the Demon Army!! Chapter 157 - 133: Entering the Battlefield _1 Chapter 157: Chapter 133: Entering the Battlefield _1 When Duanmu Huai returned to the warship, behind him now stood a tens of thousands strong Ghost Army of the Night Guard. However, what he was concerned with at the moment was not such a trivial matter. ording to the Night Guard, the Demons had already gone to attack another, and what he needed to do now was to take the warship to that and thenpletely eliminate the demons and the Mek Tribe. Duanmu Huai now only hoped that the could hold out a bit longer. if it turned out the same as Nur¡¯s Ring, then things would definitely get ugly. But considering the rtively low strength of the Demons in this subspace, even if it were to take ce in the Empire, it might still hold up¡­ Well, it shouldn¡¯t end that quickly, right? At present, Duanmu Huai was in front of the control panel, inputting coordinates, and starting preparations for another subspace journey. And behind Duanmu Huai¡­¡­ ¡°Hurry up, hurry up, Sir Knight, are we ready yet?¡± Ann was hopping and bouncing behind Duanmu Huai, looking impatient. On the side, Greiya let out a sigh, she too was taken by surprise when the first thing Duanmu Huai said after summoning them was ¡°Would you like to save the world?¡± Ann, of course, was ted and could hardly wait to raise both hands up high. Even though Greiya was a bit unsettled, she nodded in agreement. Along with Greiya, dragonkin Felin and Lorena also agreed to join. Duanmu Huai briefly exined the situation to them and none of them raised any objections. After all, as a Missionary Priest, Lorena¡¯s role was to protect and assist humans. As a Dragonkin, Felin had nowhere else to go. Duanmu Huai had previously told her that if Felin didn¡¯t know what to do, she could go adventuring with him until she figured out what she wanted to do. The young Dragonkin girl looked as if she still hadn¡¯t found her life direction yet. ¡°So you¡¯re saying, the demons have invaded this world, and we have to help repel the demons?¡± ¡°More or less, you could say that.¡± Aftering out of hell, Duanmu Huai was able to summon Soul Cards again, so he called Ann and the others all here. On one hand, their abilities were indeed strong, there would be no problem dealing with most of the demons here. On the other hand, Duanmu Huai also wanted them to gain some experience ¨C after all, there was going to be much more of these scenarios in the future. Only Felin pondered for a moment, looking at Duanmu Huai with confusion. ¡°Demons¡­¡­ How many are there?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see when you get there.¡± Duanmu Huai knew that trying to exin it to them would be futile, as they didn¡¯t have an exact idea of what a was. Even if he told them a had been invaded, these girls probably still couldn¡¯t grasp what a was. So, seeing is believing, they would understand when they saw it. Soon, the destination was locked in, then Duanmu Huai extended his hand and lightly tapped on the control panel. The warship in front of him elerated instantly, disappearing into the depths of the universe. After a moment, the surrounding darkness suddenly vanished, and a lush, blue appeared in front of everyone. Under the radiance of the stars, the appeared bright and beautiful. However, the scars and wounds, marked in bright red on its surface bore testimony to the unimaginable suffering the was currently enduring. ¡°Mia, open themunication channel. Let¡¯s see the current situation on this.¡± ¡°Understood, master, please wait¡­¡­¡± After responding to Duanmu Huai in her usualzy voice, Mia seated at the front of the control panel started typing on the keyboard. Soon, a chorus of screams emerged. N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°We can¡¯t hold them back!!!¡± ¡°I can hear them¡­ no, stop¡­!!!¡± ¡°Retreat immediately!!¡± ¡°They¡¯re ughtering everyone!!!¡± ¡°These monsters are everywhere!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing those cries, all the girls looked anxious. Although they couldn¡¯t understand thenguage, anyone could feel the despair in those screams and wails. Only Duanmu Huai remained calm. Staring at the in front of him, he issued orders calmly. ¡°Scan the entire to locate themunication source.¡± ¡°Understood¡­¡­¡± Quickly following Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Mia started inputting instructions again. Before long, images of burning cities appeared on the screen. Once prosperous cities were now a yground for demons to rampage, with countless demons moving in between. Everywhere was littered with massacred, torn, shattered remains of bodies. Upon seeing this, everyone looked horrified. Except for Duanmu Huai who appeared to be normal, even Greiya and Ann looked pale and uneasy upon witnessing the scene. ¡°What¡­ what¡­ what do we do now?¡± Right now, Ann didn¡¯t have the excitement she had earlier, instead, she looked panicked. ¡°Should I go find my father, ask the army of Manaria to move out, I mean, there is also Regnes¡­¡± ¡°Ann, calm down.¡± Greiya quickly held Ann¡¯s hand, and then looked towards Duanmu Huai again. ¡°Sir Knight, there are so many demons here¡­¡­ can we really¡­¡­ eliminate them?¡± Chapter 158 - 133: Entering the Battlefield_2 Chapter 158: Chapter 133: Entering the Battlefield_2 Although they had confronted the evil dragon before, they had not faced hundreds of giant dragons at once. However, the intimidation brought by hundreds of giant dragons still paled inparison to the terror emanating from this all-epassing demon army that seemed to shroud the whole world. ¡°Numerous as they are, they can still be annihted.¡± If Duanmu Huai dared toe, he must have already made preparations. He had learned from the Night Guard that the three wizards of the Dea Association, once affiliated with the Yajinians, were the ones causing havoc on this. Using their power, they maintained the passage from subspace, allowing demons to reach this world from subspace. If they defeated these three wizards, the passage would be destroyed, and most of the demons would have to return to hell. Well, this is simr to the methods used by the believers of chaos in the Imperial. Or it could be said that all chaos believers in the universe do this ¡ª they first use various rituals to blur the boundaries between reality and subspace. Then, they can summon demons in subspace into the real world for a massacre, and while the demons are ughtering, they expand the affected area, eventually integrating the whole into subspace. However, besides the chaos believers, the Imperial had various deities and their devotees to hold the Northern Line, denying the chaos savages any further opportunities. Bartoni and Zhen Dan also blocked these chaos believers in the pr regions. So there, while no major issues arose, small problems kept popping up. But this was different. Duanmu Huai guessed that this likely followed a materialistic scientific path, probably not believing in any gods or monsters. Perhaps even if someone was holding a chaos ritual right under their noses, they would think it was just a religious dance ¡ª it would be a surprise if they didn¡¯t capsize. ¡°There are two things we need to do.¡± Duanmu Huai quickly provided the answer. ¡°First, protect the remaining power of this, then kill those three wizards to dispel the hell¡¯s assimtion of this.¡± ¡°So, where do we start?¡± Since Duanmu Huai had made his decision, no one else would object. Ann was even eager to get started instantly. N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the map before him again, then turned his attention to a steel building ¡ª it looked like a Steel Fortress, which was currently under attack by demons. The turrets outside were pouring bullets at the demons like crazy, but unfortunately, the people of this world apparently hadn¡¯t expected they would fight demons when designing their weapons. Based on the current situation, could this be considered a resistance group? ¡°We start here.¡± Duanmu Huai pointed to the location on the screen and then turned to leave. ¡°Everyone, prepare for battle!!¡± Meanwhile, in the steel fortress below, the battle had reached its most critical situation. ¡°Fire! Fire! Fire!!!¡± The soldier holding the firearm roared orders and pulled the trigger. The bullets rained out like a storm, crushing arge number of demons. But very quickly, the demons from behind surged forward again, and at the same time, a vibration suddenly rang out from under their feet. Then, as if confirming the soldiers¡¯ premonitions, a scream came from the radio. ¡°Report, the enemy has broken through the western defense line! The western defense line has fallen!!¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡­¡± ¡°Commander, what now!?¡± Hearing the sound from the radio, the soldiers all looked up at the man before them, who was gritting his teeth, hesitating for a moment. ¡°Keep fighting! Detonate the minefield on the western defense line! No matter what, we can¡¯t let these monsters get into the fortress!!¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± Soon, with themand given, a thunderous bang came from a distance, followed by a surge of fire and smoke rising into the sky. Themander turned his head to nce at the scene before swiftly drawing his gaze back. ¡°Keep fighting!!!¡± For the people of this world, the battle taking ce before their eyes was nothing short of a nightmare. These demons, whose origin was unknown, seemed inexhaustible. Human attacks were nearly powerless against their wicked strength. However, this didn¡¯t mean that humans had lost the will to resist. Even though the demons had upied more than half of Earth, and almost sixty percent of areas had fallen, the remaining humans still united and formed the ¡°ARC¡± ¨C the Armed Reaction Alliance, dedicated to fighting against the demons. They excavated numerous underground cities and relocated all civilians there for refuge. This steel fortress standing before them was one of the entrances to an underground city. If the fortress were to fall, the demons would directly invade the underground city. By then, the civilians beneath would bepletely ughtered by these damned monsters. This was something they absolutely had to prevent! ¡°Bang!!!¡± However, just when the soldiers were about to engage in battle, the wall next to them suddenly cracked open. A gigantic demon charged in aggressively like a wild beast. The soldiers werepletely caught off guard by the demons¡¯ ability to prate the thick walls. They were in chaos. Before they could counterattack, the huge demon had already stormed into their ranks. The defence line copsed instantly. Several soldiers were sent flying by the demon and screamed as they hurtled through the air before crashing to the ground. The demon didn¡¯t stop there. It roared and swung its ws, killing all nearby soldiers within the blink of an eye. ¡°You¡­ damned monster!!!¡± Seeing his men being in, themander¡¯s eyes turned red with rage. He picked up a shotgun and fired it at the giant demon before him. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!!!¡± Powerful bullets hit the demon, but it seemed to feel no pain. Instead, the demon turned toward themander and roared. With a wave of its w, a strong gust blew themander off his feet, sending him crashing into the wall before he fell to the ground. ¡°Damn¡­ it¡­¡± With a burning pain in his back, themander felt like he had lost control of his body. All he could still vaguely hear was the dying screams of soldiers and the sound of gunshots. However, even these sounds drowned in the shadow falling from the sky. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The noise, like a cannon exploding, was deafening and nearly deafened themander. After a while, he managed to open his eyes and look ahead. Then, themander saw a strange metallic object standing in front of the ruined hall. Underneath it was the mangled corpse of the demon. What¡­ what is that? Themander¡¯s mind was nk. He looked at the odd metal object,pletely baffled. Could it be a shell? ¡°Psssh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Just as themander was perplexed, the strange object suddenly emitted white smoke and cracked open. A giant figure wielding a war hammer stepped out. Seeing this dark figure emerge, the demons that were about to attack abruptly stopped. They looked uncertainly at the dark figure. To his astonishment, themander detected a hint of fear in the demons¡¯ reactions. Could these demons also feel fear? ¡°Whirr¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Before themander could process the situation, multiple circr blue portals suddenly appeared in the air around them. He saw numerous entities, dressed in knight¡¯s armour and wielding weapons, stepping out of the portals like ghosts. Ignoring the soldiers, the ghost knights red fiercely at the demons, as if they wanted to shred them into pieces! Themander then saw the dark figure raise his hand and swung it forward! ¡°Attack!!!¡± Chapter 159 - 134: Unstoppable_1 Chapter 159: Chapter 134: Unstoppable_1 For the Night Guards, they had been ever waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. They had watched helplessly as the very Elemental Spirits they worshipped were imprisoned, the people they swore to protect were killed, and their ownnd was devastated. All these had fueled the fury within them. Now, their souls have finally been liberated from the shackles of the Demons, and they have once again received the blessings of power from the Elemental Spirits. For the Night Guards, these odds presented the perfect opportunity for them to exact revenge! Upon Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the Night Guards gripped their weapons and charged towards the Demons with furious roars. Consequently, Duanmu Huai, who was maneuvering the Metal Secret Dragon and the girls, naturally positioned themselves at the forefront. The enormous ck dragon strode across the battlefield, knocking all the can see Demons into the air and threw himself straight into the ranks of the Demon Army. Meanwhile, puppets holding daggers emerged from the shadows,unching themselves at the enemy. Though these puppets were quickly reduced to ashes under the Demon¡¯s artillery fire, alongside Duanmu Huai, who raised his Warhammer high, emitted a sacred radiance. Next instant, hundreds of Sacred Knights holding spears and shields and riding warhorses, poured into the battlefield like a flood. Ogis stood behind the Metal Secret Dragon, stretching her hands out, the invisible silk transformed into a sharp de, mercilessly slicing any Demons that dared to obstruct her path into shards. Duanmu Huai, perched on the Metal Secret Dragon, swung his Warhammer, smashing any Demons that dared to approach him into pulps. Above them, countless Creaturess circled like drones over the battlefield, firing multi-colored rays at the Demons in the sky. Ann held the Sorcerer Book high in the rear, loudly chanting a Spell. As she chanted, one after another,rge Magic Circles appeared out of the air, enveloping the battlefield in front. Following that, thunder, fire, and stormy cold winds swept across it, engulfing the entire battlefield, and the Demons within were utterly consumed. On the other side, Felin outstretched her arms, and an icy wind began to whirl around her. In just a moment, a huge Ice Dragon appeared in the middle of the battlefield. With a roar, it threw itself at the Demon Army in front. Of course, the Demon¡¯s offense did not stop because of this. Quickly, a towering Minotaur broke through a wall and charged at Ann with teeth and ws like an enraged bull. At this moment, however, a slender figure dashed past. In a blink of an eye, Greiya appeared above the Minotaur¡¯s head, and she raised her right hand¡ªher originally delicate and fair palm instantly transformed into a sharp w with scales and mmed it down at the Minotaur. ¡°Boom!¡± The towering Minotaur was struck t by Greiya¡¯s attack. Before it could recover, the next blow shattered the Minotaur¡¯s skull, reducing it to a lifeless corpse. ¡°This is ¡­?¡± Themander in the rear then rose to his feet and stared nkly at the battlefield. The Demon Army which one could not hold back no matter what, had been entirely halted by a group of uninvited guests. N?v(el)B\\jnn Who were they? Where did theye from? Those questions were not important for themander at this very moment. The critical matter was¡ªthe terrifying Demons had been stopped! For the first time, they were forced to halt their advance, and even¡­ were they retreating? Just then, an urgent inquiry came in over the radio. ¡°This is themand center, what¡¯s the current situation at the front line? Please respond!!¡± Owing to the previous Demon invasion at the fortress, themand center had almost entirely lost contact with the frontline, and naturally, they weren¡¯t aware of the events happening here. In fact, even the front linemander himself didn¡¯t know how he could report what he was seeing. ¡°This¡­ This is the Central Defensive Line. The advance of the Demons has been stopped¡­ No, it¡¯s not right, the Demons are retreating, their forces have been repelled!!¡± ¡°What¡ª¡ª¡ª!?¡± Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s troops¡¯ impressive attack, the Demons¡¯ advance waspletely defeated. Despite the considerable numbers of the Demons, the ones on this side were also just as formidable ¨C the Night Guards were powerful in themselves, especially now as they had freed the Elemental Spirits, granting them the power received through their faith, hence, coupled with the fact that, although Nur¡¯s Ring had been captured, the truth is numerous weapons initially belonged to Yajinians were still sealed in the warehouse, and those weren¡¯t entirely useless. In fact, aside from the Night Guard¡¯s forces in this battle, they¡¯re apanied by the Yajinian¡¯s warships and Mechas ¨C steered by the Night Guards, of course. It was because of these weapons that they seeded in repelling the advance of the Demons. In fact, if it hadn¡¯t been for the betrayal by the queen of the Mek tribe, who sacrificed the Yajinian n to maintain her immortality, with the technology and strength of Yajinzi, even if they couldn¡¯t annihte the Demons, at least they could have bnced the power. However, the Mek tribe chose to sacrifice the Yajin n to sustain their longevity, delivering them to the Demons, leading to the eventual capture of Nur¡¯s Ring and the total destruction of the Yajin civilization. It just goes to show, those not of our kind are sure to be different¡­ Chapter 160 - 134: Momentum Like a Breaking Bamboo_2 Chapter 160: Chapter 134: Momentum Like a Breaking Bamboo_2 When Duanmu Huai returned from the battlefield, what he saw was a pale front-linemander and a group of soldiers trembling with fear. ¡°You, hello¡­¡± Looking at the towering figure in ck armor before him, decorated with terrifying essories, the front-linemander swallowed hard, forcing himself to stand up and walk over to him, performing a respectful salute. ¡°Thank you for your support¡­ If you hadn¡¯t arrived¡­¡± Although he wanted to express his gratitude, the front-linemander¡¯s heart was pounding fiercely. For some reason, standing in front of this terrifying being, he felt like he was standing in front of a rampaging dinosaur, ready to swallow him whole at any moment. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, these demons are our enemies too.¡± Looking at themander in front of him who didn¡¯t even dare to breathe heavily, Duanmu Huai also spoke. Perhaps because he was a survivor of the Human Empire, most humannguages in this universe stemmed from the Empire. Even though they had changed somewhat, they could stillmunicate. In Duanmu Huai¡¯s power armor, there were variousnguages from the human empire, as well as those from the Orc, Aida Spirit Tribe, Titanium Empire and other alien races. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Upon hearing that the other party couldmunicate, the front-linemander also sighed in relief. After all, the figure in front of him was intimidating, and he was genuinely afraid of another group of beings as terrifying as the demons. So, he quickly lifted his head to look at Duanmu Huai and gave a respectful self-introduction. ording to themander, they were members of an organization called the ¡°Armed Reaction Alliance¡±. This organization was formed after a demon invasion on this, a coalition of countries and powers that resisted the demons. Their goal was straightforward: to eradicate the demons and reim this from them. But the power of the demons was much stronger than they had imagined. Moreover, traitors had emerged among the humans. That was the UAC ¨C the United Space Corporation. N?v(el)B\\jnn Arge interster development corporation on this, people even suspected that they had established contact with the demons through certain means and ultimately led the demons to invade this. Well¡­ Duanmu Huai remembered that the alien research institute he had visited previously was, in fact, a UAC facility. Well, the human treachery was confirmed. After a brief conversation, the front-linemander stated that he needed to retreat and recuperate. Although these neers had the same enemy ¨C the demons, it didn¡¯t mean they were necessarily allies. Right now, the most critical task for the Armed Reaction Alliance was to protect the impoverished people in the Underground City. As for how to deal with this new force¡­ that was a headache for the higher-ups in the back. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind at all, so the front-linemander immediately withdrew with a sigh of relief, picked up the radio again, and reported everything that had happened back to themand post. One could imagine the shock at themand post upon getting this news. ¡°So, you¡¯re telling us, a group of aliens hase to our and helped us fend off the demons?¡± ¡°Yes, ording to theirmander, they seem to be from an organization called the ¡®Tribunal¡¯. Their aim is to track and exterminate all demons and anything rted to the demons.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ they don¡¯t seem to be our enemy¡­ But are these people really so powerful?¡± ¡°Extremely powerful.¡± Recalling the battlefield scene he had witnessed, the front-linemander shook involuntarily. He still remembered seeing a pink-haired girl, about the same age as his daughter, maneuvering among the demons. She didn¡¯t even carry any weapons, just a book that looked heavy like a dictionary. And that girl was confronting a beast with immense strength, thick skin, and could even withstand tank fire. But the girl showed no fear against that demon. Themander watched as she pped the hefty dictionary against the demon¡¯s face, and its head twisted around 180 degrees, dropping off like a fragile fruit. At the time, the front-linemander almost doubted his sanity. And let¡¯s not forget the magician who casually eliminated the demons even a whole armored corps could not, she appeared to be quite young too¡­ Without a doubt, the strength of these reinforcements was beyond imagination. ¡°¡­¡± After listening to themander¡¯s report, themand post fell silent. ¡°May I ask¡­ what should we do next?¡± ¡°What are their next ns?¡± ¡°ording to the judge, most of the troops will stay here to defend, and they will send an elite team to venture deep into the enemy lines to eliminate the three wizards who are summoning the demons. As per the judge¡¯s words, once these three wizards are killed, the demons will be driven away from this.¡± ¡°¡­Understood, we will convene an emergency meeting to discuss what to do next. Meanwhile, I order you to regroup your remaining forces and temporarily station at the front-line headquarters and wait for orders.¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± As the Armed Reaction Alliance was brainstorming their following actions, Duanmu Huai led the others to temporarily station at themercial district in the city center. This ce was one of the few that had not been thoroughly destroyed and at least seemed pretty intact. ¡°Wow¡­ So big!!¡± Feeling thrilled at the sight of the shopping mall in front of her, Ann curiously gazed around while looking back at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Sir Knight, is this ce really just a shopping mall?¡± ¡°Yes it is, a department store to be more precise. In simpler terms, it concentrates all merchants into one building, so that whatever you want to buy, you can get it here.¡± ¡°Do they sell horses then?¡± ¡°Well¡­ That¡¯s something they don¡¯t have.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really amazing, Pretty incredible. Maybe I should suggest to my father that we build a department store in the Royal City too.¡± Ann walked over to the ss disy case and couldn¡¯t help being amazed at the dummy dressed in the clothes behind it. But soon, she seemed puzzled and looked towards Duanmu Huai. ¡°But Sir Knight, why was this world so easily crushed by the demons? They could actually build such amazing buildings, you know, this building is even bigger than the Royal Pce of Manaria!¡± ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s what you think¡­¡± Upon hearing Ann¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai revealed a bitter smile. Indeed, from the perspective of Ann, the civilization of this world evidently surpassed Manaria, so they should logically be stronger than Manaria¡­ but reality doesn¡¯t work that way. ¡°However, each world has its own rules, like this one; it probably doesn¡¯t have mages or magic.¡± ¡°Huh? No mages, no magic?¡± Hearing this, Ann¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Then how did they build such tall buildings? And without magic, what do they do when they encounter demon beasts?¡± ¡°Perhaps this world doesn¡¯t have demon beasts. As for these buildings¡­ there are other ways to do things that magic can¡¯t. If you¡¯re interested, you can look in that bookstore over there.¡± While saying this, Duanmu Huai pointed to the bookstore on the second floor. ¡°There are many books from far and wide inside, and perhaps you might find something that you like.¡± ¡°Books!?¡± Indeed, hearing the word ¡°book¡± made Ann¡¯s eyes light up instantly. Then, she grabbed onto Greiya. ¡°Greiya, let¡¯s check it out!!!¡± Next moment, the two ran towards the bookstore as fast as they could. ¡°Hehe.¡± Watching the two leave, Duanmu Huai shook his head, then turned to Ogis and Miss Felin who had been silently following him all along. ¡°Err¡­ But Miss Felin, why are you following me?¡± ¡°I want to look around.¡± As usual, Miss Felin¡¯s voice was in and low. Though this is what she said, her eyes were fixated on Duanmu Huai. Her intention was pretty clear. ¡°Alright then.¡± Afterwards, he nced at Lorena who was also looking around curiously not far away, and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll take you guys for a good tour then.¡± Chapter 161 - 135: Tracking the Prey_1 Chapter 161: Chapter 135: Tracking the Prey_1 For the young girls apanying Duanmu Huai, this was essentially their first real visit to an Isekai. Although Ann had previously visited the Imperial with Duanmu Huai, strictly speaking, the level of civilization there was not far off from Manaria and was quite simr. So, for Ann, it was less of a trip to an Isekai and more like going to another country. But this ce was entirely different. The architecture waspletely different, the civilization was entirely different; for the girls, everything was so fresh and interesting; at least, they had never seen anything like this before. ¡°Mr. Knight, what¡¯s this ck pane?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a television, you can watch programs on it.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s a program?¡± ¡°Put simply, it¡¯s a projected screen. You can see things happening in other ces while sitting at home.¡± ¡°And this can be done without magic?!¡± ¡°Mr. Knight, why is this carriage without a horse? And why is the front end pointed? Do people actually want such a carriage?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a sports car¡­ In simple terms, it¡¯s a vehicle that can run without a horse.¡± ¡°And this operates without a horse? Does this world really not have magic?!¡± Different people had different things that caught their attention. For instance, at the moment, Ogis was curiously examining the Barbie dolls in the toy shop. She did not understand the purpose of these palm-sized puppets. ¡°Master, what are these puppets used for?¡± ¡°They¡¯re simply used by children for ying, like changing clothes or ying house and so forth¡­¡± ¡°So, are you saying that people in this world like to change clothes for their dolls?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡­¡­¡± Facing Ogis¡¯s curious eyes, Duanmu Huai was momentarily at a loss for words.N?v(el)B\\jnn Although, strictly speaking, what she said wasn¡¯t wrong. Ann had even more questions, ranging from ¡®how can light be produced without magic¡¯ to ¡®how it is possible to fly in the sky without magic¡¯. In response to this, Duanmu Huai just handed her a bunch of encyclopedias and told her to flip through the ¡®100,000 Whys¡¯ by herself, with not much else to say. On the other hand, Lorena¡¯s perspective was quite unique. Upon seeing the divine statues of this world, she curiously asked Duanmu Huai why the deities of this world did not save their followers. When she found out that this had no deities to safeguard it, Lorena looked at Duanmu Huai in disbelief, her eyes wide. ¡°If there are no deities to protect and guide them, why would they pray to the deities? What purpose does the church serve?¡± Well¡­this question was a real killer¡­ Actually, Duanmu Huai had encountered simr situations several times in the game. These situations revolved around the conflict between the technological civilizations without the protection of deities and the religious civilizations protected by deities. These technological civilizations often fabricate deities for worship, a practice not understood by most civilizations protected by authentic deities. Perhaps to the worlds without the protection of deities, the existence of deities justified their faith and devotion, and the majority of them were ecstatic. But to civilizations under the protection of deities, this wasughable. The tolerant ones may not understand or may take it as a joke, however, if they take it to heart, they might justunch a religious war and wipe out these idiots. In the game, Duanmu Huai had taken on simr recruitment tasks, aiming to eliminate the religious forces of a world without the protection of deities. The reason given by the recruiter was simple ¨C you clearly do not have the protection of deities, yet you fabricate one and im it is omnipotent and omnipresent, how is that not heresy? Of course, it could be argued that these idiotic religious figures were asking for it. Upon knowing the existence of the true God, they instantly celebrated in ecstasy, hastily dering that the deity they worshipped is the same as this true God, only with a different name. This urrence in the religion-less world is quitemon. But when the religious civilization found about this, they were instantly furious. To them, this was nothing but dregs heaping gold on their face which was simr to a vagrant running around in a pce, iming to be the illegitimate child of the emperor. If they did not wipe out your nine generations, it would be strange!! As a result, that religious civilizationmissioned Duanmu Huai and other yers to directly eliminate this idiotic religious force. They were toozy to take the matter into their own hands. It would be too humiliating for the prince himself to deal with a vagrant, right? Later, when the yers stormed their headquarters, these religious figures were incredibly aggrieved, saying ¡®we are devout believers, we believe in the same God, why do you treat us this way¡­¡¯ Besides, there were instances where counterfeit meets the original. Some factions liked to use religion as a disguise, brainwashing their followers to loot and kill. The yers once got involved in such a war. At that time, a religious civilization was invaded by another civilization. The invaders shouted slogans of eliminating false gods for the true God with fervour and killed ruthlessly, but in the end, they were weak as hell. Everyone just stormed into their mother like cutting through vegetables, only to find out that their so-called ¡®true god¡¯ was nothing but mutants corrupted by spiritual energy with four eyes. This stuff is sold by the ton in the Hive City Underground, okay? Chapter 162 - 135 Tracking Prey_2 Chapter 162: Chapter 135 Tracking Prey_2 In this universe, civilizations with beliefs can be broadly ssified into three categories. The first kind truly has the protection of their True God, such as the Yajinians who believe in the Elemental Spirits, the Holy City that believes in Heaven, or the Empire that believes in Sigma, all of which are truly under the protection of some deity. Dealing between these civilizations is rtively easy, as long as their respective deities cane to an agreement, their followers would be at peace. The second kind are atheistic civilizations that do not believe in deities. These civilizations generally do not conflict with civilizations that hold beliefs, as they consider the gods of the believing civilizations as transcendent entities beyond dimensions. They admittedly acknowledge the power of these entities, but they do not worship them as all-knowing or omnipotent gods who created the world. The third kind is like some civilizations that do not have deities, yet still conceive a deity for worship, even acting in the name of this fabricated god. The end result of this either tends to be seen as lunacy or they are badly beaten by the genuine deities¡­ However, most of the gods believed in by civilizations that have entered the Star Ocean and transcended gravity wells belong to the Order Camp. Under the premise of a united front against Chaos, these gods do not deliberately attack each other. On the contrary, civilizations originally believing in false gods are easily misled by Evil Gods after entering the starry sky. If they are simply foolish, that¡¯s fine, but if they believe in the deceptive words of an unknown incarnation of an Evil God, that would be the end¡­ The present human civilization is the best example. Had the UAC not been deceived by demons, this would not have been on the verge of destruction. Of course, it¡¯s fortunate that these are Primal Demons. If it were the God of gue or the God of Lust, Duanmu Huai would likely have to issue an extinction order under his authority as a Judge. As for Felin¡¯s focus, it¡¯s also quite strange. Perhaps due to the inertia of staying in the Ice Tower all year round, the Dragonkin girl is currently sitting in a chair, looking at something resembling a travel guide in front of her. Although Felin¡¯s face is still expressionless, from her swaying tail and engrossed expression, it¡¯s clear that she seems to like this kind of thing. ¡°Do you like looking at this?¡± Duanmu Huai asked curiously, looking at the travel guide in Felin¡¯s hand. Normally, Felin shouldn¡¯t be able to understand thenguage of this world. However, with things like travel guides, even if the words aren¡¯t understood, the scenery and local delicacies depicted can still be enjoyed, which highly intrigues Felin.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Felin lifted her head to look at him, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded slightly. ¡°Various ces are very interesting.¡± ¡°How about traveling and sightseeing after we¡¯re done here? It¡¯s a good pastime to travel around, taking in the scenery.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Felin thought for a moment again and shook her head. ¡°Not interested in going out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Damn, she¡¯s reached the ultimate stage of a homebody. ¡°Master.¡± At this moment, a Night Guard quietly appeared beside Duanmu Huai. ¡°We¡¯ve located the three Hell Wizards and Queen Mek!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Excellent!¡± Saying this, Duanmu Huai stepped out of the store and yelled out loudly. ¡°Ogis, Ann, Greiya, Lorena, Felin, get ready to move out, we¡¯re going to hold the mastermind ountable!!¡± At the same time, within the UAC¡¯s frontline base, an atmosphere of heaviness was spreading. This former human base was nowpletely transformed into a demonic abomination. The walls and skeletal framework, once made of steel and concrete, were now covered in blood and sphemous texts. Yet at this moment, the expressions on the faces of the three men standing in the center were solemn and bitter. They were none other than the former Yajin Monks. Now, they had thoroughly betrayed their race and civilization, bing subordinates of the Mek Tribe and the demons. ¡°How could this happen!!¡± The Hell Priest holding the Scepter muttered to himself with bloodshot eyes. They only realized that something was wrong when they discovered the Night Guard¡¯s Ghost Army entering the battlefield. Logically, the Night Guards should have already be fuel for the Yajin Energy in Hell. Then where did these Night Guardse from? The confused Hell Priests contacted Hell, only to be shocked that the Yajin Energy Factory inside Hell had been destroyed?! Who did this? What exactly happened? The Hell Priests were dumbfounded, but the problem was not there. The problem was¡ªsince the imprisoned Elemental Spirits had escaped and the Yajin Energy Factory was destroyed, without the output of Yajin Energy, Queen Mek would inevitably face the ultimate fate of their tribe. Death. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!!¡± Seeing the expressions of hispanions, another Hell Priest forcefully struck his Scepter. ¡°Currently, our assimtion of this is in its final phase. As long as wepletely exterminate these damn invaders, we can assimte this into Hell, just like Nur¡¯s Ring. At that time, we can continue to produce Yajin Energy! These Night Guards are nothing more than spirits guarded by Elemental Spirits! As long as¡­¡­¡± Chapter 163 - 135: Tracking Prey_3 Chapter 163: Chapter 135: Tracking Prey_3 However, just as this Hell Priest was trying to rally his spirits passionately, suddenly, the metallic door behind him was abruptly blown open. The heavy door panel whistled as it was flung out violently, smashing mercilessly onto the Hell Priest¡¯s body. The poor Hell Priest was like a fly being pummeled by a fly swatter, sending him sprawling towards the wall, turning him into a mess of gore. Seeing this, the other two Hell Priests were taken aback, they hurriedly gripped their scepters and tried to escape, but at the same time, a dazzling Magic Circle burst into being, pinning them rooted to the spot. ¡°You no longer have any chances, dogs of Chaos.¡± Duanmu Huai gripped his Thunder Warhammer, striding in from outside the door. Behind him, Ann was humming a ditty with her right hand raised, forming a miniature Array of Arrest within it. At this moment, looking at this terrifying figure standing tall before them, the faces of the two Hell priests turned pale. They were, after all, once Dea Monks of the Yajinian people before they were cast into Hell and were only too familiar with the history of their kind. However, this mysterious figure standing before them, dressed in a horrifying Armor with a skull and blood-colored cross on it, seemed like a demon god walking out from an ancient myth, leaving them in disbelief. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ you are¡­¡± One of the hell priests raises his trembling hand to point at Duanmu Huai, but before he can finish his sentence, the next moment sees him clutch his chest mid-sentence and drop lifeless to the ground. ¡°Eek!¡± Seeing this, Ann¡¯s face changed, and she quickly rushed over to Greiya and Lorena. ¡°Look, Mr. Knight really scared somebody to death!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Aha ha ha¡­¡± Hearing the bitterughter and whisperedments from the girls, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face turned icy. He forced himself to act as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything and marched straight toward thest remaining Hell Priest. As Duanmu Huai approached, thest Hell Priest stared at him, a look of unfathomable shock in his eyes. ¡°Astarte¡­ I thought that was just a legend¡­ If you had descended earlier to this world, then perhaps¡­¡± ¡°You chose to give up.¡± Duanmu Huai stood in front of the Hell Priest, staring at him. ¡°In the end, you are just another pawn of Chaos. No excuse can cover your weakness and stupidity. There¡¯s no ce for those with weak wills or indecisiveness. Only with firm actions and beliefs can humans survive. No sacrifice is too great, no betrayal too small.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± But before the Hell Priest could finish, Duanmu Huai raised his fist andnded a heavy punch on the Hell Priest. ¡°Bang!¡± The next moment, the Hell Priest¡¯s head was smashed back into his body by Duanmu Huai. He fell to the ground without a sound, lifeless. ¡°Eek!¡± Seeing this, both Lorena and Ann shrank back. However, at this moment¡­ a voice rang out. ¡°Your resistance is futile.¡± Apanied by these words, a sh of brilliance shone from the teleporter in front of them. Immediately, a robotic figure nearly ten meters tall, looking like a giant womanposed of machines, emerged. She stared at Duanmu Huai, her golden eyes devoid of any emotions. ¡°This is a chance for humans to repent and serve us; you cannot defy my will ¨C the will of Queen Mek.¡± ¡°We shall see about that.¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn Staring at Queen Mek, Duanmu Huai gripped his War Hammer tightly. Queen Mek also raised her hands, ring at him angrily. ¡°We have existed for thousands of years! Others must make sacrifices for our prosperity, only then can they be redeemed! And you, a mere mortal, dare to openly challenge our tradition? Why won¡¯t you, like them, kneel before me and beg for the right to live? Do you think you, with thesemoners by your side, can challenge god? Challenge the envoy of the Father of Heaven ¨C the envoy of the creator of all things?¡± ¡°You dare to boast in front of me, alien scum?¡± Duanmu Huai stared at Queen Mek, a brilliant red light erupted from his helmet. ¡°You dare to defile the purity of humans, lure them into the dark abyss of chaos. Your sin is unforgivable. Only purification and destruction can put an end to your crimes! Sympathy belongs to the servants of The Emperor, and aliens only deserve our contempt. Die!¡± ¡°Insolent human!¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Queen Mek roared in anger. Then she spread her arms, and apanying her action, a pair of golden wings appeared behind her. ¡°You can never kill me, I will bestow upon you unimaginable pain and judgement!¡± ¡°That sounds like something I should be saying, alien scum!¡± Duanmu Huai raised his Warhammer overhead, lightning shing and dancing over it. ¡°For humanity, I shall teach you the true wrath of The Emperor!¡± Chapter 164 - 136: Want to Die? _1 Chapter 164: Chapter 136: Want to Die? _1 Apanying the energy shockwave that burst the dome, the next moment, the battle between the two sides unfolded. Queen Mek pped her wings, and flew high into the sky. However, she wasn¡¯t the only one who could fly. Duanmu Huai, on the back of the Metal Secret Dragon, roared upwards, with Lorena and Ogis faithfully following beside him. On the other side, Greiya and Felin, being Dragonkin, spread their wings and took to the skies, while Ann, holding her Sorcerer¡¯s Book, flew up beside Greiya. Inparison to Queen Mek¡¯s enormous size, everyone else seemed as tiny as sparrows. But size often doesn¡¯t equate tobat effectiveness ¡ª in fact, Duanmu Huai preferred opponents ofrger size, feeling that Queen Mek, being of average size, was somewhat disappointing. It¡¯s just not possible to get inside her body, after all. ¡°Perish, mortals!!!¡± With a roar, Queen Mek raised both her hands, quickly a beam of light descended from the sky, bombarding them. Everyone quickly scattered, and then they saw the beam of light directly strike the ground, immediately creating a sea of fire. Hmm¡­ Not surprisingly, the threat of a BOSS is not to be underestimated. Moreover, at this point, several teleportation gates suddenly opened around Queen Mek. Soon, robots draped in long robes flew out from within. They lifted their heads, revealing their eerily mechanical shapes from beneath their cloaks, and everyone was taken aback. ¡°Everyone, follow mymand!¡± Riding the Metal Secret Dragon, Duanmu Huai raised his War Hammer and shouted loudly. ¡°Ann, you will attack Queen Mek with me. Greiya, you are in charge of protecting Ann! Felin, leave those metal monsters to you!¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Ann, being a mage, was quite powerful, but was a traditional turret-type mage created by Manaria, meaning she always needed someone by her side to protect her. She did not have the ability to unleash spiritual energy and fight at close range like Astarte. Hmm, perhaps she should have also been given a Power Armor too? At least it could be used for self-defense¡­. but she didn¡¯t know if Ann would ept it. Not the first time they had fought with Duanmu Huai, everyone moved into action upon hearing hismand. Greiya stood in front of Ann, showing her teeth and ws in a defensive stance. Felin, on the other hand, stretched out her hand, and with the howling cold wind and snow, a long-handled Battle Axe appeared in her hand. Felin then leapt up and charged at the metal monsters before her. At the same time, Duanmu Huai also guided the Metal Secret Dragon, charging towards Queen Mek. Ogis and Lorena were positioned to the left and right of Duanmu Huai, closely watching the front¡ªtheir roles weren¡¯t very obvious in this aerial battle, but Duanmu Huai still brought them along. After all, Ogis could control her Guardian Puppet to protect them, and Lorena¡¯s ¡°Iron Fist¡± possessed an attack strengthparable to the highest on the field. In other words, if an attack failed to achieve its purpose, Lorena simply needed to add another punch, and it might seed. Situations like this often arose during games. For example, when you gave your all to deliver the final blow to a BOSS, only to find that the BOSS was no more than half deceased. Because you¡¯ve exhausted your final moves, someone must volunteer to sacrifice themselves with a simr attack topletely eliminate the BOSS¡­ this kind of clich¨¦ wasmonce in boss battles. That¡¯s why Duanmu brought Lorena along every time he went into battle. With Lorena present, such emotional tear-jerking scenes threatening to kill off characters had virtually no value. To be honest, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t sure whether Lorena¡¯s ¡°Iron Fist¡± was considered Divine Arts or Magic. Yet he knew this was definitely not something that could be trained from a few hundred punches and dozens of miles of running every day¡­. But he should focus his thoughts on the battle in front of him first. The first one to initiate an attack was still Ann ¡ª Mages always had the advantage of preemptive long-range attacks. She held up her sorcerer¡¯s book in her right hand and pointed forward with her left. Soon, a purple lightning bolt fired from her fingertips, targeting Queen Mek, yet blocked by the barrier appearing around her as expected. this was only to be expected. If shecked even this basic ability, she wouldn¡¯t be fit to lead such a powerful civilization. But this did not dissuade Duanmu Huai. He guided the Metal Secret Dragon, and while using the lightning as a cover, he directly collided with Queen Mek. He then lifted the War Hammer and brought it down hard on Queen Mek. ¡°Bang!!!¡± The Thundering Hammer crashed directly onto the barrier in front of Queen Mek, causing the entire barrier to sh. However, it was clear that this did not manage to break through the barrier in front of him. Fortunately, Duanmu Huai was not alone in this fight. As he attacked, Ogis¡¯s silk thread in her hand also condensed into a weapon simr to a Knight¡¯s Longspear, rotating and shooting forward. On the other side, Lorena held up the Holy Canon, striking down forcefully in front of her. ¡°Bang!!!¡± The three of them attacked almost simultaneously, hitting Queen Mek¡¯s protective barrier. Although they failed to break through the barrierpletely, they still caused Queen Mek¡¯s body to tremble. She hastily pped her wings and dodged¡ª the flickering golden brilliance in front of her suggested that her barrier had reached its limit. Chapter 165 - 136: Want to Die?_2 Chapter 165: Chapter 136: Want to Die?_2 At that moment, a vibrant red beam abruptly shot forth! ¡°Rune Magic Prating Cannon!!¡± Apanying Ann¡¯s shout, the magic-charged beam hit Queen Mek right in the back,pletely shattering her barrier which was already on the brink of copse. She was knocked over, nearly losing her bnce. The opportunity had arrived!! Upon seeing this, a light flickered in Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. ¡°Lorena, let¡¯s go!!¡± ¡°Yes! Sir Knight!!¡± In the moment of barrier disruption, Duanmu Huai and Lorena jumped off the Metal Secret Dragon, hurtling towards Queen Mek. ¡°You stupid mortals¡­¡­!!!¡± Queen Mek was not going to be easily taken down. Seeing the two charging at her, she roared and reached out to grab these two insects. However, she immediately felt a sudden resistance as she reached out that forcefully stopped her further actions. Turning her head around, she saw Ogis atop the Metal Secret Dragon, tightly gripping and pulling back almost invisible thread ¡ª with one end wrapped tightly around Queen Mek¡¯s arm! ¡°You¡ª!!¡± Though it was a fleeting moment, it was enough. Blocked by Ogis and missing the opportunity, Queen Mek couldn¡¯t catch the charging Duanmu Huai and Lorena. Immediately, the Thundering Hammer and the massive Holy Canon heavily hit Queen Mek right in the face. ¡°Aaaahhh!!!!¡± What she thought would be a negligible attack like the striking of an insect turned out to be shocking. When she was hit, Queen Mek felt like someone had thrown a boulder straight into her face, with the severe pain and impact making her head spin. In agony, Queen Mek swung her arms wildly and began pping her wings, escaping backward as if her life depended on it. With every p of her wings, sharp, dangerous rays of light akin to sword beams, whistled out, flying at Duanmu Huai and the others. ¡°Damn!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai cursed in his breath, quickly grabbed Lorena by his side, activated the jetpack, and leaped upward to evade Queen Mek¡¯s attack. The Metal Secret Dragon, unable to dodge in time, was hit directly by the beam, howled and fell to the ground ¨C though the Metal Secret Dragon could resist all physical attacks, it did not have effective defense against non-physical ones. In the meantime, Ogis, riding on the Metal Secret Dragon, hurriedly reached out, operated the thread to bind Duanmu Huai, jumped up and dodged the attack,nding on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You, you bastards!!!¡± At this moment, Queen Mek lowered her shielding hands again, looking up furiously at Duanmu Huai and the others. Her metal-made facial mask waspletely shattered under the joint full-force attack from Duanmu Huai and Lorena. Under the mask was a hideously devil-like face, her mouth split open like some alien creature, looking eerily simr to the jaws of a mantis. ¡°I, I will never let you off!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what any fool facing death would say!¡± Duanmu Huai roared once more, then the jetpack sted out a burst of thrust, driving him toward Queen Mek like a cannonball. ¡°Die, stupid mortal!!¡± Facing the charging Duanmu Huai, Queen Mek raised her hands again. With her movement, a shining purple sphere emerged between her hands. She was going to use her iparable holy power to restrain these lowly beings who dared to disrespect her, then incinerate them with holy fire¡­ to their deaths!! Just as Queen Mek wasunching her rage-filled energy burst at Duanmu Huai and the others, a shimmering magic barrier suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking her nearly wless strike. Even before Queen Mek could react to what had happened, Ogis, who was sitting on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, pulled out a suitcase and swung it forcefully at Queen Mek ¡ª with the opening of the suitcase, a giant Guardian puppet flew out. Its limbs spread open, countless threads erupted from the dark cloak like chains, binding Queen Mek¡¯s further actions tightly. But it wasn¡¯t over yet!! At the same time that Queen Mek was restrained, Felin appeared behind her like a ghost. Wielding her battle axe, she shed a cloaked mechanical monster into pieces, as if dancing. Then, stepping on the falling mechanical monster, she jumped to Queen Mek¡¯s back. Felin opened her mouth and gently blew a breath onto Queen Mek. ¡°Whooooooooosh!¡± The howling, bone-piercing cold wind surged from the ground, instantly freezing Queen Mek¡¯s unfurled Wings of Light within the ice. N?v(el)B\\jnn At the same time, Duanmu Huai and Lorena, wielding their weapons once again, hit Queen Mek¡¯s face hard. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± This time, Queen Mek couldn¡¯t resist their mighty strike and screamed as she fell downwards, crashing to the ground like a pile of rubbish. As Duanmu Huai and the others descended to the ground again, Queen Mek hadpletely lost her original appearance. ¡°This, this is¡­?¡± Looking at Queen Mek before them, Ann widened her eyes in surprise, and Duanmu Huai snorted coldly. ¡°This is the ultimate fate of those who sell their souls to demons.¡± The now visible Queen Mek bore no resemnce to the majestic and divine figure she was when she first appeared. Her pure white armor waspletely shattered, revealing her body beneath ¨C a red, ugly and distorted body just like the demon they had defeated in hell. Even her helmet waspletely crushed, exposing her brain. Queen Mek¡¯s face was now horribly distorted as if it had been run over by a steamroller. ¡°You, you won¡¯t be able to kill me!¡± As she struggled to move her body, Queen Mek red viciously at them. ¡°Outside of my realm, I am immortal! Even if you kill me here, my soul will be reborn! Your efforts are futile! Next time, I will make you understand the true meaning of despair and pain, the great demon army will shatter your feeble resistance¡­¡± ¡°Heh, unkible, huh?¡± However, facing Queen Mek¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai was surprisingly calm. He looked at her with interest and then made a gesture. ¡°Felin, Ann.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What can I do for you, Sir Knight?¡± ¡°Seal her for me.¡± Yes, this is the biggest reason why Righteous brought Felin along. As a Guardian who had sealed the me Demon Dragon for hundreds of years, Felin knew how to use seals well. You keep saying if we kill you, you will be revived? So we won¡¯t kill you for now, we willpletely destroy you once we find a way to do so, won¡¯t we? In the meantime, stay frosty in the cold storage! ¡°Wait, you¡­!!!¡± As expected, hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Queen Mek¡¯s face instantly turned pale. However, before she could say anything else, Felin extended her hand. They saw the whistling snowstorm rise from the ground in an instant, covering Queen Mek¡¯s huge body entirely, turning her into an ice sculpture. Ann also raised her hands, chanting a spell, then magic circles appeared around the ice sculpture,pletely sealing it. This way, Felin didn¡¯t have to maintain the seal with her life anymore. ¡°Humph, just as I thought.¡± Looking at Queen Mek in front of him, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly. She was only just a bit troublesome, but for Duanmu Huai, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to handle. However, Duanmu Huai knew that things were not over yet. The reason was simple ¨C the task list was still hanging in front of him. Chapter 166 - 137 Ball of Life_1 Chapter 166: Chapter 137 Ball of Life_1 After defeating the Queen Mek and killing the three Hell Priests, the momentum of the demons began to weaken. The group was momentarily bereft of any leads, but for Duanmu Huai¡­ this wasn¡¯t a problem. Was the Queen Mek captured in vain? In fact, right after capturing the Queen Mek, Duanmu Huai tossed her directly to the Night Guards, and then issued an order. ¡°Squeeze everything out of her brain.¡± Technologies such as reading memories and probing the brain were possessed by the Imperial and the Night Guards, and the Mek Tribe had simr technology. In fact, the Mek Tribe had taught this technology to the Yajinians, but they never thought that thetter would use this technology to deal with themselves. The Night Guard naturally despised the Queen Mek, who had betrayed their tribe. As for the treatment she would receive¡­ hmm, considering her mantis-like face, tentacle-like lower body and over ten-meter height, she was obviously not suitable for such ¡°Noble Queen Reduced to Prisoner.MP4¡± materials. But whether there would be other bloody and violent scenes was hard to say. Duanmu Huai was not concerned. Meanwhile, the Night Guards were very efficient, quickly extracting arge amount of intelligence from Queen Mek¡¯s brain. When Duanmu Huai saw these revtions, he was quite surprised, these secrets were too interesting. Actually, if the memory of the Queen Mek is correct, the Mek Tribe and the demons were actually created by the same entity! Yes, ording to the memory of the Queen Mek, it was like this. In the beginning, the world was void. Then an existence known as the Father of Heaven appeared. Of course, whether this Father of Heaven was some kind of ancient cosmic deity like the Star Gods or something else, Duanmu Huai did not know. All in all, as with many creation myths, a world called Urdaco was born around this Father of Heaven. Then, the Father of Heaven felt lonely being alone and created another world named Gerrard and its inhabitants, so they could foster their civilization. In this process, the Father of Heaven created an original deity named Davos to manage Gerrard in his stead. As with all stories, initially, under the guidance of Gerrard, this race prospered and developed quickly. But soon after, they fell into an existential crisis that any normal life form would have about death. Moreover, they also developed jealousy towards another race created by the Father of Heaven, thetter being the tribe of the Queen Mek, the Mek Tribe. The Mek Tribe were the first beings born from Urdaco. They served as the Father of Heaven¡¯s aide and children, assisting him in his research and creation. Most importantly, the Mek tribe had a giant machine called the ¡°Genesis Engine,¡± which could separate the soul and body, converting the soul into a ¡°Ball of Life¡±. This meant that even if a Mek tribe person was killed, as long as their Ball of Life still existed, they could recreate a body and revive through the Genesis Engine. It was this point that sparked resent and envy from the people of Gerrard. Why should it be that everyone was created by the Father of Heaven, and yet you have eternal life while I will perish and rot? Therefore, you see,rge families with too many siblings always cause all sorts of trouble due to this issue of uneven distribution of wealth. In modern times, this could potentially turn into another TV episode of ¡°People Vs Society,¡± such as ¡°Siblings fight in court over inheritance.¡± Unfortunately, this world had no courts, and there were no chances for an ¡°out-of-court settlement¡±, so Davos led the people of Gerrard to attack Urdaco in an attempt to seize the Genesis Engine and achieve immortality. Of course, in the end, the Father of Heaven defeated Davos and separated his soul from his body, sealing the soul of this rebellious deity within the Ball of Life. The Father of Heaven could have killed him, but because he cherished his child, he simply sealed him¡­ It was a good choice driven by gentle affection, indeed a good father. By the way, Gerrard is now Hell, and Urdaco is Heaven where the Mek Tribe resides. After this, the Father of Heaven also transformed himself into the form of the Ball of Life and departed from the sorrowful material world. His Ball of Life was ced in the Sanctuary of Heaven. But after that, something strange happened. Someone from the Mek Tribe betrayed the Queen and stole the Father of Heaven¡¯s Ball of Life, causing it to disappear. The Mek Tribe was now in a tough situation. Although they could be reborn from the Ball of Life through the Genesis Engine, the problem was, each rebirth of the Mek Tribe required confirmation from the Father of Heaven. This is like sending amand to your superior indicating that number 0001 has died and now wishes to resurrect. But even then, one could not simply recreate oneself with the Genesis Engine unless that order was approved by the superior. But now, the superior who was responsible for pressing ¡°ok¡± disappeared, and no one could take his ce. This meant that the Mek Tribe began to face the threat of death. Basically, all the revival requests of the Mek Tribe were being shelved. Therefore, under this condition, The Queen Mek had to find an alternative way to extend the life of her tribe. Hence, she set her sights on Hell and eventually teamed up with the demons for the energy produced there. In other words, as long as they find the Ball of Life of the Father of Heaven and Davos and destroy them, these aliens should be eliminatedpletely, right? After reading the intelligence sent by the Night Guards, Duanmu Huai pondered. Of course, the information in Queen Mek¡¯s brain was not just this, there was a lot of knowledge rted to the Mek Tribe¡¯s technology. Duanmu Huai asked the Night Guards to categorize them first and then see if there was anything useful for himself. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Of course, currently for Duanmu Huai, it seemed there was not much that particrly caught his attention, except for the Genesis Engine. This reminded Duanmu Huai of another race in the game. The Guardians. They were also a human civilization force that had set foot in the universe and could be barely counted as one of the core civilizations in the Milky Way. The Guardians held an item called ¡°Ingenuity¡±. As long as the Ingenuity existed, the Guardians who possessed the power of Light Energy could revive shortly after being killed. This seemed quite simr to the Genesis Engine, and most importantly, this was more convenientpared to the Genesis Engine. Of course, the Guardians also had a weakness. If the Ingenuity owned by the Guardian was destroyed at the time of his death, the Guardian wouldpletely die as well. Nevertheless, for yers, the ability to resurrect in such a short period of time is quite useful. Some yers even choose to double up as guardians, essentially equipping themselves with soul stones that can revive them right where they fall. Duanmu Huai ns to enlist a group of Guardians to help him solve the problem of the moment of doom after this. A group of immortal guardians is certainly more useful than ordinary soldiers. Additionally, in the game, Guardians look just like yers. yers often see guardians mimic their antics, causing them to feel quite attached to the guardians. For yers in the game, Guardians are more like NPCs mimicking yers. They form teams and call out to people like yers do, they enjoy PK, are not afraid of death, and asionally pull off some hellish jokes. Guardians are willing to lend a hand as long as there are quests. However, the problem with the guardians will be discussedter. Duanmu Huai retracted his thoughts and looked at the intelligence in front of him again. He was hoping to find the location of the Ball of Life of Father of Heaven or that guy named Davos in the memory of Queen Mek. Sadly, Queen Mek¡¯s memory only mentioned that the soul ball of Davos should be in hell. As the Mek Tribe couldn¡¯t prate the hell dimension, she didn¡¯t know where Davos¡¯ Ball of Life was¡­ ¡°Knock knock knock.¡± At this point, the sound of knocking on the door interrupted Duanmu Huai¡¯s thoughts. He raised his head and looked at the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Ah, Sir Knight!!¡± Soon, the door opened and Ann walked in, waving to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Ann, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Well, the Armed Reaction Alliance sent representatives to look for you, they want to discuss the next action n with you.¡± ¡°All right, I got it.¡± Upon hearing Ann¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai nodded. Then he suddenly thought of something and looked at Ann curiously. ¡°Can youmunicate with them now?¡± You should know that among these people, except for Duanmu Huai who couldmunicate with them through his power armor trantor, no one else could understand thenguage of the people of this world. Despite Ann showing interest in learning the world¡¯snguage and asked Duanmu Huai to rmend some textbooks, it had only been a few days¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, I learned it in just one day. What do you think, pretty amazing, right?¡± ¡°Impressive, impressive¡­¡± Duanmu Huai silently gave a thumbs up. As expected of Manaria¡¯s top mage, her IQ was undoubtedly high. Shortly after, Duanmu Huai left the camp and headed towards the main gate. He soon saw a bald young man dressed in ARC uniform standing there awkwardly ¡ª clearly he was very nervous around the Night Guards. However, when he saw Duanmu Huai, he turned even paler, but he quickly raised his hand in salute. ¡°Hello, Your Honor, the Judge¡­ I¡¯m terribly sorry to disturb you during your busy time¡­¡± ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Duanmu Huai did not intend to make small talk and asked directly. The young man hesitated for a moment and then spoke. ¡°Well¡­ Dr. Hyden invites you to the ARC Headquarters for further action nning¡­¡± Dr. Hyden? Upon hearing this name, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brow, but he nodded. ¡°Alright, lead the way.¡± ¡°Yes, please follow me!!!¡± The headquarters of the Armed Reaction Alliance is located on an aircraft carrier. This is to respond to demon invasions in various ces as quickly as possible. Although the demon invasions have noticeably decreased after the death of the three Hell Priests, there are still scattered demon forces operating in various ces. Human society, which has lost as many as six billion people, does not have sufficient military power to recapture the areas upied by the demons. You could say that a stalemate exists between the two parties at present. On his way to the ARC Headquarters, Duanmu Huai learned about Dr. Hyden¡¯s situation from the young man. He was the first to stand up and advocate for human resistance when the human world was invaded by demons, and the formation of the ARC was also centered around him. The weapons and equipment of the Reaction Armed Alliance were all based on Dr. Hyden¡¯s scientific research. Even Dr. Hyden himself once led an army deep into Hell in an attempt to curb the hellish onught, but unfortunately, the attempt ended in failure, and he was severely injured. However, when Duanmu Huai met Dr. Hyden, he understood why he had refused to appear in person. ¡°This¡­ is Dr. Hyden¡­¡± The young man pointed at a robot in the repair bay in front of Duanmu Huai. The robot, which was reduced to an upper body with torn arms, stammered as he introduced it to Duanmu Huai. Chapter 167 - 138: Holy Land?_1 Chapter 167: Chapter 138: Holy Land?_1 ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Admittedly, looking at the robot in front of him, Duanmu Huai was in aplete daze. He nced at the robot, then at the young man. ¡°So, you guys let a robotmand you?¡± ¡°No no no.¡± The young man hastily shook his head. ¡°Dr. Hyden¡­ He used to be human, but his body developed problems and he had to transfer his consciousness into a machine body¡­¡± Ah¡­a knockoff Space Undead. N?v(el)B\\jnn Duanmu Huai withdrew his gaze and stared at the robot again. ¡°So, why did you seek me out?¡± ¡°Stranger, I have seen everything you¡¯ve done¡­¡± A t, emotionless, mechanical electronic voice rang in Duanmu Huai¡¯s ear. ¡°You have defeated Queen Mek, but that¡¯s not enough. There¡¯s only one way to solve these problems¡­ You must go to the Sanctuary and obtain the Ball of Life of the Father of Heaven, to allow him to be reborn. Only when the Father of Heaven gains a physical body again can hepletely destroy the demons and seal them back into Hell.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing Dr. Hyden¡¯s speech, Duanmu Huai squinted. ¡°Do you know where the Ball of Life of the Father of Heaven is?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s in the Sanctuary deep in Hell¡­ For thousands of years, countless Night Guards have tried to pass the trial road to meet with the Father of Heaven. You will also follow their footsteps and embark on the same journey.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Alright, give me the location and I¡¯ll go check it out. Anything else?¡± ¡°Of course, during this trial, you may not bring weapons.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Faced with Dr. Hyden¡¯s requirement, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because this is a trial bestowed by God. You can only gain the qualification to meet the Father of Heaven by passing this trial.¡± ¡°Okay, I see.¡± Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders. Then it seemed like he thought of something and looked at Dr. Hyden again. ¡°Oh yeah, I have a question.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the question?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Father of Heaven kill the traitor at that time? I remember the legend says he just sealed him up because he didn¡¯t bear to kill his own creation?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± For the first time, Dr. Hyden¡¯s tone fluctuated. ¡°To the Father of Heaven, all creations are his children. He can¡¯t bear to kill any one of them with his own hands. Therefore, he ultimately just sealed Davos in the void.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded and turned to leave. At this point, he already knew what to do. When the youngdies found out that Duanmu Huai was going to Hell alone and without weapons, they were all shocked. ¡°Master, please allow me to follow you.¡± Ogis¡¯s tone was still t, but it revealed an undeniable determination, and Lorena also frowned. ¡°Why aren¡¯t weapons allowed? That ce should be very dangerous, right? Sir Knight, can we really trust what that Dr. Hyden says?¡± ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t believe him at all.¡± However, Duanmu Huai immediately responded with an answer. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he used to be, but he¡¯s definitely not just a simple doctor. He knows about such secret things as Hell, no one knows who the hell he really is.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the information Duanmu Huai got from Queen Mek¡¯s memories, and the fact that he previously logged in from UAC¡¯s alien research base, he might have been deceived. But in fact, even this world¡¯s ¡°cunning¡± UAC is quite ignorant about Hell. They¡¯re just bewitched by the demons¡¯ lies and assist them in their actions. So, how did Dr. Hydene to know these secrets? The young man from ARC mentioned that Dr. Hyden had even led the ARC¡¯s army deep into hell, attempting to put an end to the threat of demons once and for all. Although they ultimately failed, the question remains ¨C what did Dr. Hyden know tounch such a suicide attack? Surely, he didn¡¯t just offer himself up for death willingly. ¡°So, Sir Knight, do you really n to resurrect the so-called ¡®Father of Heaven¡¯?¡± ¡°Hmph, we¡¯ll see.¡± Duanmu Huai did not directly answer Ann¡¯s question, but in fact, he had already made up his mind. After making the decision, Duanmu Huai returned to hell once more and stormed towards the sanctuary. Although the girls did not join Duanmu Huai¡¯s action, they watched the battlefield through the reconnaissance servo skull under Duanmu Huai¡¯s control. After all, if anything happened to Duanmu Huai, they might be able to lend him a hand¡­ But¡­ ¡°Can Sir Knight really deal with those demons bare-handed?¡± Greiya voiced her doubts. She had seen Duanmu Huai wipe out enemies before them with the Thunder Warhammer and Chainsaw Sword. But now, Duanmu Huai had teleported to hell, bare-handed with not even a dagger in possession, which caused them some concern. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But, I guess Sir Knight might be fine¡­¡± Lorena shook her head, unable to provide a definitive answer. But Ann appeared to be rather calm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after all, Sir Knight is still an outstanding mage. What does it matter if he can¡¯t use a weapon? It¡¯s not like magic is prohibited, is it?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°See, it¡¯s like that, isn¡¯t it?¡± Listening to this, everyone was stunned before they could remember that Duanmu Huai, besides being a warrior, was also a mage! It¡¯s just that his usual actions and appearance could easily make people forget about that. Realizing this, the girls hurriedly raised their heads to look at the screen. So, what would Sir Knight (Master) do? For Duanmu Huai, the sight of hell wasn¡¯t much different from before. Dark red, deste, with dried-up trees everywhere, and distant decay, evil, devilish buildings like bones. But Duanmu Huai was indifferent. He just strode forward, heading in the direction of the sanctuary mentioned by Dr. Hyden. However, Duanmu Huai¡¯s journey was not smooth sailing. Soon, with the screams mixed with fear and anger, a few demons, flickering red, appeared before his eyes, blocking Duanmu Huai¡¯s path. The demons aimed fiery eyes full of rage at Duanmu Huai. But as soon as they tried to stop the enemy in front, Duanmu Huai suddenly hastened his pace. At the same time, the jetpack on his back fired, propelling his huge body into the demons like a boulder!! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The frail demon hadn¡¯t even had the chance to disy its strength before being blown away by the shock wave, and other demons also hurriedly backed away. However, at this moment, a pair ofrge hands extended directly from the dust, grabbing one demon¡¯s head and smashing it forcefully against his raised knee. Apanied by a ¡°snap¡± sound, that demon¡¯s head instantly shattered into fragments like a watermelon under the impact of the knee. Subsequently, Duanmu Huai, like a demon, shot out from the dust. At the same time, another tall demon, roaring ferociously, swung his fist at Duanmu Huai. Then it got grabbed by Duanmu Huai, who with a strong twist, snatched its arm brutally off. Then, he grabbed the part where the demon¡¯s arm was broken and plunged it forcefully into the demon¡¯s eyes. The bone of the broken arm punctured the demon¡¯s head like a short sword, turning it into a dead body. After that, Duanmu Huai reached forward, grabbed the third demon¡¯s chest ribs, and brazenly ripped its chest in half. However, it didn¡¯t stop here. Soon, the Tubby Devils armed with heavy steel cannons entered the scene. They shouted and swung their cannons in their hands, smashing them forcefully at Duanmu Huai. But facing the bombardment of the steel cannon, Duanmu Huai did not dodge or evade, allowing the Tubby Devil to smash the steel cannon onto his body. At the same time, he clenched his fist and punched the Tubby Devil¡¯s chest! ¡°Blurt!!!¡± The hand covered with gauntlets pierced through the Tubby Devil¡¯s chest like a heavy hammer. Duanmu Huai then withdrew his hand, took out a golden, heart-like sphere, and swiftly stuffed it into the mouth of the shrieking Tubby Devil in pain. Thetter froze for a moment, then it fell to the ground and turned into a corpse. ¡°Die! You scum!!!¡± The gruesome death of the demons made other demons halt their steps involuntarily, but there were also the fearless demons who roared forward, swinging their Rune Giant Axes at Duanmu Huai¡ª¡ª¡ªthose were the Fallen Night Guards. Unfortunately, for Duanmu Huai, such attacks are utterly meaningless. In the game of his previous life, Duanmu Huai had participated in a hidden task called the ¡°Underground diator Arena¡±. The plot was that yers enter the arena for a duel, unarmed, and the final champion can receive rich rewards. At the time, Duanmu Huai coveted the champion¡¯s reward¡ªrobes, and so he joined the underground diatorpetition and won the championship. Therefore, for him, this kind of unarmed fighting is not rare, and it can even be said to be insignificant. After all, in the underground arena, in the end, yers have to face a giant dragon with bare hands¡ª¡ª¡ªthat¡¯s much more difficult than dealing with demons! As for the demons here ¡­¡­¡­ they¡¯re not worth mentioning! Duanmu Huai dodged the opponent¡¯s swing and reached out to grab the Fallen Guard¡¯s arm. Then, the jetpack behind him sprayed out a stream of air, instantly lifting Duanmu Huai and the Fallen Guard into the air. Then Duanmu Huai flipped over, pressing the Fallen Guard beneath him. The jetpack fired up again, smashing them both directly into the ground! ¡°Boom!!!¡± Duanmu Huainded hard on the ground, stepping on the body of the Fallen Guard. Then he reached out, grabbed the Fallen Guard¡¯s head, and with a forceful pull¡ª¡ª¡ª the Fallen Guard¡¯s head was separated along with the neck from its body by Duanmu Huai! Upon seeing this bloody scene, all the demons around took a step back in unison, and they looked at Duanmu Huai with fear for the first time. Duanmu Huai simply threw away the head of the Fallen Guard and looked around with murderous eyes. ¡°Who¡¯s next to die?¡± Then he bellowed with rage. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± In front of the screen, seeing this bloody scene, the girls all fell silent in unison. ¡°¡­¡­There was no need for us to worry about Sir Knight at all.¡± Chapter 168 - 139 Two Choices_1 Chapter 168: Chapter 139 Two Choices_1 For demons, nothing fascinates them more than power. Power, violence, killing, conquest ¡ª this is everything they possess. Whenever they invade other worlds, watching their opponents tremble and shriek in pain due to their power, these demons feel utmost pleasure. However, now, the figure before them evokes another emotion within the demons ¡ª fear. ¡°St!!!¡± The demon in front of them falls to the ground, ils its arms, seemingly trying to counterattack. But the very next moment, the ck steel giant steps on it, effortlessly squashing its head into a mush of blood and flesh. He clenches his fists, his entire body soaked red in demon blood. The brilliance gleaming from beneath the terrifying helmet, even fiercer than a demon¡¯s face, is filled with cold murderous intent. The demonic flesh and blood held between the gaps of the steel giant¡¯s gauntlet, make the typically fearless demons shiver in dread. Yet, even so, these demons do not retreat. This is their home, this is hell, their holynd lies behind them! They have no way to run, but to fight to the death!! ¡°Roar!!!!!¡± The tall demon roars, opens its arms and lunges at the steel giant in front of it, but thetter just lowers his head, grabs the demon¡¯s waist, and directly charges it into the wall. With a massive thud, the demon¡¯s towering figure is mmed into the wall, even crushing unsuspecting pests behind it into a paste. However, the steel giant doesn¡¯t care, he reaches out, grabs the demon¡¯s open mouth, grips its jaw, and pulls down! ¡°Rip!!!¡± n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The demon¡¯s gaping jaw is torn right off by the steel giant, and thetter¡¯s other hand squeezes tightly, reducing the top half of the demon¡¯s head into a pile of debris like a crushed tomato. At this moment, seeing this terrifying ck figure, the demons finally experience something¡­. an unspeakable fear. Just standing there, it seems like a beast that wants to destroy the world, opening its mouth wide, revealing a bloody maw, chewing their world, and destroying everything¡­¡­!! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The fear reaches its limit, the demons finally give up resistance, they scream, turn around and flee,pletely breaking down and disappearing into the air. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai watches the fleeing demons coldly, snorts, and casually tosses away the demon corpse in his hand. And those shivering in the face of this spectacle are not just demons. ¡°Is this¡­ the power of the aliens?¡± Watching the scene of Duanmu Huai tearing apart demons on screen, themander of the Reaction Armed Alliance turns pale, and involuntarily swallows his spit. He originally thought that these aliens could be defeated, they just had more advanced technology and stronger firepower. But watching Duanmu Huai ughter relentlessly without weapons in his hand, causing even the demons to run away in terror, the shock and fear he felt far exceed the threat that the demons posed. In fact, at this moment, in themand room of the Reaction Armed Alliance, several staff members even chose to sneak out. Although at the beginning, they were quite thrilled to see the demons who ughtered humans, get killed so brutally themselves, but gradually, with Duanmu Huai¡¯s relentless advance, they too, felt a deep fear for this ruthless steel warrior. There were even a few young staff members who fainted on the spot just by looking at that terrifying figure bathed in blood. As for the girls on the other side, only a few of them are left by now. Other than Ogis, who as always, calmly sat in front of the screen, only Ann was left. As for Lorena and Greiya, they had dered quite early on that they couldn¡¯t take it anymore, choosing to leave the scene like viewers of a B-grade gore film ¡ª after all, this was far more disgusting than any B-grade gore film. Not everyone enjoys watching stter films after all. Only Ann remains on the couch, covering her eyes with both her hands, sneakily peaking from between her fingers. She screams as she sees something horrifying, then closes her eyes. ¡°Ogis, is it over?¡± ¡°Yes, the master¡¯s battle has ended.¡± Only after receiving Ogis¡¯s response, does Ann dare to open her eyes again, continuing to excitedly stare at the screen. At this point, Duanmu Huai finally arrives in the sanctuary located deep within hell. ¡°So this is the sanctuary¡­¡± Looking at the scene before him, Duanmu Huai raises his eyebrows. He originally thought that the ce where the Ball of Life of the Father of Heaven was kept would be a temple or something. But unexpectedly, what appears before Duanmu Huai, is just a circr tform. On the tform are several pirs, with different colored orbs ced on them. Therge golden and purple orb in the middle is surrounded by several smaller orbs. ¡°Yes, that is the Ball of Life of the Father of Heaven!!¡± Dr. Hyden¡¯s voicees through his ear, perhaps because he saw the Ball of Life of the Father of Heaven, his voice at the moment is trembling incessantly. ¡°Take it to Urdaco and it will resurrect the Father of Heaven!¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai walks over to the basketball-sized golden ball of light, lifting it up, carefully scrutinising it. ¡°What then? What will the Father of Heaven do? Teach the Demon King a lesson as before and then, heartbroken, seal him again?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Dr. Hyden isn¡¯t sure how to respond, after all, he really doesn¡¯t know how the Father of Heaven ns to deal with these demons. ¡°I don¡¯t trust the Father of Heaven, and certainly not the demons.¡± Duanmu Huai toys with the Ball of Life in his hand, scoffing at this. It¡¯s a joke, have the lessons of the Space Undead and Star Gods not been harsh enough? Originally, Star Gods were only spiritual beings that liked to lie by the stars, absorbing radiation, idly living off their resources. However, to fight the Ancient Saints, the Space Undead created bodies for the Star Gods and that eventually led to the extermination of the entire Space Undead, leaving only a bunch of machines behind. It is evident that those not of our kind, have hearts that differ. The Father of Heaven has nothing to do with humans. Even if it were capable of sealing the demon, it doesn¡¯t mean it would protect humans afterwards. As a judge, Duanmu Huai¡¯s actions prioritized humans. Any threats to human existence, whether they were evil gods, star gods, or even the Father of Heaven himself, all were to be eradicated! The purpose of the Tribunal was to protect human souls and identify then destroy any potential threats that the empire and humans face. Any existence that threatened humans must be eradicated! The Father of Heaven was no exception! In fact, when Duanmu Huai learned from Queen Mek¡¯s memory that the Father of Heaven didn¡¯t kill the Demon King after defeating him but sealed it instead, he already listed the Father of Heaven as a target. Being kind to one¡¯s enemies could be cruel to oneself. If the Father of Heaven hadn¡¯t foolishly spared the Demon King because it was his own creature, humans wouldn¡¯t have suffered the demon¡¯s attacks and destruction. Therefore, both the Father of Heaven and the Demon King were to me and must be eradicated! As for your problems, I couldn¡¯t care less. The judge only cares about issues rted to humans. The problems that ur among the Alien Race have nothing to do with him. So¡­ ¡°I will gain the power of the Father of Heaven and annihte the Mek Tribe and the demons!¡± Eventually, Duanmu Huai made his decision. ¡°What?!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Dr. Hyden was taken aback, and Ann wore a surprised look, curiously staring at the screen ¨C well, she was just a spectator. ¡°You¡­you can¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I? I don¡¯t trust the Father of Heaven. If humans want to achieve victory, they must rely on their own strength.¡± Duanmu Huai said, looking at the system in front of him. As he made his decision, a prompt appeared in the system as expected. [Activate Hidden Upgrade Mission ¡°Power of Destruction¡± Final Option] [Choose to absorb the power of the Ball of Life] [Choose to destroy the Ball of Lifepletely] ¡°You can¡¯t do it!!! ¡± At the same time, Dr. Hyden¡¯s crazed shriek sounded in Duanmu Huai¡¯s ears. ¡°The Ball of Life contains the memory, power, and soul of the Father of Heaven, along with the essential self-consciousness of life itself. Ordinary people can¡¯t extract power from the Ball of Life, let alone you, a mere mortal. If you dare to proceed, you¡¯ll be engulfed by the Father of Heaven¡¯s consciousness and be his vessel! Foolish mortal, don¡¯t defy God¡¯s will with your arrogance!¡± You¡¯ve stopped acting, haven¡¯t you. ¡°I¡¯m surprised, Dr. Hyden. I didn¡¯t expect a human-born schr like you to know so much about the Father of Heaven¡¯s secrets.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Dr. Hyden was speechless, and others from the Reaction Armed Alliance also gazed at him, a broken robot, with curiosity. Indeed, what he was saying exceeded what a human should know. Where did Dr. Hyden learn so much from? Why had he kept it a secret? And¡­ Is this robot really Dr. Hyden? Although what Dr. Hyden said was correct, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t worried because it was basically the system¡¯s responsibility to extract the power from the Ball of Life. Many tasks were like this. For example, if a task requires a yer to shut down a machine, yers would wonder how to do so with so many buttons. At this point¡­ just press E to shut down the machine. The same was true for creating weapons. You open the blueprint, click on materials for autoassembly. A game wouldn¡¯t really teach you how to manufacture firearms and ammo, would it? Now that the system has provided the options, all Duanmu Huai needed to do was to make a choice and then the system would deal with the rest. So, should he choose to absorb or to destroy? Leaving behind Dr. Hyden¡¯s howling, Duanmu Huai started to carefully consider the choices before him. Absorbing was a tempting choice as it was the power of the Father of Heaven. He wasn¡¯t sure how powerful it was, but it shouldn¡¯t differ much from the Star Gods. On the other hand, Dr. Hyden had a point. Being a mere human being, it was hard to say whether he could absorb so much knowledge and memories from the Father of Heaven. If it was a game, Duanmu Huai would choose directly, as it was a do-or-die situation. But in reality, he had to proceed cautiously. Destroying the Ball of Life was a safer choice. Duanmu Huai was unsure whether the destruction of the Ball of Life would cause the demon to disappear as well. So, which one should he choose? Chapter 169 - 140 Destroyer Warrior!_1 Chapter 169: Chapter 140 Destroyer Warrior!_1 Facing the choices before him, Duanmu Huai hesitated for quite some time withouting to a decision. This was not due to indecisiveness, but Duanmu Huai was suspicious that there might be a trap involved. In the game Star Ocean Online, the cost of trial and error for yers was extremely high. If one made the wrong choice, the lightest consequence was having to painfully erase one¡¯s ount and start all over again, while the worst-case scenario might result in the yer losing everything they had built in the game, with the Day of End being the perfect example. Worse still, the damn gamepany, resting on itsurels as the world¡¯s only one of its kind, adopted an attitude of not caring whether yers y or not and didn¡¯t bother making any changes. As a result, yers either had to swallow their anger or give up ying the game altogether, although most ended up truly missing thetter.N?v(el)B\\jnn Some hardcore yers, however, believed this was the way it should be, as it made the game world seem more real and forced yers to carefully consider their choices instead of just picking the most profitable option. Generally, yers fell into several categories. One type focused on delving into the plot and seeking immersion. They yed the game entirely on their own terms and weren¡¯t concerned about the benefits of their choices. Even if they encountered an option that allowed them to let the viin go andted them greater gains, they might still choose to kill the viin in a fit of anger. I¡¯m not just ying the game, I¡¯m venting out my frustration. If I get that out of my system, the rest can be dealt with. If I can¡¯t, I won¡¯t even want the Divine Artifacts that the damn game offers. The second type enjoyed digging out hidden plots and took unconventional paths, hoping to find hidden clues or plot quests from these unusual choices. Thest type primarily focused on the benefits obtained from their choices, indifferent towards morality, storyline, and the like. As long as they were given Divine Artifacts, they wouldn¡¯t mind resorting to murder or arson. In truth, this type of yer was often the worst exploited by the official developers¡­hmm? Upon arriving at this thought, Duanmu Huai shot a sharp nce at the mission prompt before him. Hold on, was his previous idea truly correct? With Duanmu Huai¡¯s experience, it was the damn game¡¯s favourite trick to dangle a temptation before yers, lure them into biting, and then, when yers were infuriated, the game would say, ¡°This is the result of the yers¡¯ own choices¡±. This would be enough to drive any yer to their breaking point. At first nce, the first option seems good, but the problem is, if it truly contains the Father of Heaven¡¯s memories, Duanmu Huai might well be digging his own grave. And most importantly¡­ the mission name! Duanmu Huai directed his stern gaze once more at the mission title, ¡°Power of Destruction¡±. Yes, the title of this mission is ¡°Destruction¡±, so if he were to absorb the Ball of Life from the Father of Heaven, would it still be considered ¡°destruction¡±? Given the system¡¯s track record, Duanmu Huai could even predict that if he ended up at a disadvantage, the damn system would certainlye out with a ¡°yer did not read the mission title carefully¡± to infuriate him even further. Since it is ¡°Destruction¡±, then¡­ there¡¯s only one answer!! Having reached this conclusion, Duanmu Huai reached out and one hand grabbed the Ball of Life from the Father of Heaven, while the other grasped the Life Ball from the sealed Demon King. The two life balls, about the size of basketballs, were held casually in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hands, as if he were holding two apples. Then, Duanmu Huai brought his hands together, holding the two glowing spheres against each other, and began to slowly apply pressure. ¡°What are you doing? What are you trying to do!!!?¡± Upon witnessing this, Dr. Hyden¡¯s voice almost turned maniacal in panic. ¡°No! You can¡¯t do that! The collision of light and darkness will destroy both Heaven and Hell!!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the perfect oue?¡± Hearing Dr. Hyden¡¯s warning, Duanmu Huai was reassured. This meant that his choice wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Humans neither need deities nor demons. So, you two would do well to die together¡­ Consider it the consequence for your foolish choices!¡± ¡°No, no, no, no, no!! You can¡¯t do this!!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s reply, however, Dr. Hyden¡¯s voice became even more unhinged. ¡°If you desire the power of the Father of Heaven, I can help you! You could gain control over Urdaco! You could possess this world! I beg you, just don¡¯t destroy it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t grant your request.¡± Duanmu Huai squeezed hard with both hands, and at this moment, the surface of the two Balls of Life began to crack like crushed candy, with gold and red radiance seeping out and shing against each other. Just as the two Balls of Life were about to be destroyed, abruptly, Dr. Hyden¡¯s voice echoed again. ¡°I will never let you seed! Never!!¡± ¡°Boom, boom, boom¡­!!¡± With Dr. Hyden¡¯s voice trailing off, suddenly, the ground beneath Duanmu Huai began to tremble. The floor beneath Duanmu¡¯s feet shattered, and a gigantic creature, several dozen meters tall andpletely armored, emerged from the ground. With fists clenched and eyes glowing a sinister red, it red menacingly at Duanmu Huai. Then, the creature opened its mouth, and Dr. Hyden¡¯s voice came out. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance, outsider. Put down the Balls of Life, or you¡¯ll have nowhere to hide!¡± Chapter 170 - 140: Destroyer Warrior!_2 Chapter 170: Chapter 140: Destroyer Warrior!_2 ¡°It seems that we can¡¯t avoid the final battle after all.¡± While saying this, Duanmu Huai put two Balls of Life in the storage box behind him, stretched his limbs and sneered at the Mecha Beast in front of him. ¡°So, you¡¯re done ying pretend, Dr. Hyden?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, put down the Ball of Life, outsider.¡± Dr. Hyden¡¯s voice was deep,den with murderous intent. ¡°Regardless, I will not let you destroy Urdaco. If you are willing to give up now, I can spare your life. I know you are strong, but now you are weaponless. Do you really believe you can win against the Mechanical Titan?¡± ¡°Wow, this guy is truly despicable!!¡± On seeing this, Ann was enraged and fist-pumped. Perhaps the other party had deliberately left Duanmu Huai unarmed to prevent such a situation. On hearing this, Duanmu Huai did nothing but coldly gaze at the monstrous creature before him. ¡°So, if I agree to abandon the destruction of the Ball of Life, you will let me go?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s query, the Mechanical Titan sneered. ¡°As long as you give up your n to destroy the Ball of Life, I will let you leave here, I¡­¡± However, before the Mechanical Titan could finish speaking, Duanmu Huai interrupted him abruptly. ¡°But I refuse!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The thing I enjoy the most is saying NO to arrogant people!¡± Apanied by Duanmu Huai¡¯s roar, he sprung up and pounced towards the Mechanical Titan. At the same time, Duanmu Huai held up his right hand, a card emerged from his palm, and then turned into a multi-colored Sorcerer¡¯s Missile, striking directly at the Mechanical Titan! Sorcerer Missile! ¡°That¡¯s it! Take it down, Mr. Knight!¡± On seeing this, Ann, who had been sitting on the couch, sprung up excitedly. This was the reason she hadn¡¯t worried about Duanmu Huai¡¯s risky situation. In her eyes, Duanmu Huai was already an outstanding mage, more than capable of dealing with such a creature. Of course, if Ann were there, she would have just summoned her giant Heroic Spirit to settle the fight. While Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t have such a powerful spirit to summon, that didn¡¯t mean he was unable to fight. In the world of Manaria, it was quitemon for mages to fight creatures several times their size. Therefore, in Ann¡¯s view, Duanmu Huai should be able to handle it. Dr. Hyden clearly hadn¡¯t expected that Duanmu Huai could use magic. After all, anyone who saw this 8-foot-tall muscr man for the first time wouldn¡¯t associate him with being a mage. Seeing Duanmu Huai casting spells right before him was a shocking revtion. However, fortunately for him, the Mechanical Titan was enormous, and the Sorcerer Missile, was more or less the size of a bullet, causing the Titan no harm. ¡°Attacks of this level are useless!¡± With an angry roar, the Steel Titan clenched his fist again, striking towards Duanmu Huai. Duanmu evaded the Titan¡¯s onught with a roll,nded on the ground, and ced his palm on the earth. Majestic Spear! The ground began to rumble, and a long, sharp spear made of earth and rock shot up from the ground, thrusting towards the Steel Titan¡¯s legs, causing it to pause momentarily. Unfortunately, there were no other reactions. It¡¯s a steel mechanism creature, it doesn¡¯t have such functions anyway. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s useless!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s consecutive attacks didn¡¯t cause any real damage to the Mechanical Titan, and Dr. Hyden was having difficulty catching Duanmu Huai. It was like a human trying to catch a mouse scurrying around its feet; while he could manipte the massive Steel Body to attack Duanmu Huai, but his efforts were futile. Duanmu Huai was able to dodge the Mechanical Giant¡¯s attacks whileunching magical counterattacks. However, Duanmu Huai¡¯s magical attacks on the Steel Titan caused almost no damage. At most, they left some burn marks on its surface. ¡°Give it up, outsider!¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Seeing that Duanmu Huai¡¯s attacks had no effect, Dr. Hyden paused and stared at him. ¡°As long as you give up on destroying the Ball of Life, you can leave here!¡± However, Duanmu Huai continued to release cold ice thorns, burning mes, and lightning from his hands, hitting the Steel Titan again and again. It seemed like a pointless struggle. Only Ann, in front of the screen, kept her eyes fixed on the battle, murmuring to herself. ¡°Three, four, five, six, seven, eight¡­ nine!¡± As Ann¡¯s voice fell, Duanmu Huai once again leapt up, facing the Steel Titan, and stretched out his hand again. Suddenly, around Duanmu Huai, numerous giant Swords of Light appeared. ¡°[Sword Rain (Consume 9): Mana amplification (-1), give yourself a unit +3/+3 effect, randomly cause 3 damage to an enemy unit].¡± As Duanmu Huai¡¯s five Sword Rain cards, amplified by mana to consume zero, disappeared from his hand, his body was momentarily engulfed in bright blue mes. Simultaneously, the Swords of Light around him fell like torrential rain, instantly engulfing the Mechanical Titan. Chapter 171 - 140: Destroyer Warrior! _3 Chapter 171: Chapter 140: Destroyer Warrior! _3 ¡°How¡­ how is this possible¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Clearly, Dr. Hyden didn¡¯t expect this turn of events. He hastily raised his hand to shield himself, but the mighty de of light mercilessly impaled the Iron Titan, pinning it to the ground. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai extended his hand again, a flicker of me twinkling from it. ¡°Boom!!¡± Under a level +17 strike, the Iron Titan¡¯s chest was sted wide open, revealing a colossal wound. At the same time, the Iron Titan let out a mournful howl and copsed onto the ground. ¡°You¡­ wha¡­ how¡­¡± The Iron Titan lifted its head, staring at Duanmu Huai in astonishment. Dr. Hyden couldn¡¯t fathom why the opponent¡¯s earlier magic appeared weak, but the final blow was so devastating that even the Iron Titan couldn¡¯t withstand it. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t seem inclined to exin Mana Amplification to Dr. Hyden. He reached out, retrieving two Balls of Life, raising them high and smashing them together!! This time, the Balls of Life couldn¡¯t withstand the power of Duanmu Huai¡¯s magic-enhanced blow. The golden and crimson Balls of Life exploded directly in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hands. Two beams of light erupted, fusing together before shooting straight into the sky. ¡°Rumble!!!!¡± After the beams soared into the sky, there was a thunderous roar and screams. Soon after, the previously dim and red sky of Hell began to peel away, thend fissured, the air ignited, and countless lightning bolts fell from the sky, causing the entire space to start copsing. ¡°What a pity.¡± After doing all this, Duanmu Huai finally turned towards the Iron Titan. ¡°It seems you¡¯re left with no way out.¡± Apanying Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, a portal opened before him. Duanmu Huai stepped into it. The portal disappeared quickly, leaving the Iron Titan stretching out its hand towards the spot where Duanmu Huai vanished ¡ª soon after, it too copsed with the crumbling ground into the bottomless dark abyss. N?v(el)B\\jnn When Duanmu Huai returned to his mothership, the system prompt indicating thepletion of the mission appeared in front of him. [Hidden Advanced Mission ¡°Power of Destruction¡± Complete] [Mission Rating: Exceptional] [yer rewarded with a new job advancement ¡ª¡ª Destroyer Warrior!] [Destroyer Warrior (Each demon kill will grant a permanent attribute bonus by a certain percentage)] [You are the embodiment of destruction, the harbinger of death. When your shadow crosses the battlefield, even demons tremble, and their terrified souls and flesh be your nourishment] [Professional Deterrence +3] [Hidden Mission ¡®Peace of the Soul¡¯ Phase Two Complete] [Mission Rating: Unparalleled] [Received 100000 experience, additional 35000 experience, yer level increased to Lv40, gained Attribute Points +3, Specialty Points +3] [Received additional skill ¡ª Bullying the Weak (Gives a 50% boost against enemies affected by debuffs)] [Received additional skill ¡ª Immortal Warrior (Upon receiving fatal damage, instant revival urs. Repels and stuns enemies within a 30-meter radius, and after revival, transfers to Rage Stance)] [Note: Deterrence level increased to level 10] [Deterrence skill automatically converted to Fearful Aura] [Fearful Aura: All non-friendly creatures must pass a will save check when seeing the target yer. If they fail, they fall into panic; even if they pass, they will still have debuffs for one round] Seeing what was ahead, Duanmu Huai was quite pleased, but his expression darkened upon seeing the [Fearful Aura] at the end. Damn, it¡¯s evolved, hasn¡¯t it?!! Chapter 172 - 141 Advanced End_1 Chapter 172: Chapter 141 Advanced End_1 [Hitting your head with a small hammer] [No. 15 Original Gene][Nemesis of Evil][Death Guard] [Profession: Judge£¨LV40£©][Destroyer Warrior£¨LV1£©][Soul Walker Specialization][Sub Space Heat-Consumes 50%] [Strength:18][Combat +8][Gctic Warrior Combat Training LV8][Matter Discement][Attack Weak Points][Winning With Few Against Many][Bullying the Weak] [Agility:4][Shooting +0][Sicaran Enhancement LV1] [Physical Attribute: 16][Resistance +6][Religious Army Siege Rules LV8][Wrath][Immortal Warrior] [Intelligence:17][Will +7][Great Psionic Combat Training LV1][Soul Resonance (special skills)][Prototype Gene Enhancement][Psychic Combat] [Perception:8][Awareness +4][Judicial Department Attack Tactics LV3] [Charm:1 (locked) ]munication -3][Fearful Aura LV1] Duanmu Huai nced again at his own character attributes, shrugged his shoulders, and closed the interface. After advancing in his job rank, Duanmu Huai finally understood how this advanced profession couldpletely kill demons ¡ª to put it simply, when this profession kills a demon, it automatically absorbs the most quintessential part of the demon. As such, the demon, reduced to nothing more than residue, naturally couldn¡¯t resurrect itself and could only die. He just absorbed a little quantity. After returning to the mothership, Duanmu Huai specially found some demons to conduct a test, and found that the attribute value absorbed from ordinary demons was less than 0.00001%. The stronger the demon, the higher the value absorbed. That is to say, if Duanmu Huai¡¯s target is a Champion of Chaos, a high-ranking demon, or a Great Demon, then he can absorb a lot of attribute enhancements at once. But if it¡¯s just an ordinary demon, then there is basically no growth ¡ª¡ª considering this game always refuses yers experience levelling up, this is not unexpected to Duanmu Huai. But anyhow, the advanced ss, Destroyer Warrior, has great potential. Attribute values, which are rare toe across, are either acquired by +1 point per two level ups, or are given as rewards in a few special quests. The special effect of the Destroyer Warrior ensures Duanmu Huai gains a certain degree of attribute increase each time he kills a boss¡­ Of course, there are losses too. As Heaven and Hell werepletely destroyed, the divine technology from the father of heaven has been practically cut-off. No matter if the Night Guard can learn some knowledge from the Mek Tribe, theplete technology tree of the Father of Heaven has no hope. As for the Genesis Engine that Duanmu Huai coveted, it is alsopletely doomed. But these are the necessary sacrifices made for the mission. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be called the ¡®Destroyer Warrior¡¯ if it didn¡¯t destroy everything, now would it? Reflecting back now, Duanmu Huai is increasingly certain that the final mission option was specifically used to trick him. After all, the purpose of his mission was to upgrade his profession. If he had absorbed the Ball of Life from Father of Heaven, would that still be called an advanced profession? Moreover, it is a one-time mission, which means if he missed the Destroyer Warrior profession this time, he wouldn¡¯t get a chance again¡­ MMP, the game system is still as doggy as before. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om However, Duanmu Huai still gained something, like the sma Cannon ¡ª¡ªBFGs that he recovered from UAC is truly a powerful weapon! The Empire technology tree itself has a simr energy turret, the Light Spear. Butpared with the sma Cannon, the Light Spear has obvious disadvantages. If the range is too far, the beam will diverge. If the range is too close, the Light Spear has no existence value. Moreover, the volume of the Light Spear is generally smaller ¡ª¡ª to be honest, the empire is far behind the spirit race in the development of Light Spears. However, sma Cannons are different. They not only have a long range, but also possess great power, enough to open a hole on Mars. For Duanmu Huai, this is much more usable than the Light Spear! The only downside is that the energy source of UAC¡¯s BFGs is Yajin energy extracted from Hell, and now that Hell and Heaven are both gone, there¡¯s not a sufficient energy supply. But this is not a problem for Duanmu Huai. After all, the power source of his warship is the antimatter reactor obtained from Ancient Saints, and this power source couldn¡¯t be more suited for the BFG! Therefore, Duanmu Huai sent the BFG to the Tribunal Library for analysis. After the analysis ispleted, he can rece all the Light Spears with sma Cannon turrets by consuming construction points, and also change the main gun along the way¡­ But that is once he has construction points. Due to theplete destruction of the two dimensions of Heaven and Hell, the rampaging Demon Army, which devastated thes, is alsopletely finished. So Duanmu Huai and the others said goodbye and left, leaving the remaining issues to Armed Reaction Alliance to solve. Of course, Duanmu Huai also left them amunication device, stating that if they need help in the future, they can find him ¡ª¡ª of course, it¡¯s not free. This is necessary because the Human Empire is already done and dusted, and nobody is paying the Judges, they have to fend for themselves, don¡¯t they? Fortunately, all the Night Guards brought by Duanmu Huai are spiritual entities, otherwise there would be no way to find food for so many Night Guards. Chapter 173 - 141 Advancement Ends_2 Chapter 173: Chapter 141 Advancement Ends_2 With the arrival of the Night Guards, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Void Dockyard and Void Barrack finally became rather lively. The Void Dockyard was filled with a collection of ships from the Yajin civilization. Unfortunately, there were no cosmic warships, only atmospheric ones, but for the time being, it was passable. Sitting in his chair, looking at the loot list in front of him, Duanmu Huai tapped the table in satisfaction. Although the reward for this mission was not exceptionally generous, it was quite good as a first step into the Star Ocean. In addition to Duanmu Huai sessfully bing a Destroyer Warrior, his loot included the following: Aplete set of Yajin military technology systems. 15,000 Night Guard Ghosts. A BFG cannon from UAC and its manufacturing technology. Aplete set of books from the¡¯s central library (which Ann wanted). Fifty Yajin warships and various Yajin weapons (including heavy cannons, sma rifles, rocketunchers, crossbow cannons, and Fire God cannons), none of which Duanmu Huai needed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om After all, he was not good with ranged weapons. However, for Duanmu Huai, this was enough. Now that the upgrade mission here hade to an end, it was time for Duanmu Huai to consider the next steps. He nned to go to the where the Guardians were located, the Holy City and startworking with the High Tower of the Guardians. Currently,pared to other civilizations, the Guardians, as a cosmic civilization, were rtively open-minded. As long as he maintained a good rtionship with them, there should be no problems. If he could, as a result, convince a group of Guardians to return with him to the Novice¡¯s Vige, then with his warships and the Night Guards, he could easily push away the Northern Barbarians. This would also prevent the outbreak of the Apocalypse. However, Duanmu Huai was unsure about the current situation of the Guardians. After all, the Guardians also had their enemies and were facing threats from the Subspace and aliens. Whatever, he would know only when he got there. With this in mind, Duanmu Huai turned off the list in his hand, stood up, and walked into themand room. The young girls were sitting in their chairs, chatting. Upon seeing Duanmu Huai, they quickly stood up. ¡°Ah, Sir Knight!¡± ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded at the girls and then went to the holographic control tform. ¡°We¡¯ve finished what we came to do on this. Now it¡¯s time to go to the next ce.¡± ¡°Where are we going? Where are we going?¡± Upon hearing this, Ann was so excited that she almost jumped. Her big eyes were shining, and she was staring at Duanmu Huai, who was chuckling. ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get there. This time, let¡¯s go the traditional way.¡± As he said this, Duanmu Huai activated the star map and the Netway System. Then, ording to his memory, he set the coordinates and gave themand. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Soon, the enormous warship plunged into the Netway with Duanmu Huai¡¯s order. Everyone watched the shimmering light outside the window. It was only after a while that the light slowly disappeared, and the pitch-ck starry sky took its ce. ¡°Aww¡­ Why isn¡¯t there anything here?¡± Looking at the outer space confusedly, Ann could not help butined. This was understandable;pared to before, the warship now seemed to be floating in an endless sea. Everywhere they looked, it was either the dark universe or the twinkling stars. There was nothing else. ¡°Mia, activate the public channel and collect allmunication information.¡± ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s order, the artificial angel reached out and gently tapped a few keys on the keyboard. Soon, some noise was heard from the speakers, and then silence fell again. ¡°No signal received, Master.¡± ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s just wait.¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t seem to mind. He just gave themand and sat back down. Although the other girls didn¡¯t know what Duanmu Huai was doing, they obediently sat in their chairs and began to do their own things. Ann, Ogis, and Felin were all engrossed in a pile of books. Since Duanmu Huai had swept up the central library of that, these three girls had hardly put down their books. Of course, each of them read books from different fields. Ann mainly read encyclopedic and engineering books. It had to be said that as a Mage, she was quite fascinated by industrial architecture. What Ogis read was very subjective. She basically read fairy tales and philosophical and ideological books. Duanmu Huai thought that if Ogis tried to learn about humans through these books, she might be slightly skewed. After all, most people in the world didn¡¯t live as painfully as philosophers. As for what Felin read, it was even simpler. She only liked magazines that featured scenic attractions and food. She had no interest in anything else. Lorena didn¡¯t spend much time on the warship because she had to go back to the Holy City Church for prayers. She only came when Duanmu Huai needed her. As for Greiya¡­ ¡°What are you doing?¡± Seeing that Greiya was lying on the table, scribbling, Duanmu Huai walked over curiously and asked. ¡°Ah, Sir Knight.¡± Seeing Duanmu Huaiing over, Greiya was a bit nervous, but she lowered her head and answered. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just doing my homework.¡± ¡°Homework?¡­Doesn¡¯t Ann have any homework?¡± ¡°I finished mine ages ago.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Ann popped her head out from her book and replied cheerfully. Then, she plunged back into her ocean of knowledge. Different from ordinary students, indeed. ¡°Report, Master¡­¡± At this moment, Mia¡¯s leisurely voice rang out again. ¡°Detected unencrypted public broadcast distress signal.¡± ¡°Oh? Ry it immediately!¡± On hearing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly gave the order. Mia nodded, reached out, and pressed the keyboard. A frantic voice soon came from the speakers. ¡°Help! Help! Help! This is the Risk Assessment Ship! We are being attacked by star pirates! Request assistance! Is anybody there? Anybody? Please respond if you hear us!¡± Got it. Upon hearing the distress signal, the corner of Duanmu Huai¡¯s mouth slightly curled, revealing a hint of smile. ¡°Track the signal, let¡¯s go check out the situation!¡± Themand was swiftly issued right away. Chapter 174 - 142: Cosmic Pirates_1 Chapter 174: Chapter 142: Cosmic Pirates_1 As Duanmu Huai¡¯s warship headed towards the signal spot, the girls also gathered around. ¡°What¡¯s happened, Master?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing much, we have located a distress signal. It¡¯s likely that a merchant ship has been attacked by pirates.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± In light of Duanmu Huai¡¯s exnation, the girls were taken aback. Even Greiya looked at Duanmu Huai in surprise. ¡°There are¡­robbers in the universe?¡± ¡°What a surprise, wherever there¡¯s wealth and interests, there have always been thieves and robbers.¡± Duanmu Huai casuallymented, while monitoring the star map. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not to exclude the possibility that the Star Thieves intentionally sent out a distress signal, luring nearby fleets into their, especially with the present chaotic world.¡± The reason Duanmu Huai chose this star territory was because it was a bustling trade route near the Holy City. Precisely because of this, various cosmic pirates would frequently attack human trade caravans here. That¡¯s why Duanmu Huai came here,ying in wait. After all, with the Human Empire in its present dire straits, the order amongst the cosmos was virtually nonexistent. Anything could happen. It didn¡¯t take long before Duanmu Huai and his group arrived at the signal spot. They then saw a massive transport ship being attacked by another battleship. Both of their sizes wereparable to Duanmu Huai¡¯s Queen Glory ss, merely a bit smaller. Sighting the images of the two warships on the screen, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. ¡°Yo, there¡¯s gonna be quite a show.¡± It¡¯s no wonder that Duanmu Huai said this. The one suffering a brutal beating was actually a bona fide Milky Way ss Armed Cargo Ship, the mostmonly used cargo ship in interster trade. It seems that this isn¡¯t some trap by the Star Thieves, but simply a case of snagging prey. On the other hand, the battleship attacking the cargo ship had a quite distinctive appearance. From its morous, ostentatious tinum color scheme and the fourteen Macro Cannons lining its nks, it was apparent that this was a Holy Grail ss Battleship Cruiser. After all, the Empire is a proponent of multiple turret systems. All their warships adhere to the romantic concept of ¡°More is beautiful, bigger is better¡±. Even Duanmu Huai¡¯s Queen Glory ss was no exception. Standing by the panoramic windows on the side of the ship, one could seeyer uponyer of massive steel Macro Cannons stacked below, their ominous muzzles ever ready to fire and st the enemy before them into pieces. The Holy Grail ss is ssified as a ¡°High-Speed Heavy Cruiser¡±. Simply put, it was designed with the concept of building a fast, yet agile and potent heavy cruiser. Of course, such a good thing hardlyes by. Although the Holy Grail ss was indeed a dreame true, with high speed and high offense, its armor was as strong as paper; it was infamous for its ss cannon effect among battleships. If someone attacked it, it would probably be obliterated instantaneously.N?v(el)B\\jnn Despite its numerous problems, gamers still loved the Holy Grail ss. The reason is simple. It¡¯s cool! After all, ordinary gamers can¡¯t obtain battleships or gships early on in the game. Therefore, the Holy Grail ss remains one of the highest-grade warships they could acquire during the early stages. Furthermore, high offense and high speed appeal to some gamers. As for its ss armor¡­ well, that can be improved over time. However, as for Duanmu Huai, it was somewhat of a pity. ¡°What a pity, they¡¯re humans. If only they were those sprouts.¡± Looking at the battlefield before him, Duanmu Huai helplessly shook his head. ¡°Should weunch an attack, Master?¡± At this moment, the Holy Grail ss had entered Duanmu Huai¡¯s range. Mia had already locked onto the target. The moment Duanmu Huai gave themand, she could barrage them with a spear array and blow them sky-high. However¡­ ¡°No! It¡¯s such a good piece of equipment, it¡¯d be a shame to destroy it. Prepare the Jumping Torpedoes!! Order the Night Guard team to theunch site. We are boarding them!¡± Duanmu Huai issued the orders excitedly, then left themand room, leaving behind a group of bewildered girls who had no idea what Duanmu Huai was nning. As far as Duanmu Huai was concerned, he had been waiting for this day, for a very long time! Boarding is the epitome of a man¡¯s romance. Interfleet bombardment is outdated! Not to mention, Duanmu Huai realized that the Holy Grail ss didn¡¯t even have its Void Shield up. This made it the perfect boarding target! In the game, yers¡¯ favorite tactic was boarding. After all, what could be more exhrating than forcefully breaking through the opponent¡¯s defenses, causing chaos within, and finally, making both the opponent¡¯s body and mind surrender to you? Soon, Duanmu Huai arrived at the torpedounching site, where several figures in ck power armors stood. They were the Night Guards. However, they did not use their original forms; instead, they used a form of soul possession to attach themselves to the power armors of the Star Warriors. This not only ensured theirbat capabilities but also negated the possibility of being wiped out. At least if the power armor was breached, they would find itpletely empty, and the Night Guards used the opportunity to return directly to the mothership. Despite the simrities, Duanmu Huai insists on asserting that this situation ispletely unrted to a certain Red Letter Warrior! ¡°Board the ships, prepare forbat!¡± Following Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the Night Guards in power armors lined up and stepped into the enormous torpedounching tubes adjacent. Once they were positioned within the torpedoes, arge mechanical restraining device extended, tightly fixing them into ce. The very next moment, several massive torpedoes burst straight from theuncher and shot directly toward the distant Holy Grail ss Battleship Cruiser!! Perhaps they were too engrossed in their attack against the cargo ship, the Holy Grail ss Cruiser didn¡¯t react until the torpedoes were almost upon it. It tried hastily to change direction and avoid the attack, but it was toote. The drill-like tips of the torpedoes spun, tearing through the outer hull, and then, the huge, pitch-ck cylindrical objects ruthlessly prated the ship¡¯s body. Upon the opening at the front, the next moment, a rush of strong warriors surged out, pouncing like hungry wolves toward the core of the battleship. For Duanmu Huai, the internal structure of such a battleship was as familiar as returning home. He dashed out of the torpedo and strode straight towards the passage that led to themand room. But¡­¡­ ¡°Wow, the interior of this ship is so broken.¡± Looking at the filthy corridor before him and the floor leaking from all over, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help butment. He had previously wondered why the other party hadn¡¯t raised their Void Shield, but now it seemed, given the quality of their warship, whether the Void Shield could still be used was a question. Many ces were empty and bare, even areas where machinery was originally installed had been stripped clean ¨C well, it¡¯s not surprising. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t have a good impression of machinery, and after so many years, they might have forgotten the use of it. Perhaps the Mecha Spirit of this warship had already been destroyed. The Mecha Spirit is like the artificial AI core of a warship. Normally, it¡¯s tough to control a warship without a Mecha Spirit, but that doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t be used without one. Of course, many Mecha Spirits develop higher-level wisdom over the years. Duanmu Huai¡¯s Queen Glory ss also does not have a Mecha Spirit installed. Most of the equipment is manually operated. He ns to wait until the analysis of Yakon technology isplete and then use their system to upgrade the control of the ship. As for the Mecha Spirit¡­he¡¯d prefer not to use it if he doesn¡¯t have to. After all, he didn¡¯t have a Mechanical Priest singing binary hymns to the Mecha Spirit all the time here. ¡°It¡¯s here!!¡± As Duanmu Huai turned another corridor, he heard shouts and chaotic footsteps from the other end. He saw a group of guys in ragged armor, like a bunch of ragtag soldiers, rushing toward him with their guns. Seeing Duanmu Huai and the rest of the jumping squad, they were immediately stunned! However, the next moment, an unexpected scene urred. Those ruthless Cosmic Pirates lost their nerve almost instantly when they faced Duanmu Huai. Most of them dropped their weapons and ran back crying, while the few who remained held their guns with jittery hands. Watching Duanmu Huai stride toward them, they shook like bamboo poles in fear. [Cosmic Pirate A came into contact with the Fearful Aura] [Exemption verification in progress¡­¡­ exemption failed!] [Cosmic Pirate A has entered a Panic State!] [Cosmic Pirate C came into contact with the Fearful Aura] [Exemption verification in progress¡­¡­ exemption seeded!] [Cosmic Pirate B has entered a one-round Trembling State!] ¡°Hmph!!¡± Watching the system prompt in front of his eyes, Duanmu Huai snorted and swiftly averted his gaze. He then swung the War Hammer in his hand, instantly smashing the standing Cosmic Pirates into a pitiful mess smeared on the wall. Duanmu Huai then continued forward, charging toward themand room of the warship. At this moment, themand room was in chaos. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where did these peoplee from?!¡± Looking at the scene on the screen, the Star Thief Leader mmed the table with rage. In fact, he didn¡¯t notice when Duanmu Huai¡¯s battleship approached. If it hadn¡¯t been for the enormous size of the Queen Glory ss, he¡¯d probably not realize what happened even if it hit him on the nose. What he hadn¡¯t expected even more was that the opponent would use such a strangebat method! They actually stuffed people into torpedoes and directlyunched them! While talking to himself, the Star Thief Leader seemed to realize something. He grabbed a thin figure sitting next to his chair and shackled in chains, lifting him up. ¡°You idiot! Why didn¡¯t you warn us of the danger! Speak! If you had told us earlier¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Boom!!!¡± However, the Star Thief Leader hadn¡¯t finished speaking when themand room door was kicked open. Duanmu Huai strode in with the War Hammer in his hand. His arrival startled the Star Thieves around him. Most of them screamed and ran away in madness, while the rest rolled their eyes, frothed at the mouth, and fainted. ¡°Your evils deeds end here, scum!¡± Duanmu Huai roared, and looked at the Star Thief Leader. Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s ferocious gaze, the Star Thief Leader trembled. Then, looking at Duanmu Huai, he directly ¨C fell to his knees. ¡°Spare me, oh good sir!!!¡± Chapter 175 - 143 Unexpected Harvest_1 Chapter 175: Chapter 143 Unexpected Harvest_1 Dealing with these pirates didn¡¯t consume much of Duanmu Huai¡¯s time. After all, whether it is him or the Night Guards, their main enemies are the Chaos and the Devils. Compared to these tattered third-tier Star Thieves, they generally have the upper hand once they make a move. Even those pirates who broke into the merchant ship were mercilessly killed by the Night Guards. Duanmu Huai interrogated the trembling, scared, almost urinating Star Thief Leader. To his disappointment, he found that these pirates were indeed not doing well. Like the neglected corridor he saw earlier, the pirates within the entire fleet are so poor, and perhaps this Holy Grail Level battleship is the most valuable thing they own. Additionally, they imprisoned some indigenous ves captured from variouss within the warship, most of whom are humans, with a few from alien races. ording to the Star Thief Leader, the reason he attacked this merchant ship was to seize goods and food ¡ª their food is not even enough for the crew. Hence, these pirates are truly pitiful. Duanmu Huai sent two Night Guards and the Star Thief Leader to inspect the goods and prisoners below. He sat on a chair and sighed helplessly. These pirates were too broken down, there was no challenge for him in this. If there was a ck soybean or something, it would be more fun¡­.. ¡°Your honor,¡± At that moment, Duanmu Huai saw a Night Guarde in and respectfully saluted him. ¡°The captain of the Risk Assessment wants to see you.¡± ¡°See me? Alright.¡± Duanmu Huai thought nothing of it and just nodded. Soon, he saw a robust and tall man dressed in a coat simr to a mink coat. He wore a beaver cap and had a mustache. He looked like a clever and capable businessman. The man paused upon seeing Duanmu Huai sitting in themander¡¯s chair, then his face turned pale, he took off his hat and ced it on his chest in reverence, and lowered his head. ¡°It is an honor to meet you, Your Honor, the Judge. I am the captain of the Risk Assessment, Dadaniel Ss. Thank you and your men for saving us from this crisis. If it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯m afraid I would have¡­¡± ¡°Alright, spare the formalities.¡± Duanmu Huai waved his hand. ¡°So, I want to make a trade with you.¡± ¡°A trade¡­¡­ Is it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°I can sell you this warship, and you only need to give me some goods as an exchange.¡± Frankly speaking, after inspecting the interior of this Holy Grail Level ship, Duanmu Huai was thoroughly disheartened with it. Only one-tenth of its weaponry system is functioning, even the Void Shield generator is broken, and other life-supporting devices are basically outdated. This Holy Grail Level is genuinely shy but of no substance. Duanmu Huai would rather develop his own Void Dockyard to build a spaceship if he has to spend time repairing it! ¡°You don¡¯t intend to keep this warship?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Dadaniel was clearly surprised. Although he also saw that the interior of the ship wasn¡¯t very good, for the current era, any warship is almost an invaluable treasure. After all, after the destruction of the Human Empire, fewer and fewer ces could producerge warships. Even a ship like this, if it is still able to fly despite having aplete shell, is the bestmodity for any interster merchant! ¡°No n to.¡± Duanmu Huai, of course, did not need it because he could make his own. Why would he waste his time? ¡°Then¡­ what kind of goods do you want?¡± ¡°Interesting, rare, mysterious, as long as it can satisfy me.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai squinted his eyes and stared at Dadaniel below. This was also the reason why he meeting Dadaniel and proposed a trade. These wandering merchants across the universe will always have some peculiar items, and Holy Artifacts are not rare among them. If Duanmu Huai could get a few Holy Artifacts from Dadaniel to convert into building points, that would be much more valuable than a Holy Grail Level. Moreover, many Holy Artifacts are incredibly useful. An example is the Gravity Gloves that Duanmu Huai uses. For a yer, a good Holy Artifact can cross several versions and will not be obsolete. As for whether the captain is willing, Duanmu Huai thinks it¡¯s not a problem. This is because most Holy Artifacts can only be used by the Judge, Star Warrior, or Psychic. Like Duanmu Huai¡¯s Thunder Warhammer, even though he can sweep it with one hand, when it¡¯s in the hands of ordinary people, they might not be able to lift it even with four hands. Such things are either treasures in the hands of ordinary people or are simply exhibited as symbols of belief- well, provided that they do not worship Holy Artifacts of evil gods or rebel legions, otherwise Duanmu Huai will have to discuss the issue of loyalty with them. By then, one wouldn¡¯t know whether it¡¯s the Star Thieves or Duanmu Huai who would pose a greater threat to these merchants. ¡°This¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon Duanmu Huai¡¯s request, Dadaniel visibly hesitated, but soon, he nodded. ¡°Alright, Your Honor, please wait a moment.¡± After saying these words, Dadaniel respectfully bowed to Duanmu Huai, then turned around and left. At this time, the Star Thief Leader hase back again, defeated and escorted by two Night Guards. One of the Night Guards handed the list to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Is this all the prisoners?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Honor. ¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­..¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the parchment written in lower Gothic, which showed that most of the prisoners are humans, and the rest are low-level aliens not much stronger than Oga. Hmm? At this instant, Duanmu Huai found a special term on the list. ¡°A Psychic?¡± He looked up in surprise and turned his gaze to the leader of the Star Thieves. ¡°Did you actually manage to capture a Psychic? Where is he?¡± Frankly, Duanmu Huai was doubtful if this mob had the capability to do so. After all, in most worlds, psychics basically stood equivalent to people with superpowers or mages. Could such Star Thieves really manage to capture a Psychic? He wondered if they thought they were the Imperial Guards or the Silent Sisters. ¡°Have mercy, sir!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the leader of the Star Thieves was so frightened that he prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to get up. ¡°We don¡¯t entirely know if it¡¯s a Psychic. All we know is that everyone in that family is supposed to be a Psychic, so we captured him. Besides, the kid did seem to have some rather strange powers¡­¡± ¡°So where is he?¡± ¡°Um¡­ right next to your chair, sir¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the space beside his chair and was surprised to find a thin and petite figure huddled in the chair¡¯s shadow, apparently unconscious ¡ª possibly frightened into such a state by Duanmu Huai¡¯s Fearful Aura. ¡°Oh, for goodness¡¯ sake¡­¡± Duanmu Huai reached out to haul up the tiny figure. He observed the child closely. The child looked dirty and unkempt, as if he had not cleaned himself in a long time. In fact, he was just wrapped in a dirty, ragged piece of cloth, and a metal chain was tied around his neck like a pet. His eyes were covered with a torn piece of white cloth. He seemed skeletal and pitiful. However, what Duanmu Huai cared about was not this. Instead, when he concentrated his gaze on the boy, he saw the information that appeared above the child¡¯s head. [Starseer (LV20) Rare] A Starseer! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. What a rarity! The so-called Starseers were essentially human message senders for a warship. Simply put, in the Imperial Era, every warship had a Starseer. Their task was to follow the captain¡¯s orders and use their thoughts to transmit messages from the subspace to the brain of the Starseer in another warship ¨C yes, that¡¯s correct; long-distancemunication back in the era of the Human Empire was done in this somewhat Psychic-like way of mental induction. However, such methods arergely obsolete today. After all, when a Starseer transmits information, they are easily polluted by the subspace, and they might end up receiving the whispers of some Evil God. Furthermore, the information conveyed undergoes distortion in the process, much like the famous ¡°Chinese whispers game,¡± where even in a room, there will be mimunication by the time the message reaches thest person. Not to mention, the Starseer¡¯s method of message transmission across gxies can cause the conveyed message to lose substantial original meaning by the time it reaches its destination, and just how far it deviates is anyone¡¯s guess. Nevertheless, this doesn¡¯t mean Starseers are useless in the yer¡¯s era. Starseers can sense information from the subspace, and as we all know, the subspace doesn¡¯t have a concept of time. Meaning, when a Starseer receives a piece of information, it could either be from hundreds or thousands of years ago in the past or hundreds to thousands of yearster in the future. Therefore, to put it bluntly, whatever signals the Starseers receive, either arrivete or early, and as for punctuality¡­ well, might as well pray to the Emperor. The prerequisite here is that he¡¯s still alive. But for yers, these conditions are quite useful. Because when ites to exploring spaceship wrecks or some dead worlds, the ability of Starseers is indeed extremely helpful. Besides, yers are particrly interested in tomb raiding and ruin exploration. As a Soul Walker, Duanmu Huai naturally needs the guidance of a Starseer, which would make finding ruins and Soul Cards much easier, right? What a pleasant surprise indeed. Truth be told, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t expect to find such a treasure within the ranks of these third-rate Star Thieves. This turned out to be quite a sizable catch for him. But what he didn¡¯t anticipate was the equipment brought by Dadaniel Ss after that¨Cit too caught him off-guard. Dadaniel Ss delivered a total of three pieces of equipment, a Chainsaw Sword, a power fist that was bright red as though stained with fresh blood, and a sma Pistol. And they were not ordinary pieces at that. [Alien¡¯s Death][Scarlet Fist][Justice¡¯s Left Hand] n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t stop himself from drawing a sharp breath. To understand, these three artifacts were widely circted among the yers. The Chainsaw Sword, [Alien¡¯s Death], excelled at alien extermination, bing a phenomenal weapon for killing aliens and demons. The [Scarlet Fist] was a Terminator¡¯s equipment, apart from its massive power, it was said that every time the [Scarlet Fist] yed an enemy, its energy field would be even more vibrant red¨Cas if stained by the enemy¡¯s fresh blood. Therefore yers suspected that it may have some connection with the Brutal God¡­ As for the sma Pistol, [Justice¡¯s Left Hand], its power was not particrly high, but it had a special ability¨Crumor has it that the Mechanical Priest who made the sma Pistol had meticulously prayed for its cooling and reliability, so the gun would hardly ever break. This led to jokes among the yers about the so-called ¡°Evesting Cool Justice¡¯s sma.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai looked at Dadaniel Ss in confusion before him. Could it be that your ancestors had some rtion with the bloody, wretched Blood Ducks? Chapter 176 - 144: Starseer_1 Chapter 176: Chapter 144: Starseer_1 After that, Duanmu Huai had a chat with Dardaniel. As Duanmu Huai expected, Dardaniel¡¯s merchant ship indeed came from the Holy City. Therefore, Duanmu Huai also asked him about the current situation in the star system where the Guardians resided. No wonder Duanmu Huai was so cautious; the Milky Way, at this time, was inplete chaos. Generally speaking, after the fall of the Human Empire, the remaining human civilization could be divided into two types. One type is like Yajinians that somewhat remember the history of the empire. The other type is like the humans on the that was previously invaded by the demons ¨C they had forgotten their ancestry decades ago. More importantly, since there weren¡¯t many civilizations in the entire Milky Way that could conduct interster operations, it led to an awkward scenario that was bothughable and frustrating. The human civilizations that remembered the empire¡¯s history mostly believed that they were the sole sessors and represented thest glory of the empire. Well, there were about thousands who imed thisst glory of the empire in the Milky Way ¨C at least you¡¯re not the first one. On the other hand, the human civilizations that forgot the empire¡¯s history, although aware of the existence of other civilizations in the universe, would be puzzled when you approached them. They¡¯d wonder why you ¡°alien¡± looked identical to humans. Was there any conspiracy behind this? The civilizations that remembered the empire¡¯s history were no better. They should have assumed that they were the unique prince. The next thing they knew, there were hundreds of royal heirs fighting for the throne. From a yer¡¯s perspective, this was annoying. Especially when attempting to develop ¡°undeveloped star territories¡±, the locals do not wee the yer. They may express dissatisfaction or even hostility. Therefore, before yers attempt to interact with other civilizations, the best way is to get urate information from these wandering merchants who conduct trade all over the Milky Way. Civilizations that have had contact with wandering merchants tend to be more broad-minded as they have a greater perspective of the worldpared to the civilizations that never left their star system. At least they are not paranoid or overly suspicious of a potential threat. Luckily, ording to Dardaniel, the Guardian civilization was rtively open-minded. Of course, they had their problems as well. It seemed that they had recently experienced a war which caused the entire Guardian civilization to shrink within their star system. Regarding theirbat power¡­ well, it was average at best. After all, if they didn¡¯t even venture out of their star system, their technological level could be guessed. Anyway, at least they were aware of the situation in the Milky Way and didn¡¯t harbor much hostility towards foreign civilizations. Yes, that was enough. Duanmu Huai did interact with the Guardian civilization in the game but that was during the mid-game. One distinct feature of ¡°Star Ocean Online¡± was that all changes urred in real-time. This means the order of yers encounter would have an impact. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om For instance, if a yer who first met a civilization was friendly, that civilization would maintain a certain goodwill towards other yers who cameter. However, if a yer showed hostility or did something bad during their first encounter with a civilization, that civilization would me all of the yers for this behavior. Therefore, the attitudes of the forces Duanmu Huai met in the game does not represent their attitudes in reality. Who knew how the initial yers in the game interacted with these civilizations that led to changes in their perceptions? Anyway, at least Duanmu Huai now had good news. After the trade waspleted, Dardaniel happily left with his Chalice-ss warship. Before leaving, he left hismunication frequency and told Duanmu Huai that if there was anything to trade in the future, he could contact him anytime. Considering the copse of the Human Empire and the ongoing barter trading system, it was worthwhile to establish good connections with wandering merchants like Dardaniel. Duanmu Huai returned to his mothership with his spoils of war. While Judges usually kept their spoils of war, yers found it more convenient to directly convert them into building points. Therefore, Duanmu Huai¡¯s loot from this raid became 3 building points and ¨C a dirty little imp. ¡°Go clean this imp.¡± Duanmu Huai handed the little creature to the maid puppet next to him. After giving a brief instruction, the maid nodded and took the unconscious imp to the bathroom. After a series of washing, disinfection, and cleaning, the imp was back in front of Duanmu Huai, nice and clean. It was a blond girl aged about ten. Her eyes were covered with a piece of cloth and she was wearing a simple gown. ¡°H-hello, respected sir¡­¡± Standing in front of Duanmu Huai, the girl was noticeably nervous. Luckily, she was blind¡­ or she would¡¯ve fainted already. However, what Duanmu Huai was more curious about was thenguage that the girl was using ¨C hernguage was mixed with some Gothic. This suggested she might have been born into a very noble Psychic family, as ordinary people wouldn¡¯t learn this technicalnguage. Chapter 177 - 144 Starseer_2 Chapter 177: Chapter 144 Starseer_2 ¡°Are you a Starseer?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°What happened to your eyes???¡± Duanmu Huai stared at the blindfold over the girl¡¯s eyes and curiously inquired. As soon as thetter heard his question, she immediately became animated. ¡°This, this is for receiving guidance from God, therefore, Lord Father caused me to lose my sight. Only in this way can I gain more profound revtions¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai silently rolled his eyes. Indeed, most Starseers are blind, but it¡¯s not their blindness that grants them substantial spiritual energy. On the contrary, these Starseers are blind due to a ritual called the Soul Binding Ritual. This ceremony uses the purity of the Human Lord to burn away the impurities in a psychic¡¯s body and conscience, reshaping their nervous structure, making their will more resistant to the temptations of Chaos. Only by undergoing this ritual can one be a qualified Starseer. Because the power of the Emperor would attack neutral structures such as optic nerves, most Starseers would go blind after the ceremony. And now, listening to this girl, they seem to argue that blindness is the growth factor for bing a starseer? You haven¡¯t even undergone the Emperor¡¯s blessing and purification, and you are doing this, isn¡¯t it putting the cart before the horse? Nevertheless, it¡¯s not surprising. The Human Empire has gone to hell for so many millennia, once those rituals¡¯ effects and procedures probably have long since been forgotten. ¡°Since you are a Starseer, I will allow you to continue your work on my ship.¡± Duanmu Huai refocused his thoughts, looking at the girl in front of him. ¡°However, I must warn you, subspace is more terrifying than you imagine. Therefore, I require that you only capture and transmit subspace information when I allow it. Do you understand? If you go against my orders, I assure you the next moment, I will throw you off this warship and let you turn into a corpse in the cold vacuum of space.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, sir, I understand.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the girl nervously nodded her head vigorously. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°They all call me Hitomi, sir.¡± ¡°Alright, Hitomi, you can leave now. I will have someone prepare your room.¡± Duanmu Huai gestured, and another servant, a Puppet, quickly came over to take Hitomi out of themand room. Only then did Ann huffily look at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Sir Knight, you were too harsh on that child.¡± ¡°Yeah, Sir Knight, the child was just caught by pirates. I think you should be kinder to her¡­ at least don¡¯t scare her that much¡­..¡± Lorena also offered her advice; apparently, they were not ustomed to seeing Duanmu Huai treat such a young girl so harshly. Looking at them, Duanmu Huai just shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this either, but I must, because that child is a Starseer, and with great potential.¡± ¡°Starseer?¡± ¡°Simply put, she can sense information from other worlds, including whispers from Evil Gods or Demons. If we don¡¯t make her vignt, she might be a pawn and aplice of the devil at any time.¡± ¡°Really? Something like that can happen?¡± Hearing this, Ann was astonished, while Lorena furrowed her brows. ¡°Hmm¡­ hearing what Sir Knight said, I remember that some people are very sensitive to the existence and whispers of demons. Is the child one of them? In that case¡­¡± ¡°Do you have a solution, Lorena?¡± Duanmu Huai turned to Lorena, curiously asking. After all, in this world, he knew there were not many ways to prevent a Starseer from being polluted by Chaos, and currently no methods were avable. He wondered if Lorena had any solutions. ¡°I can go back to the church and ask for the Archbishop¡¯s help.¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, Lorena replied. ¡°Then go. If you can find a solution to this problem, that would be a good option.¡± ¡°Yes, then Sir Knight, I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± After saying these words, Lorena hastily curtsied, then went through the teleportation gate, returning to her world. Ann looked curiously at the teleportation gate before her, sighing in awe. ¡°I never thought that anything could happen in this world.¡± ¡°When you go to many ces, you¡¯ll find out that there¡¯s no shortage of all kinds of strange things.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head and sat back down in his chair. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to send a ughter Puppet to lurk in Hitomi¡¯s room to watch her. After all, Duanmu Huai had learned from the Star Thieves Leader that the reason he tied this little girl to his chair was that she could always prophesy what was where like a fortune teller. This was also the reason he was able to sessfully attack the risk assessment ship, and it was clear that Hitomi might havemunicated with Subspace and Chaos. It¡¯s hard to tell whether it¡¯s her or something else inside this little girl now. But no matter what, it¡¯s better to be cautious. Afterwards, the warship followed the star map route obtained from Dada Neil and headed towards the Gxy of the Guardian civilization. After two days of navigation, Duanmu Huai¡¯s warship finally arrived at the Guardian Star System. ¡°What should we do next, Mr. Knight?¡± At this point, Ann rushed to Duanmu Huai¡¯s side, peering eagerly at the gxy in front of her, while Duanmu Huai patted Ogis¡¯ little head beside him before looking ahead. ¡°In general, a distant guest, let¡¯s say hello to them first¡­ Mia, send a message.¡± ¡°Okie-dokie~~ Master.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Mia responded in her unique airy tone, and then started amunication. ¡°This is Tribunal Warship Little Bunny, please respond if you hear us¡­. We are Little Bunny¡­..¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡­¡± Listening to Mia¡¯s casual chatting, Duanmu Huai and Ogis had no reaction, while Ann, Greiya, and Lorena were all blushing. ¡°Mr. Knight, why does it have to be this name!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a better-sounding name?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this great?¡± In response to the girls¡¯ints, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. ¡°The name and power are not directly proportional. It¡¯s not like if your name sounds nice, your power will certainly be great. Little Bunny is so awesome, just by this name, who dares to beat us?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡­¡± Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s righteous response, Ann had nothing to say for a moment. ¡°Report to Master, the other party has not responded, it seems that themunication system has failed¡­..¡± At this moment, Mia gave a report to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Communication failure?¡± Hearing Mia¡¯s report, Duanmu Huai frowned. Generally speaking, this kind of thing shouldn¡¯t happen, right? Could the Guardian civilization have encountered some trouble? ¡°I felt it¡­¡­..¡± At this moment, Hitomi, who had been standing by the window, suddenly started speaking. Her hands tightly held a pendant hanging around her neck¡ª¡ª¡ªit was the holy artifact for exorcising evil and repelling demons that Lorena had previously obtained from the Archbishop. ording to Lorena, this could protect Hitomi¡¯s soul from being defiled and invaded by demons. Of course, how much use it had was known only to God. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Hearing Hitomi¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai looked at her. ¡°What do you feel?¡± ¡°Anger¡­¡­ Hatred¡­¡­ Boiling rage¡­¡­ I can feel it, right ahead¡­¡­ Something¡­¡­. wants to destroy everything¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing Hitomi¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes shed a cold light. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll know when we go and have a look.¡± Chapter 178 - 145: Scarlet War_1 Chapter 178: Chapter 145: Scarlet War_1 The battleship continued to move forward, soon crossing the asteroid belt and cutting throughs to arrive at the home star of the Guardian civilization. However, the scene there at the moment wasn¡¯t exactly peaceful. Looking into the universe, they could see that the central city of the Guardian civilization ¨C the High Tower, was bathed in a bright red hue. One didn¡¯t need to look to know that there was a tumultuous situation. ¡°Zoom in on the target, let¡¯s see what has happened there.¡± Following Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the screen magnified quickly. Subsequently, a city appeared before their eyes. Obviously, the city was under attack. Above it, dozens of battleships painted in alternating red and white streaks, trailing long plumes of smoke ¨C a telltale sign of their excessive exhaust, were disying their might, mboyantly emitting their own mes. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the Caballeans.¡± Seeing the paint scheme of these warships, Duanmu Huai instantly wore a displeased expression. ¡°Caballean people?¡± ¡°Thugs of the Milky Way, idiots ¡ª a group of morons who think they should rule the entire Milky Way. They keep instigating wars across the gxies.¡± Duanmu Huai casually answered Greiya¡¯s inquiry before his gaze returned to the screen before him. To the Tribunal, Caballeans are also considered aliens that should be destroyedpletely ¨C not that, cleansed, to be precise. In essence, regardless of what they were, they must all be utterly obliterated, without exception. This summed up the ultimate goal of the Tribunal, an organization established to eliminate all threats to humanity! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move!¡± Duanmu Huai snap out of his thoughts and loudly issued the order. ¡°Set a course to the target city immediately and stop these cosmic thugs¡¯ violence! ¡± Duanmu Huai entering the scene did not attract the Caballeans¡¯ attention. On one hand, Duanmu Huai had initiated stealth mode, and on the other, the Caballeans were likely engrossed in their reckless bombardment of Sky City, showing no regard for their surroundings ¡ª this was quitemon for them, as the Guardian civilization was thest human civilization in this gxy. More urately, in this gxy, the only surviving city was a human one. Therefore, when a 20-kilometer-long warship appeared from the clouds, the Caballeans were somewhat puzzled ¨C they were stunned, uncertain where this gigantic warship hade from and why. However, when the green sma beam crossed the sky, and the Macro Cannon exploded with a thunderous roar, the oue was already decided. The sma beam, filled with massive energy, easily broke the frail protective barrier of the Cabal Warship. Subsequently, the Macro Cannon Shells, each weighing several thousand tons, spiraled into it, the prodigious impact and explosion turning the Cabal Warship in front into fireworks. In the face of the Tribunal¡¯s wrath, all aliens proved to be no match. Duanmu Huai stood in front of themand tform, his face cold as he stared at the battlefield. At this moment, the firepower of the warship was fully unleashed. Fortunately, before they arrived here, Duanmu had consumed some building points and rebuilt the Light Spears into sma Cannons, the cannons proving to be quite formidable. The protective barrier of the Cabal Warships couldn¡¯t counter the bombardment from the sma Cannons, and the fierce strikes from the Macro Cannons tore them apart. Even those Cabal Warships that tried to get closer were not faring any better as the powerful deck-mounted defense turrets tore apart any enemy daring to approach. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°What is that thing?!!¡± Meanwhile, aboard the Cabal gship, a Caballean in white heavy armor stood there, angrily staring at the spectacr golden battleship before his eyes. The Caballeans, a robust and violent race, resembled humanoid rhinoceroses, instilling a sense of awe and strong physicality. Encased in their armor, they seemed extremely valiant. However, all these seemed as trifling as dust in the face of the battleship before them. At the height of the clouds, the battleship looked like a city in the sky, enclosed by high walls and enormous cannons. Under the sunlight, the golden domes of its cathedral-like structure emitted a dazzling light, intensely infuriating the enemy. He¡¯d restrained the Traveler, was about to capture the city entirely, and was a small step away from acquiring the Light Energy! Where did these damn bastardse from!? ¡°Lord! We must leave immediately!!¡± At this moment, another Caballean came forward, shouting loudly. As if to verify his words, a green sma beam roared across and directly hit another Cabal Warship in front of the gship, instantly breaking its protective shield and piercing through it. While the wounded Cabal Warship was swaying and tried to hardnd, a Macro Cannon shell shattered it. ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± A massive shockwave exploded instantly, shaking even the Caballeans¡¯ gship like a small boat in a tempest. The Caballeans on the deck were knocked down outright. ¡°Lord! If we don¡¯t leave now, it¡¯ll be toote! We still have the Wan Yi battleship, we haven¡¯t lost yet!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing the words of the Caballean next to him, the Lord in the white armor gritted his teeth in anger, ring fiercely at the golden battleship before rising to his feet. Chapter 179 - 145 Scarlet War_2 Chapter 179: Chapter 145 Scarlet War_2 ¡°Retreat!!!¡± The Cabal fleet began to evacuate. Faced with the wrath of the Tribunal, these treacherous and despicable aliens had no resistance whatsoever. They were scared to their wits¡¯ end and almost vanished into the distant sky in total disarray. ¡°Humph¡­¡­¡± Watching thest Cabal warship that failed to escape and was blown into fireworks in the sky, Duanmu Huai let out a cold snort. At this moment, the entirebatmand room was silent. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the battlefield before them ¨C it was the first time the girls had witnessed a battle between universes so closely. Although they knew that the warship under their feet must be extremely powerful, they had never expected the power of this warship to far exceed their imaginations. ¡°I never imagined that this warship could be so formidable.¡± Ann couldn¡¯t help but express her awe, and Greiya nodded vigorously in agreement. ¡°Yes, if it¡¯s the Evil Dragon Fafner, I fear there would be nothing left but remnants in the face of this warship¡­¡± ¡°The power of an individual is indeed mighty, but the strength of mechanical power should not be overlooked.¡± Duanmu Huai casually uttered ament before turning around. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go take a look in that city.¡± When Duanmu Huai and the rest had arrived at the high tower which was almost in ruins on the Night Raven ck Star, a group of people were already waiting for them. And standing in the forefront was a muscr bald man, by his side, a bald woman and a robot. It¡¯s been a long time indeed. Seeing three familiar faces, Duanmu Huai revealed a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. He then led the girls out of the gunboat to meet them. Seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s appearance, those in front of him were somewhat apprehensive, but soon, the leading bald man stepped forward and bowed to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Greetings, visitors from another. I am Savara, a Titan mentor from the High Tower Council. Thank you very much for your assistance.¡± ¡± No need to be polite.¡± As Duanmu Huai examined the small mechanical jewelry-like object floating beside Savara, he answered casually. ¡°As a member of the Tribunal, it is my duty to eliminate aliens that threaten the existence of humans.¡± ¡°Tribunal¡­..¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Savara paused, then his expression turned serious. ¡°If possible, could you please exin in more detail?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded, then nced at the huge white sphere floating in the sky above the city. Following that, he proceeded to enter the high tower with Savara and the others. During their journey, Duanmu Huai reminisced about the information he had previously seen on a forum regarding the Guardian civilization. The rise of the Guardian civilization is inextricably linked to a mysterious entity, which is therge white sphere that resembles a moon and hovers over the city. People call it the Traveler ¨C no one knows where this mysterious entityes from. However, ording to historical records unearthed by yers, the Traveler has been wandering around the Milky Way, bringing prosperity and evolution to the civilizations it encounters. The humans of this gxy met the Traveler as a result of observing this mysterious entity and discovered its ability to transform barrens into lush ecological worlds filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Subsequently, humans weed the Traveler to their home. With the help of the Traveler, they began to develop at an elerated pace and even reached parts of the Golden Age level within their gxy. However, this good fortune did notst long. Not long afterward, a dark force pursuing the Traveler attacked the human world. The human world had no resistance against the invasion of this dark force and almost crumbled into dust. The Traveler, sensing danger, also nned to flee. Luckily, Rasputin, the battle mind created by humans, had anticipated this. Before the Traveler could escape, it gathered all its defense weapons, directly paralyzed the Traveler¡¯s power system, forcing the Traveler to stay and fight this terrifying dark force alongside the humans. If they couldn¡¯t withstand the attack, at least they could take down some enemies before their inevitable deaths. It was a fair trade. Well¡­ Although this way was somewhat underhanded¡­ They did a splendid job. In the end, the Traveler had no choice but to unleash its power and repel the iing darkness. However, human society waspletely destroyed, and the Traveler, after repelling the darkness, fell into a slumber. Afterward, countless small machines emerged from the slumbering Traveler. They were known as the Ingenuity. These machines wandered around the gxy, looking for people with an affinity for Light Energy, scanning and rebuilding their bones.N?v(el)B\\jnn Yes, as a matter of fact, almost all Guardians were dead people resurrected by Ingenuity. Of course, they would lose their pre-death memories but retainmon knowledge such asnguage. Moreover, after being revived, these Guardians possessed a superpower known as Light Energy. Later, the resurrected Guardians gathered the remaining survivors and built this Holy City beneath the Traveler. It could be said this was the only shelter for the humans of this gxy. The High Tower Council ruled this city,posed of the three Guardians who served as mentors: Titan mentor Savara, magician mentor Ikora, and hunter mentor Cade. Here, special mention must be made of Cade. This talkative fellow, who seemed like a robot, was one of the relics from the Golden Age of the humans of this gxy. As previously mentioned, when any civilization reaches a certain height, they will inevitably pursue immortality. The humans here were no exception. They foolishly created a technology that transnts human thought into machine bodies, eventually creating a mechanical race with human thinking ¨C the EXO. Well, as you can see, the Space Undead are not the only idiots in this universe who turned themself into mechanical skeletons. In the drawing room, Duanmu Huai briefed them on the current situation of the Milky Way gxy, including the copse and destruction of the Imperial, the scattering of human civilization, the Chaos Evil Gods, and the Subspace¡­ Needless to say, everyone was astonished after listening to Duanmu Huai¡¯s introduction. Savara sat there nkly without saying a word. As for the magician mentor next to him, Ikora, he put down his teacup, forced himself to calm down, and looked at Duanmu Huai. ¡°So¡­ Your Honor, the Judge, you came here to¡­ revive the Imperial?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°If the Law Department or the High Lord Council still existed, that would be their task. The Tribunal¡¯s task has always been singr, to protect human civilization and eliminate all threats to human civilization, no matter what they are. We are not interested in the control or dominance of civilization. You just need to not betray human civilization or conspire with the Evil Gods, then we would have no action.¡± ¡°Ah, the Guardians of humans.¡± Cade was cracking melon seeds, his electronic eyes staring at Duanmu Huai. As for whether a robot needs to eat melon seeds or not, that¡¯s another question. And whether the remaining seeds would get stuck in its crucial parts, that¡¯s an even different question. ¡°Regardless of your reasons foring, we have to express our gratitude. Otherwise, we may have had to abandon this city¡­ ¡± ¡°Thud, thud, thud.¡± However, just at this moment, suddenly, a rushed knock sounded. Everyone turned their heads to see a staff member, panting, rushed in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, mentors.¡± He was pale, drenched in sweat. ¡°But we received a message from the Cabal that I think you all should see.¡± Chapter 180 - 146 Last Ultimatum_1 Chapter 180: Chapter 146 Last Ultimatum_1 What appeared on the screen was an ugly pig face covered with a mask.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Well, Caballeans were never pleasant to look at anyway. With their faces covered, they were slightly more bearable, though not by much. ¡°This is your final warning, Humans.¡± The pig-faced creature on the screen stared at those before it, speaking in a deep voice. ¡°Cease resistance, hand over the Traveler, and I may spare your lives.¡± ¡°Oh? And if we don¡¯t?¡± Upon hearing the pig-faced creature¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai let out a cold snort. The creature, on the other hand, red fiercely at Duanmu Huai, its eyes filled with rage and hatred. Evidently, it had guessed that Duanmu Huai was indeed themander of the warship. ¡°If you don¡¯tply, I will destroy this gxy and obliterate youpletely.¡± ¡°Oh¡­I¡¯m so terrified.¡± ¡°I am not trying to scare you.¡± The pig-faced creature made a gesture, and quickly, the image before everyone¡¯s eyes changed. There in the screen, a massive, T-shaped warship was hovering not far from the star at the center of the gxy. The warship was continuously beaming some sort of light towards the star. Upon seeing this, everyone¡¯s faces changed slightly. At the same time, the pig-faced creature¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°You have twelve hours. If you do not choose to surrender, we will destroy this star, and make this gxy disappear entirely.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± So they had this trick up their sleeve. Looking at the warship in front of him, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes sparkled. Indeed, in theory, if one could destroy a star, the resulting explosion would be powerful enough to destroy an entire gxy¡­ Who would have thought the Cabal hid this ace up their sleeve? If he could seize this warship, wouldn¡¯t it be much easier to deal with the Space Undead or the Insect Race in the future? Unaware of what Duanmu Huai was contemting, the pig-faced creature simply stared at everyone, repeating his words again. ¡°Remember, you only have twelve hours.¡± The next moment, the pig-faced creature cut off themunication. For a time, the room was deathly silent. ¡°I never thought they would resort to such measures to threaten us.¡± Savara clenched her fists in anger, while the female magician beside her shook her head. ¡°So what can we do then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple, I¡¯ll deal with that warship, and leave everything here to you.¡± Duanmu Huai quickly made a decision. Hearing his decision, everyone looked rather astonished. ¡°Your Honor, the Judge, are you nning to¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what our enemies¡¯ n was, isn¡¯t it? After all, even if the Cabal had ten times as many of their junk warships, they still wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against me. So they chose to lure me into acting. After all, I only brought along this one warship. And as long as I go deal with that thing, they can once againunch an attack on the Holy City.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s exnation, the female magician nodded. ¡°In fact, the entire defense system of the Holy City is now paralyzed. We only managed to repel the enemy thanks to your warship, Your Honor. Without you here, it would be very difficult for us to resist the Cabal¡¯s fleet.¡± The Guardian civilization¡¯s level of technology is very¡­ imbnced. Though it may sound harsh, the Guardian civilization doesn¡¯t have fleets of warships. Well, that¡¯s putting it politely. To put it bluntly, they don¡¯t have any warships at all. After all, there is only one city left of human civilization in this gxy. Neither in technology nor resources could they create warships. The only thing the Guardian civilization currently owns are single-person flight machines. Theirbat style in the cosmos consists of guardians operating single-person flight machines, heading to enemy warships, and using their cunning reshaping to perform something akin to instant discement for boardingbat. By the way, while their boardingbat may seem the same, the Guardians do it purely out of necessity while Duanmu Huai does it as a hobby. Truth be told, Duanmu Huai believed they should learn to build warships as soon as possible to deal with other threats in the universe. ¡°Moreover, I think you should be able to hold off these guys.¡± Duanmu Huai had a certain understanding of the Guardians¡¯bat strength. Even if they didn¡¯t have warships, if they weren¡¯t caught off guard¡­ Huh??? ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry, Your Honor, the Judge.¡± At that moment, Savara lowered her head. ¡°We have lost the Power of Light.¡± ¡°¡­What???¡± ¡°Your Honor, I believe you¡¯ve seen the situation outside.¡± Duanmu Huai followed Savara¡¯s pointing finger to look out the window. Above the Holy City was arge white sphere that appeared shackled by an odd ck material covering its surface. ¡°The Cabal did this. I don¡¯t know what they did, but after they shackled the Traveler with that strange object, we lost the protection of Light Energy¡­ It¡¯s embarrassing to admit, but we¡¯re now no different from ordinary people.¡± ¡°¡­This is indeed unexpected.¡± He had to admit, Savara¡¯s frankness did surprise Duanmu Huai. He hadn¡¯t experienced this war in the game. He knew only that the Cabal had been fighting with the Guardians. Who would have thought this would happen? ¡°If only you, Your Honor, could help remove the shackles on the Traveler¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the right talent either¡­ But let¡¯s give it a try.¡± The only one Duanmu Huai could really rely on now was Ann. ¡°In a nutshell¡­ That¡¯s the situation.¡± Standing on the edge of therge white sphere, Duanmu Huai exined to Ann the connection between the Guardians and Light Energy. ording to Savara, the Cabal had brought this strange ck rectangr object and ced it on the white sphere. Immediately, the object released ayer of ck material that enveloped the entire sphere, and at that moment, they lost contact with the Light Energy. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Walking to therge sphere, Ann curiously examined the strange object and knocked on it with her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t sense any energy traces. It¡¯s likely that this ck object has its energy shielded. I think destroying the ck object¡¯s central core should remove it. But I¡¯m not sure if my magic will have any effect¡­ Greiya, Felin, would you like to give it a try?¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t¡­¡± Looking at the enormous ck metal object in front of her, Greiya shook her head. It wasn¡¯t surprising, considering the object was dozens of storeys high. Even as a Dragonkin, Greiya didn¡¯t have that much strength. Felin also shook her head, clearly unable to handle this thing. Using the Macro Cannon¡­ If they identally damaged the Traveler, it¡¯d be over. ¡°Then I will try my magic first.¡± As she spoke, Ann released a bolt of lightning at therge ck object. But the next moment, the lightning disappeared without a trace, and at the same time, Ann looked surprised. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ann?¡± ¡°Interesting, it seems this thing is immune to magic¡­ Looks like the material of this object itself has some property that does not react to magic. It¡¯s an interesting material.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re interested, we can dismantle it and let you study itter.¡± While speaking, Duanmu Huai turned to the puppet girl at his side. ¡°Ogis, give it a try.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Ogis nodded at Duanmu Huai¡¯smand. She stretched out her hand, and soon, thin threads emerged from her fingers and wrapped tightly around the ck shackles. Afterward, she clenched her hands and pulled downward. ¡°Creak¡ª¡ª¡ªCreak¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± With Ogis¡¯s movements, a twisting sound gradually came from around the ck shackles. But that was it¡ª¡ª¡ª apparently, Ogis didn¡¯t have the strength to further damage the thing. ¡°It seems this thing is indeed tough to deal with.¡± Witnessing these events, Duanmu Huai shook his head in disappointment. When he thought about it, it made sense. If this thing was so easily destroyed, the Cabal wouldn¡¯t have installed it on therge white sphere. ¡°Forget it, we can¡¯t afford to waste more time here.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head and withdrew his gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s follow the n from here. Ann, help the Guardians evacuate the civilians to the shelter. The Night Guard will also head there. As for me, I¡¯ll deal with that battleship.¡± Compared to the Pirate Warship they¡¯d faced previously, Duanmu Huai was more interested in the Wan Yi battleship. This time, he was determined to take that battleship. The Empire had weapons like the Whirlwind Torpedo capable of destroying a, but Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t have a weapon capable of destroying an entire gxy! But for Duanmu Huai, such a weapon was absolutely necessary, especially when dealing with the Tyron Swarm. If they could destroy several gxies in advance, they might be able to buy more time. After all, there were many derelict unpopted gxies in the Milky Way¡­ Hmm, this was definitely better than the Whirlwind Torpedo. Of course, Duanmu Huai would also leave some of the Night Guard here. Since the Guardians had lost the power of Light Energy, they couldn¡¯t put up much of a defense. Now their job was to gather the survivors to the shelters and defend. Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t worried about whether the Cabal would take this big white sphere. After all, the Light Energy wasn¡¯t omnipotent. Even if the pig-faced creature gained the protection of Light Energy, Duanmu Huai could still kill him if he wanted to¡ª¡ª¡ª the Destroyer Warrior wasn¡¯t merely for show. With these thoughts, Duanmu Huaiposed himself and withdrew his gaze. ¡°Then, prepare to move!!¡± Chapter 181 - 147: Bringing Destruction_1 Chapter 181: Chapter 147: Bringing Destruction_1 The golden warship left the home star, speeding towards the fixed star. Seeing this scene, an old Cabal warrior in red battle armor showed a trace of unease on his face. He turned his head to look at the white-armored pig-faced monster next to him. ¡°My lord, is this okay? Using the Wan Yi battleship as bait, isn¡¯t it a bit too risky?¡± This Caballean certainly knew what his lord¡¯s n was, just as Duanmu Huai had predicted, the Wan Yi battleship was just a lure to draw the snake out of the hole. If that gigantic warship was present, it would be simply impossible for the Cabal to achieve their goal. So, the lord decided to use the Wan Yi battleship as bait, forcing the warship to leave the Holy City. He would then take advantage of the situation to infiltrate the Holy City and fully master the power of the Traveler. However¡­.. is it too wasteful to use the Wan Yi battleship as bait? ¡°I understand what you want to say.¡± The white-armored pig-faced monster stared at his subordinate. ¡°But it¡¯s a sacrifice worth making. If we lose the Wan Yi battleship, we can build it again, but there is only one Traveler.¡± Yes, this is the confidence of a gctic civilization. The Wan Yi battleship is awesome and costly. But as long as they can harness light energy, they can build as many Wan Yi battleships as they want. However, the Traveler is rare and unobtainable. Therefore, the white-armored pig-faced monster knew which was more important. His order was for the Wan Yi battleship to hold off that warship as long as possible while he took the opportunity to obtain the Light Energy Power of the Traveler. As long as they could obtain Light Energy¡­ then all other problems would cease to be problems. Thinking of this, the white-armored pig-faced monster turned his head to look ahead and gave an order. ¡°Set out!!!¡± The Cabal fleet emerged from the asteroid belt and again rushed towards the distant. ¡°¡­ All Warmind, it¡¯s left.¡± Hitomi raised her head as if she was looking towards the distance, pointing her eyes covered with a cloth strip to the distant sky. ¡°Hmph, a bunch of idiots.¡± Duanmu Huai snorted coldly. He, of course, knew what the other party¡¯s n was and that¡¯s why he chose to take the bait. However¡­ the ideas of both sides werepletely different. To the white-armored pig-faced monster, in his view, Duanmu Huai might do everything in his power to destroy the Wan Yi battleship to prevent the destruction of this star system. But as for Duanmu Huai, he didn¡¯t think the Wan Yi battleship was a threat at all¡­ yes, the threat of destroying a star system was significant, but there was an absolute gap between the Tribunal and the Cabal. No matter how fierce a dog howls, it¡¯s just a dog. Even if it threatens to burn down a forest, a tiger can easily knock it down with a p. They were indeed being underestimated by the Cabal. But there was nothing he could do about it, after all, he only had one warship, not a fleet. If he had a fleet, maybe the other side would have run away somewhere. But now¡­¡­. ¡°The target is already within the firing range~ master~¡± The unruffled, leisurely voice of Mia came. Duanmu Huai also took back his thoughts, looked at the huge warship in front of him, and gave an order. ¡°Attack!!!¡± Cannons fired. As a gigantic warship, the Wan Yi battleship did indeed defend well, at least it was more solid than the paper-like Cabal warships. However, in front of the cannon fire of the imperial battleship, its resistance was futile. Soon, the Wan Yi battleship¡¯s defense was broken, and then¡­torpedoes burst out of the warship, tearing open the shell of the Wan Yi battleship and burrowing into it. ¡°Boom, boom, boom!!!¡± Duanmu Huai gripped his War Hammer, watching the torpedoes in front of him start to shake. The torpedoes then gave a violent impact sound. Soon after, the iron gate in front of him slowly opened, and the machine guns inside the torpedoes began to spurt out merciless mes, exterminating all the Cabal soldiers who had gathered outside due to the anomalies. Then, Duanmu Huai, his tight restraints opened, took a deep breath, and walked out of the torpedo with firm steps, holding the War Hammer. Behind him, the Night Guards in power armor likewise came out in a rush, weapons in hand. ¡°Arrrr!!!¡± Meanwhile, groups of Cabal soldiers rushed out from the corridor, weapons in hand, furious. When they saw Duanmu Huai and the others, they were startled, but very soon, they picked up their guns like crazy and pulled the trigger at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Bang, bang, bang, bang!!!¡± Whistling bullets flew in, turning into a rain of bullets that enveloped Duanmu Huai and the Night Guards. However, the Cabal¡¯s attack couldn¡¯t even shatter the exterior of the power armor and was deflected with a spark. Facing the Cabal¡¯s onught, Duanmu Huai let out a fierce smile. He then gripped his War Hammer, and the jetpack behind him burst out. Duanmu Huai lifted the War Hammer high and leaped from the sky,nding heavily among the Cabal soldiers!!N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Bang!!!¡± The War Hammer whistling down directly crushed the skull of a Cabal soldier in front of him, at the same time, its fat body flew out. Then Duanmu Huai held the War Hammer with both hands and swung it around with force. Immediately, the bodies of the Cabal soldiers around him were struck by the hammer, formingrge dents. They then fell to the ground like pins being hit by a bowling ball. ¡°Ooooo!!¡± A Cabal soldier appeared from behind Duanmu Huai and raised his gunstock to hit the back of Duanmu Huai¡¯s head. However, the next moment, its head was grabbed by Duanmu Huai¡¯s outstretched hand. Duanmu Huai¡¯srge hand twisted and pulled, he directly yanked the Cabal soldier¡¯s head off from its body with one hand! The headless body sprayed out from the neck and then fell on the ground swaying. Duanmu Huai threw down the torn-off head in front of him and stomped on it directly! ¡°Pfft!¡± The flying blood stained the ck Power Armor of Duanmu Huai, like a coating of fresh blood, grotesquely eerie. Duanmu Huai then raised his head, staring at the front, where the terrified Cabal Soldiers were holding their weapons. Although they were wearing helmets, Duanmu could still feel their gazes filled with horror and fear. At the same time, he also felt, that with their fear, his strength was constantly increasing. That kind of fear and despair was like firewood that ignited his burning strength, causing it to expand more and more! Although I didn¡¯t really want this Bulid, it seems I don¡¯t have a choice now. Duanmu Huai, of course, knew what was going on. After his intimidation evolved into the Fearful Aura, it was practically an indiscriminate release that did not change whether he was wearing a helmet or not. Among hisbat skills, ¡°Winning With Few Against Many¡± was a +60% melee damage when surrounded, ¡°Bullying the Weak¡± added a 50% attack bonus on enemies with negative effects, ¡°Persistent Chase¡± increased the critical hit chance by +5% and critical hit intensity by +15% when attacking enemies with negative effects. Together with the special effect of the ¡°Fearful Aura¡±, where even after being exempted from its effects, it would still cause a round of tremors as a DEBUFF, even though Duanmu Huai was unwilling, he had already formed aplete ¡°Fear Attack Bulid¡±. Just by charging into the crowd, coupled with the effect of the ¡°Fearful Aura¡±, Duanmu Huai could basically maintain the effects of +60% melee damage, +50% attack strength, +5% critical hit and 15% critical hit intensity¡­ Combined with the ¡°Wrath¡± skill which reinforced his critical hits and attacks the more people he killed, and as a ¡°Destroyer Warrior¡±, he could absorb the enemy¡¯s attributes as long as he killed¡­¡­. Hmm¡­. Duanmu Huai now felt like he had be a chosen violent deity. This is simply insane. Well, we¡¯ll see about thatter. With that thought in mind, Duanmu Huai raised his War Hammer and pointed it to the front. ¡°Kill¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!!!¡± Meanwhile, in themand room of the Wan Yi battleship, the Cabal Commander waspletely frantic. ¡°Damn, why is it so fast!!¡± Staring at the red warning on the screen in front of him, themander pounded the control console in anger. He didn¡¯t know that his superior had abandoned this Wan Yi battleship. In fact, he even thought it was a sign for him to advance further in front of the Lord. After all, from the outside, the Wan Yi battleship was roughly the same size as the human warship. So, ording to the pig-brained logic of the Cabal, both sides¡¯bat power shouldn¡¯t differ too much. In his view, the previous defeat of the Cabal fleet was simply due to their insufficient firepower. But with the power of his Wan Yi battleship, they would be able topletely crush this human warship! By that time, he would be the favored one by the Lord¡¯s side! However, the reality is that ideals are beautiful, and reality is harsh. ¡°Report, report! The first, third, and fifth energy reactors have lost contact!¡± ¡°The weapon control unit has been upied!!¡± ¡°How is this possible? How is this possible???¡± Looking at the screen in front of him and listening to the report from his subordinates, themander clenched his fists, his face pale. The Cabal¡¯s protective barrier almost copsed under the first round of firepower from the enemy. The energy barrier that they were so proud of was like thin paper under the bombardment of the enemy¡¯s green energy beam. However, what happened next was something he didn¡¯t expect. Those cunning humans actually used a device simr to torpedoes for jump raid!! At the moment, the entire Wan Yi battleship was almostpletely paralyzed. This is the most powerful aspect of the jump raid of Astarte. Usually, this kind of tactic is easily countered by the enemy¡¯s desperate resistance. But by using a bombardment method which resembles torpedoes, and sending the warriors to different areas of the enemy ship, coupled with Astarte¡¯s formidable strength, not only can they avoid being shot down by the enemy, but they can also divide and conquer the enemy forces, causing the enemy to be unable to gather and would instead be annihted. Hence, taking over the entire ship. Although the strength of the Night Guards was not as strong as the real Astarte, but¡­¡­ they are much better than these brainless pig-face monsters. ¡°Sir, we can¡¯t hold on anymore, should we self-destruct?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­¡± Hearing the question from his subordinate, themander was taken aback. Indeed, in principle, a top-secret battleship like the Wan Yi battleship should never fall into enemy hands. Now that the entirety of the Wan Yi battleship was practically paralyzed, it was only a matter of time before it was captured by the enemy. As themander, he should choose to self-destruct as quickly as possible at this time. But¡­ this responsibility¡­ Gazing at the key in his hand, themander hesitated for a moment¡ª¡ª¡ªand at that very moment, hepletely missed his chance. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The tightly closedmand room door was blown open. Then, a giant figure with a pitch-ck body strode out, he rushed forward like a beast, instantly sting away all the Cabal Soldiers who tried to block his path. It wasn¡¯t until the mutted bodies were heavily hit in front of him that themander realized what was happening. He hurriedly took the key card, trying to insert it into the control console to detonate the ship. However, as soon as themander saw that figure in ck armor, a wave of cold, trembling chill suddenly emerged uncontrobly from his spine, shooting straight through to his forehead. At this moment, his whole body seemed to lose its strength. Even the right hand holding the key card loosened, and it fell to the ground. But before themander could pick up the key card, he saw arge foot stepping in front of him. The next moment, themander felt his field of vision was suddenly overturned. Before he finally fell into endless darkness, the only thing he saw was a body that waspletely severed from the waist. Chapter 182 - 148 Awakening_1 Chapter 182: Chapter 148 Awakening_1 The White-armored Pig-faced Monster believed his n was brilliant. Although they lost the Wan Yi battleship, everything would be fine as long as they could capture the Traveler. He was not worried about any possible resistance from the Guardians. He had blocked the Traveler¡¯s light energy. Now, without the protection of light energy, the Guardians were helpless against the Cabal Fleet¡­ At least, that¡¯s how it was supposed to be. But what was happening now? Looking at the Holy City under heavy fire, the White-armored Pig-faced Monster¡¯s face was darker than coal. He didn¡¯t expect to be attacked by a bunch of strange anti-aircraft vehicles that suddenly emerged just as he led his fleet to the Holy City. The Cabal Fleet suffered heavy losses due to the unexpected counterattack. Although they were outnumbered and quickly turned the tide, the situation leaned to his favor, but it did nothing to lift the monster¡¯s spirits. Those damned anti-aircraft vehicles slowed his approach to the Traveler significantly. What infuriated him even more was the enemy using the Traveler as a shield tounch attacks. This made the White-armored Pig-faced Monster furious. He didn¡¯t dare order a full counterattack; if they made a mistake and destroyed the restrainer or damaged the Traveler, their efforts would be in vain! He didn¡¯t expect these damned bastards to be so despicable! However, just as the White-armored Pig-faced Monster was at his wits¡¯ end, a piece of news from his subordinate sent his heart sinking. ¡°The Wan Yi battleship has been upied by the enemy?!¡± Upon hearing the news, he reached out and grabbed his subordinate by the neck (does a pig-faced monster have a neck?), lifting him up angrily. ¡°Say that again? upied? Not destroyed?¡± If it was destroyed, the White-armored Pig-faced Monster could understand, given the terrifying firepower of the human warship. The Cabal Empire had never encountered such a powerful warship. Therefore, it would be understandable if the Wan Yi battleship was destroyed by the attack.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om But¡­ upied? Overtaking a warship is apletely different challenge from destroying one! Let alone, the Wan Yi battleship is thergest battleship of the Cabal. How could it be upied in such a short time?! ¡°Damn it! It¡¯s impossible! What the hell is that idiot doing?! Doesn¡¯t he realize the importance of protecting the treasures of the Cabal Empire?!¡± The captain of the Wan Yi battleship was the monster¡¯s confidant. He should know well to initiate a self-destruction program when unable to defend the battleship. How could hemit such a foolish error?! ¡°Is this information true?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know. After the incident, themunication was cut off. It could also be a false rm¡­¡± ¡°Damn!¡± Throwing his subordinate aside, the White-armored Pig-faced Monster gritted his teeth, staring at the Traveler who was nowpletely restrained. Though he wished he had more time, it seemed¡­ he had no choice!! ¡°Full speed ahead, prepare the energy conversion device!¡± In any case, he had no room to retreat. As long as he could take the light energy, everything would be worth it!! Soon, under themand of the White-armored Pig-faced Monster, the Cabal Fleet advanced again. Despite their heavy casualties, they arrived at the Traveler smoothly. Those enemy forces that were previously using the Traveler as a shield also dispersed, apparently unable to impede their progress any longer. Soon, the Cabal¡¯s gship reached the Traveler. Looking at the massive ck sphere that waspletely covered in darkness, he reached out his hand. The restrainer covering the Traveler began to glow a deep red color. At the same time, a powerful force emerged from it, covering the White-armored Pig-faced Monster via the gship¡¯s teleporter. ¡°Ohhhhhhhh!!!¡± Feeling this intense power, the White-armored Pig-faced Monster clenched his fists and roared. He could feel this immense power entering his body. This was the power of the Guardians. This was the power of Light Energy!! As long as he had this power, the Cabal and the Empire could rise once more and even rule the entire Milky Way¡­!! However, the White-armored Pig-faced Monster¡¯s dream ended there. Because, at that moment, arge, ck figure dropped from the sky onto the deck of the gship. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The massive impact was so hard that the sturdy deck directly caved in. Duanmu Huai stood up from the wreckage and looked at the Monster, his body shrouded in powerful energy. ¡°Oh, sorry to disturb you, but your time is up, humble alien.¡± ¡°How foolish¡­,¡± he muttered. The surging energy abruptly disappeared. The White-armored Pig-faced Monster, his body full of fiery power, slowly rose to his feet. ¡°Look at me, I am the Lord of the Crimson Legion, the Destroyer of Suns, the Annihtor of Countless Worlds¡ª¡± Who the hell wants to hear your prattle! But before the White-armored Pig-faced Monster could finish, Duanmu Huai gripped his Thunder Warhammer, leaped forward, and directly attacked his opponent. Why do these idiotic things all have the samepulsive need for a monologue before a battle? Who the hell cares about your opening CG puter graphic)? A dying CG might be more interesting! Besides, you¡¯re all going to die¡ª who cares about your name?! Just SKIP it! ¡°You¡­!!!¡± The White-armored Pig-faced Monster went pale with rage as Duanmu Huaiunched an attack before he could finish his speech. ¡°You¡¯re toote!!!¡± Roaring in fury, the white-armored pig-faced monster raises his right hand, as he concentrates light energy in it, and creates a me de. He then violently shes towards the airborne Duanmu Huai. A burst of me sword light rips through the long sky, shooting towards Duanmu Huai. The jet pack behind Duanmu Huai elerates again, whisking him past the me sword light. Then Duanmu Huai leaps down, the Thunder Warhammer in his hand heavily collides with the me de in the white-armored pig-faced monster¡¯s hand. ¡°Boom!!!¡± As their bodies make contact, the reflection of Duanmu Huai¡¯s dark figure, cloaked in power armor, shes in the eyes of the white-armored pig-faced monster, awakening a very palpable fear inside him. The hand holding the me de trembles slightly, revealing some vacition as he tries to block Duanmu Huai¡¯s full-strength blow and gets knocked back. This makes the white-armored pig-faced monster incredulous, but his incredulity quickly gives way to anger ¨C How dare a mere human defy the Lord?! ¡°You will regret this! Human!!!¡± Filled with rage, the white-armored pig-faced monster raises his me de and attacks Duanmu Huai again. ¡°Your Traveler should have chosen me, but now it¡¯s toote! Look at your dying God; incapable of saving humans ever again!¡± ¡°And pitiful aliens like you have no right to exist in this world.¡± Duanmu Huai was brandishing his warhammer, fighting the white-armored pig-faced monster once again. ¡°I will kill you, and then destroy your fleet, your civilization, your empire! In the name of the Tribunal! Any entity that dares to threaten humans will be utterly obliterated! Your annihtion will mark the beginning! All Cabals will be purified!¡± ¡°Boom!!!¡± The heavy hammer strikes hard against the me de. Duanmu Huai looks coldly at the pig-faced monster and gives a gruesome, savage sneer. ¡°I will use your Wan Yi battleship to destroy your world ¨C let your homnd burn in the fury of stars. Your descendents, your civilization, everything you hold dear will turn to dust in the eternal cosmos, and that will be the price you aliens pay for your abominable deeds!¡± ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the white-armored pig-faced monster gets so angry that his eyes turn red. He stomps on the ground, hoping to knock Duanmu Huai back. However, Duanmu Huai barely budges in response to his attack. ¡°You, you have no idea what sacrifice or value is!¡± With a roar from the white-armored pig-faced monster, a more powerful light energy force irrupts from him. This time Duanmu Huai can¡¯t resist it; he gets blown away. ¡°You humans are not fit to possess this power, only I, only I can win the favor of light energy!!!¡± The white-armored pig-faced monster jumps up, raises his me de, and shes down hard at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Die!!! ¡± However, he doesn¡¯t see the glint of light that shes between Duanmu Huai¡¯s fingers. ¡°!!!¡± The very next moment, invisible silken threads that intertwine like a web bind the white-armored pig-faced monster. Ogis appears out of thin air behind the white-armored pig-faced monster, next to her, the giant guardian puppet stretches out its arms, immobilizing the pig-faced monster, suspending him in mid-air. ¡°What¡­ is this¡­?¡± The white-armored pig-faced monster clearly didn¡¯t expect that. Bewildered, he freezes. However, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t care less about what his opponent was thinking ¨C a Judge always uses any means necessary to achieve their goal and eliminate the target! ¡°Attack!!!¡± Seizing the moment when the white-armored pig-faced monster is restrained by Ogis, Duanmu Huai jumps up, draws his chainsaw sword from his waist, and attacks the pig-faced monster with all his might! ¡°Buzz!!! ¡± The whirring chainsaw cuts through the pig-faced monster¡¯s skin, muscles, bones, and innards all the way down without any hindrance. When Duanmu Huainds back on the ground, the pig-faced monster has been split in two. With Ogis letting go of her threads, the white-armored pig-faced monster¡¯s corpse splits apart, the mixture of blood and entrails sttering on the ground. Then a dazzling radiance suddenly bursts from the body of the pig-faced monster. A beam of pure white light shoots into the sky, turning into a phantom with wings, seemingly made of light and shadow. ¡°Traveler!!!¡± The phantom of the pig-faced monster outstretches its arms towards the Traveler. ¡°Can you see me now? I¡¯m immortal! I¡¯ve be a God!!!¡± ¡°!!!¡± However, before the pig-faced monster can even finish his sentence, the Thunder Warhammer whistles past, piercing right through his body, and striking hard on the Traveler¡¯s restrainer. ¡°Crack.¡± A tiny crack. The restrainer binding the Traveler soon breaks; cracks spread all over, and divine brilliance emerges, seeming solid enough to cut into the spiritual body of the pig-faced monster. ¡°No-no!!!¡± As the dazzling lightpletely breaks through the gloom of the Traveler, the soul of the pig-faced monster dissipates in the radiance. ¡°Good job.¡± Watching the glowing sphere, bright as a spotlight, Duanmu Huai gives a smirk. ¡°This guy finally woke up.¡± Chapter 183 - 149 Banquet_1 Chapter 183: Chapter 149 Banquet_1 Duanmu Huai was not foolish enough not to be prepared for Cabal¡¯s theft of light energy. Though he had left, before doing so, Duanmu Huai had installed a bomb on Traveler¡¯s shackles. If Cabal really wanted to seize the power of the Traveler, Duanmu Huai would have no choice but to ¡­¡­ blow it up. Regardless, the alien races must not prevail, no matter what. As it turned out, the best way to wake a person who was feigning sleep was to give them a good beating. The bomb had destroyed the shackles binding the Traveler and awakened it from its slumber, but¡­. ¡°Hmm, I guess I might have overshot the power a bit?¡± Looking at the big white sphere in front of him, Duanmu Huai shrugged. The formerly perfectly round white sphere was now full of holes, through which the internal parts could be clearly seen. What the heck was the Traveler, exactly? From its outward appearance, it looked like a mechanical creature. Who could have created it? Duanmu Huai did consider taking a look inside the Traveler, but eventually decided not to ¨C after all, he had just blown it awake and it was probably still fuming. Even if it didn¡¯t know who had awakened it¡­ Hmm, let¡¯s just say that the unfortunate pig-face creature bore the brunt of the Traveler¡¯s morning grumpiness. Regardless, it had nothing to do with him. The awakened Traveler didn¡¯t show any reaction. It was unclear whether it was unable to speak or just uninterested inmunication. One thing was for sure ¨C it didn¡¯t try tomunicate with anyone else. It merely spawned arge number of ingenious mechanisms from its ragged body and once again revived thousands of Guardians. Well, it seemed like the Traveler wasn¡¯t particrly angry. As for the Cabal¡¯s fleet, it was obliterated. The entire fleet withdrew after the death of itsmanding general. Duanmu Huai beat the fleet until it was unrecognizable; only a handful managed to escape, everything else was wiped out, reduced to nothing but smoke in the sky. After this conflict, reconstruction work began in the Holy City. Although the human casualties were minor, the city itself had suffered greatly from Cabal¡¯s bombardment. Despite sessfully defending it, there was no avoiding reconstruction. After this, Savara, on behalf of the High Tower Council, found Duanmu Huai for a discussion. The conflict with Cabal had prompted the Guardians to realize the necessity of a cosmic fleet. However, theycked the necessary technology and experience. Hence, Savara hoped that Duanmu Huai could lend them a hand. In the end, the negotiation concluded with Duanmu Huai agreeing to help them build some warships (after all, once the warships were re-deployed as space station bases, the Void Dockyard could be reactivated). On the flip side, the materials and resources needed to manufacture the warships had to be provided by the Guardian civilization. Actually, this wasn¡¯t difficult. During the Golden Age, the Guardian civilization had built numerous facilities and mining equipment within its own gxy. Although many were destroyed, some remained. All that needed to be done now was to send the Guardians to thes upied by the alien races to wipe them out and reactivate the mining equipment. This allowed the minerals to be gathered and processed, and then transported to the space station for construction. Of course, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t working for free. At least half of the resources he collected were his reward. After all, Duanmu Huai also needed to manufacture warships. None of these events could bepleted in a short span of time. While the Guardians would restart factories and mine minerals, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t idle during this period either. Only¡­¡­ ¡°Why do I have to attend such a boring banquet?¡± d in armor, standing in the midst of the bustling banquet, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help butin to Ann. ¡°Ah ha ha ha, there¡¯s really no helping it.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯sint, Ann sheepishly stuck out her tongue. ¡°Because this is the engagement ceremony of the Duke of Ulrick¡¯s eldest son and the daughter of Count Hasha. As princesses of Manaria and Regnes, both Greiya and I have to attend. After all, this marriage was a promise made by the king himself, so as a princess, I am obligated to participate.¡± ¡°But what does that have to do with me?¡± ¡°As the knight, aren¡¯t you going to be Greiya¡¯s and my future husband? How can you not attend an asion like this? Besides, with you here, Greiya and I won¡¯t have to deal with any troublesome matters, and no one would disturb us. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± ¡°Well, well, those are your true intentions, aren¡¯t they?¡± Duanmu Huai looked towards the group of boys and girls not far away. Judging by their attire, these youngsters should also be children of the nobility of Manaria. They were gathered, whispering amongst themselves and asionally ncing over in his direction. He could imagine that if he wasn¡¯t here, those guys would definitelye over to chat and establish good rtions with Ann and Greiya. However, with Duanmu Huai standing here, his mere presence and intimidating aura deterred anyone from approaching, let alone greeting Ann. You¡¯ve really been treating me as a useful tool, huh. ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Sensing Duanmu Huai¡¯s dissatisfaction, Ann gave a hollowugh, then quickly grabbed Greiya. ¡°Greiya, look, there¡¯s delicious food over there!!¡± Watching as Ann dragged Greiya away, Duanmu Huai let out a resigned sigh and turned to Ogis. ¡°You¡¯re not going to wander around?¡± ¡°I¡¯m content as long as I¡¯m by your side.¡± Even though she had also changed into a fancy ckce dress, Ogis doesn¡¯t seem to have interest in this kind of asion. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, she answered indifferently while returning her gaze to her novel. Listening to Ogis¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai shook his head. Just then, a voice rang out. N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Oh, hello, sir knight. Long time no see.¡± Duanmu Huai turned his head and saw a beautiful girl with elf-like ears, dressed in a magnificent dress, standing in front of him with a smile on her face. He nodded in acknowledgement. ¡°Hello, Miss Hanna. It¡¯s been a while. How have you been?¡± The elven girl in front of him was none other than Hanna, the student council president of Manaria Magic Academy, an incredibly diligent individual, who had the misfortune of covering up for Ann¡¯s messes in the academy most of the times. ¡°Without Her Highness causing a ruckus every day, things have be a lot quieter. But it feels a tad too quiet¡­ I hope she didn¡¯t trouble you too much, Sir Knight.¡± ¡°For me, she has been of great help.¡± Duanmu Huai did not cover up his thoughts about Ann. ¡°And I don¡¯t think she has caused any trouble for me. The world outside is so fascinating, she is busy enjoying life. From what I see, she seems to be very happy every day.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, Hanna breathed a sigh of relief. She turned her head, looking at Ann, who was enthusiastically chatting with Greiya, with a helpless expression. ¡°I understand that Manaria Magic Academy is too small for Her Highness. She always has her eye on therger world. It is a good thing for her to be able to realize her own wishes.¡± At this point, Hanna turned to look at Duanmu Huai again. ¡°Nevertheless, I hope you can safeguard Her Highness, Sir Knight. That¡¯s my only request.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Hanna, I won¡¯t let Ann get into danger.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded. There¡¯s no denying that Ann is a unique and spirited girl, and her vivacity and cheerfulness have brought much joy. Truth be told, Duanmu Huai quite liked her. He could understand why Greiya liked Ann, but to take her as his betrothed is another matter altogether. It was a bit embarrassing to say, Duanmu Huai had never even been through a blind date before crossing over, let alone getting married. As they were discussing this, Hanna started looking ahead saying. ¡°Ah, things are about to start.¡± Following her cue, Duanmu Huai looked ahead and saw a guy with a pale face dressed in a white suit stepping down from the central staircase. Not far below him stood a beautiful girl dressed in a ck suit with radiant ck hair. ording to Ann¡¯s introduction, she was the fianc¨¦e of the pale-faced guy, and the announcement of their engagement and marriage was up next. That¡¯s what should have happened¡­ ¡°Everyone!¡± The pale-faced guy stood in the middle of the steps, nced at the guests around, and then raised his head, taking a deep breath. ¡°I, Yald Yurick, hereby announce the cancetion of my engagement to Audrey Hasha!¡± The pale-faced guy¡¯s voice echoed through the banquet hall, and for a moment, the hall fell silent. All the guests had their hands up, ready to apud, but now, they were at a loss for what the appropriate reaction should be. Even Ann and Greiya, who had just returned to Duanmu Huai¡¯s side, were looking at the scene in front of them with a baffled expression. Duanmu Huai, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow in curiosity, looking at the pale-faced guy. ¡°Oh?¡± So, is this the real-life version of a jilted engagement? This was the first time he had seen it, and he thought it only happened in books! But Duanmu Huai recalled that in novels, usually the man¡¯s family broke off the engagement because the man had lost his power and was no longer of use. It was the first time he had seen a man openly break off an engagement with a woman. Why? Was this dude being cuckolded by his fianc¨¦e? At this point, Duanmu Huai switched to spectator mode. It was a pity there were no melon seeds on hand, otherwise, he would havefortably settled in his seat to watch the showdown. Miss Audrey, to everyone¡¯s surprise, seemed blindsided by the announcement as she looked at him, face pale, and asked. ¡°¡­ Why, Sir Yald, do you want to break off our engagement?¡± In response to Audrey¡¯s question, the young man named Yald remained silent for a moment, then reached out his hand. ¡°Because, I have found someone who I genuinely love, she¡­ she is my true match!¡± As he spoke, Yald strode into the crowd, reached out, and pulled out a girl with fluffy orange hair, holding her in his arms. He then fixed his eyes on Audrey and announced. ¡°Only Miss Ang is my true love! I will make her my wife!¡± ¡°¡­???¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai looked baffled. He turned his head, looking at Ann who was also shocked. ¡°Is itmon in your country to brag about infidelity so openly?¡± Chapter 184 - 150: Divorce Trend? _1 Chapter 184: Chapter 150: Divorce Trend? _1 Honestly, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t expect that by simply attending a banquet out of sheer boredom, he would get to watch such a drama unfold. The main reason he agreed to apany Ann to this banquet was because the Guardian civilization was currently undergoing reconstruction, and Duanmu Huai had nothing else to do at the moment. So when Ann mentioned that they were invited to a noble banquet, Duanmu Huai agreed. After all, this was his first time attending a real-life noble banquet, and he wanted to experience the atmosphere. But Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t expect to witness such a spectacle?! A fianc¨¦e being dumped, he thought this kind of scenario only existed in novels! However, this reasoning was really absurd! In the online novels Duanmu Huai read, the typical reasons for dumping a fianc¨¦e usually involve the male lead¡¯s family fall into adversity, or the male lead having no talent, resulting in losing his inheritance rights, etc. The woman feels that there are no benefits in marrying a good-for-nothing man, so she ditches the engagement. Then the male lead vowing to make aeback, saying things like ¡°everything changes over time¡± ¨C although this reason seems a bit snobbish, it doesn¡¯t sound unreasonable upon a second thought. Who would want to marry their beloved daughter to a good-for-nothing, right? Unless the woman¡¯s family also sees their daughter as a liability and would rather throw her out to ease their minds, otherwise, they would generally choose to break off the engagement. Of course, the man breaking up is not unheard of, Duanmu Huai remembers seeing videos of husbands exposing their wives¡¯ affairs at the wedding and directly kicking the wives out. But¡­ honestly, your excuse is downright hrious! Love ordained by God, what kind of moronic nonsense is this? ¡°Lord Yald¡­!¡± The noblewoman called Audrey was obviously shocked as well. She wanted to say something, but the man cut her off with a wave of his hand. ¡°Shut up, Audrey Hasha. I have judged you unfit to be my fianc¨¦e, and you havemitted various egregious acts against Ang. Don¡¯t even think about denying it!!¡± ¡°Egregious acts¡­?¡± Faced with Yald¡¯s usation, Audrey seemed bewildered, having no idea what he was talking about. Yald, however, red at Audrey and fiercely continued. ¡°You looked down on Ang just because she came from amon background, didn¡¯t you? Not only did you bully her, you also stole and damaged Ang¡¯s belongings, and even attempted to assassinate her! I¡¯ve thoroughly investigated it all! All these atrocities were masterminded by you!¡± Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted into murmurs. Even Ann and Greiya widened their eyes in surprise, unsure of what to say. Duanmu Huai nced at them and asked. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I-I haven¡¯t heard about any of this happening at the academy!¡± Ann shook her head vigorously. She was a princess of Manaria. If such bullying and assassination attempts were happening at the Manaria Academy, it would be impossible for her not to know about it. ¡°Miss Hanna?¡± Duanmu Huai looked toward Hanna, who furrowed her brows. ¡°During the days when you were absent from the academy, there were indeed some conflicts between Miss Audrey and Miss Ang. But the most egregious issue was that Miss Audrey hoped Miss Ang won¡¯t get too close to her fianc¨¦. I¡¯ve never heard about the rest of it¡­¡± ¡°We will testify!!¡± However, at that moment, a few young men came out of the crowd and stood by Yald. Seeing these men, Ann was speechless. N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°What happened to her?¡± Seeing Ann¡¯s reaction, Duanmu Huai asked Greiya with a puzzled expression. Is there someone she likes among them? In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Greiya hesitated for a moment before answering in a low voice. ¡°All of these men are the sons of dignitaries within the Kingdom of Manaria and are significant figures among the nobility¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Duanmu Huai finally understood why Ann was disying such an expression. Before attending the banquet, Ann had told Duanmu Huai that the engagement between the two families had been instigated by her father, the king, as part of the political marriage. However, because it is a political marriage, it¡¯s not just a simple engagement between the two families, it would also have an impact on the political structure of the royal family. At present, the engagement that was already approved by the king is being opposed by the heirs of the same vassals, which inevitably makes people suspect that there is a power struggle within the kingdom. No wonder Ann looks stunned right now. She also didn¡¯t expect that a simple engagement banquet would turn out this way. These young aristocrats stood next to Ang, ming Audrey together. ¡°Miss Ang may indeed be ofmon birth, and she may not be familiar with the understandings within the nobility, but Miss Audrey¡¯s reprimands are too excessive!¡± ¡°Ang tried her best, but because of status differences, you havemitted these atrocities. This is against heavenly morality!¡± Faced with the usations from everyone, Audrey¡¯s face turned pale. She also began to retort. ¡°I did give Miss Ang some advice, but I don¡¯t remember hurting her!¡± Chapter 185 - 150 Divorce Trend?_2 Chapter 185: Chapter 150 Divorce Trend?_2 ¡°This is your arrogance! As the daughter of a prominent Earl, you downright despise ordinary citizens!¡± Yald red fiercely at Audrey. ¡°Quit defending yourself! Severaldies have alreadye crying to us, iming that it was under your instructions that they were forced to bully Miss Ang!!¡± Soon, a few aristocraticdies walked over, wailing and sobbing, which helped Duanmu Huai to understand the cause of their tears. In simple terms, ording to these people, Audrey, being the Earl¡¯s daughter, has always despised Ang, who is of amon birth, always criticising her, even implying the youngdies to bully her, thus distancing herself from the matter¡­Hmm, it all sounds like the wicked characters in Cindere¡¯s stories. As these people continued to talk, the atmosphere of the party started to change, everyone began casting dissatisfied and angry nces at Audrey, who stood there dumbfounded, not knowing how to react. ¡°Your Highness!!¡± However, just at that moment, Yald suddenly lifted his head and looked at Ann. Hearing his call, everyone else also turned their attention to Ann. ¡°Please punish this evil woman immediately!!¡± ¡°Eh? But¡­this¡­ ¡± Facing Yald¡¯s demand, Ann was at a loss. She came here, at most, to represent the royal family, to congratte on their engagement. Yet, the engagement party turned out like this, which left Ann unsure of how to handle things. After all, she is not good at dealing with such interpersonal interactions, otherwise, she would not have just Greiya as her only friend in the academy. Just as Ann was about to fumble, Duanmu Huai patted her head. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± ¡°Knight¡­is it possible?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Ann¡¯s eyes instantly brightened, and Duanmu Huai chuckled. ¡°Of course, you are my future wife after all. I can¡¯t just watch you being bullied.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Ann shyly broke into a smile, then she nodded, lifted her skirt and retreated. Duanmu Huai stepped forward, stared at the crowd. With his appearance, the whispering voices around gradually faded. After all, everyone knew about Duanmu Huai¡¯s fame as the Dragon yer, not to mention he is the future husband of Ann and Greiya, though not yet conferred with a title, everyone knew he was set to be the next King of Manaria, they dared not act recklessly in front of him. Duanmu Huai looked around at the people in front of him, including Audrey, who looked pale, and a few indignant nobles, sobbingdies, and the girl named Ang held in Yald¡¯s arms. Then, he subtly curved the corner of his mouth, revealing a cold smirk. Humph, you dare to pull a fast one in front of the judge? With that thought, Duanmu Huai spoke up. ¡°I think I have a pretty clear idea of what happened. Since you all have said so much, then¡­bring out your evidence.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯s gesture, everyone was taken aback. Seeing their reaction, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. ¡°What? Weren¡¯t you all full of righteous indignation just now? Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t even produce a shred of evidence and you¡¯re just bbering here!¡± Saying this, Duanmu Huai first turned to the youngdies. Feeling his gaze, the sobbing daughters jumped in fright and hurriedly backed away. ¡°Let¡¯s start with you. You said that you acted under Miss Audrey¡¯s instruction to bully Miss Ang. Then, bring your evidence.¡± ¡°We, we¡­ ¡± Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s scrutiny, the aristocraticdies turned pale. ¡°We don¡¯t have any evidence¡­ ¡± ¡°No? No written note or anything? Then what ghostly stuff are you fabricating here?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to leave any evidence, sir!!¡± N?v(el)B\\jnn At this moment, a young girl couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and turned to Duanmu Huai, crying out. ¡°It¡¯s because Miss Audrey hinted at us, so we had to do this. If we didn¡¯t, we would be the target of Miss Audrey¡¯s bullying¡­!!¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded his head. ¡°Well, call a witness then. Since you said that if you didn¡¯t bully Ang, you would be bullied by Miss Audrey, there must be such a victim, right? Where is she?¡± ¡°This¡­ ¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s demand, the aristocraticdies fell silent again, and Duanmu Huai once again squinted, staring at them. ¡°So, there is no such victim either? So, you¡¯re just making things up?¡± ¡°Sir, you¨C!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡± Duanmu Huai cast a cold nce at Yald. ¡°They can¡¯t provide any evidence, nor is there any witness to prove their statements. Isn¡¯t this just pure nonsense? By this logic, I could punch you now and then tell you it was His Majesty the King who wanted to beat you, I just acted on his behalf. You can¡¯t me me, but me His Majesty instead, how does that sound?¡± Chapter 186 - 150 Divorce Trend?_3 Chapter 186: Chapter 150 Divorce Trend?_3 ¡°Oooh¡­¡­¡± Yald turned pale in the face of Duanmu Huai¡¯s remarks, while Ann chuckled softly. ¡°Sir!¡± At this moment, another young nobleman stood up, staring at him. ¡°We guarantee our honor¡­¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, how much is your honor worth.¡± ¡°What¡­ what did you say?!!¡± The young man turned pale when he heard Duanmu Huai¡¯s blunt response. ¡°You dare to insult our family¡­¡­¡± ¡°So what?¡± Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, then extended his hand, pointing at the crowd. ¡°Look at the state you are in now, this can¡¯t be a spur of the moment decision, can it? In other words, you¡¯ve been nning from the very beginning to cause trouble at this dinner party and embarrass Miss Audrey, haven¡¯t you? This is your own business, and quite frankly, I couldn¡¯t be bothered to interfere, but what do you take us, the guests at the party, for? Fools? We¡¯re here for an engagement party, not to watch you perform monkey tricks, and you manipted us with such scheming. Do you expect me to respect your rascality?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± The guests¡¯ gazes at the young nobles changed when they heard Duanmu Huai¡¯s words. Indeed, as Duanmu Huai said, they had not been informed of this situation when they arrived. They were simply here to offer their blessings to the newly weds. How dare you scheme against us? Did they really take us for fools? Sensing the change in the mood around him, Yald turned pale. ¡°Sir¡­¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Duanmu Huai swung his hand abruptly, interrupting him. ¡°Since you demand an exnation from Ann and me, I will give it to you¡­¡­¡± He strutted over to Yald, then reached out and grabbed Ang, pulling her over. He then examined Ang carefully, who was trembling, her face pale, and looking like she wanted to cry but couldn¡¯t. She looked like the female protagonist in melodramatic TV shows that often elicit a protective instinct in men. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The kind that falls in love, gets pregnant, has a miscarriage, discovers her best friend is sleeping with her husband, and then gets kicked out and divorced. But Duanmu Huai obviously wouldn¡¯t indulge her. As a Judge, he had seen too many scenes like this. So at this moment, as Duanmu Huai gazed at the girl, he cracked a cold smile and gestured with his hand. ¡°Guards! Take this woman to the dungeon!¡± ¡°What?!!¡± Everyone was shocked at Duanmu Huai¡¯s decision. They couldn¡¯t believe that Duanmu Huai could be so ruthless as to lock up this poor girl in the dungeon?! ¡°How could you do this! Ang is clearly the victim!!¡± At this time, Yald also clenched his fists and came forward, but Duanmu Huai waved his big hand and knocked him to the ground. ¡°All those things you said were told by this woman, weren¡¯t they? With no evidence, they were all slurs on others. I think it¡¯s not bad to put such a woman in jail for a night to calm down for a bit. As for you all¡­¡­¡± At this, Duanmu Huai once again cast a cold gaze at those young noble masters and daughters who had the courage to expose and testify just now. ¡°Now, all of you follow me to the Royal Pce! We need to clear this up in front of the King!¡± No one dared to disobey Duanmu Huai¡¯s order. After all, everyone knew how ruthless this dragon-yer hero was. Moreover, just standing there made people tremble with fear. Moreover, some of the noble sons got into the carriage huffily, obviously nning to go to the king toin. Of course, Duanmu Huai also ordered someone to inform these idiots¡¯ parents¡ª¡ª¡ªif the child is not taught, it¡¯s the father¡¯s fault. Come out together and take your punishment!! ¡°Is this a good idea?¡± Although Ann was quite happy, she was still a little uneasy. After all, if it reached the King, it would be no small matter. ¡°Of course, these bastards wanted to use you, they need to pay the price.¡± Though Duanmu Huai was a bit curious about this, strictly speaking, it had nothing to do with him, so at first, he was just an onlooker. However, once that jerk named Yald asked Ann to make a ruling by name, things changed. After all, their thering had already aroused sympathy for Ang among the guests. If Ann didn¡¯t sanction Audrey, it would obviously be inappropriate. In fact, only Ann, as the First Princess of Manaria, had the authority to sanction Audrey. Because Yald knew this, he asked Ann for a ruling. By doing so, he put Ann in a no-win situation. If she didn¡¯t do as Yald said, she would inevitably be seen as a heartless, unsympathetic princess. And if she did as Yald said¡­¡­. well, she¡¯d be damn fool, who was the princess, her or him? You dare to order her around? In ancient times, if you didn¡¯t execute him and his entire family, it would be strange! ¡°Hehe¡­¡­¡± As sharp as Ann was, she certainly understood why Duanmu Huai stood up in her defense. At this point, she wasughing and hugging Duanmu Huai¡¯s arm, without speaking. However, at this moment, Hanna broke the silence with her worried inquiry. ¡°But there¡¯s no need to put Miss Ang in jail, is there? Although I admit that among girls, for various reasons, there will be some¡­¡­but it¡¯s not to the extent¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, I see things exactly the other way around.¡± Facing Hanna¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai shook his head, then turned to look at Ogis beside him. ¡°Ogis, I want you to go to the Cathedral Church, find Lorena, and ask her to bring some powerful exorcists.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Ogis nodded and left immediately. Seeing this, the other three youngdies turned their gazes to Duanmu Huai, then Greiya asked doubtfully. ¡°Sir Knight, what are you¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°I suspect that this woman named Ang is not human.¡± ¡°What?¡± The girls were shocked to hear what Duanmu Huai said. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I have a feeling, but I don¡¯t have evidence yet.¡± Duanmu Huai made this im because, very simply, when he first looked at Ang, her name appeared as a very normal {Ang (LV13)}. However, as Duanmu Huai approached her, he noticed that the tag above Ang¡¯s head suddenly changed into a fuzzy word. It recovered immediately, but this immediately aroused Duanmu Huai¡¯s suspicion. He was certain that Ang was likely some kind of disguise, and the change in her tag was due to the influence of his Fearful Aura. After all, the Fearful Aura would cause a shudder even if it were ignored, though for only a short period of time, it was irresistible. More importantly, Ang recovered quickly in the face of Duanmu Huai¡¯s Fearful Aura! That¡¯s to say, she had ignored his Fearful Aura! Even now if Ang imed she were human, Duanmu Huai would not believe her. He was certain that there was a problem with this woman¡¯s identity! Chapter 187 - 151 Interrogation_1 Chapter 187: Chapter 151 Interrogation_1 In the Throne Room, Duanmu Huai stood to one side, his arms crossed, fanning his interest in the live drama before him. Upon hearing of what transpired at the banquet from Ann, His Majesty the King was undoubtedly furious. He immediately convened the meeting, summoning all parties involved for questioning. Even in the presence of the King, those noble progeny fervently imed that this whole mess was Miss Audrey¡¯s fault. They rambled on how she despised Ang and secretly conspired to harm her¡­ Of course, just like Duanmu Huai on the front stage, they couldn¡¯t muster any proof to back their statements. At this moment, the fathers of these noble young folk were fuming in aggravation. They knew what was happening wasn¡¯t just a minor tiff among children. Their wards had decided to dissolve a marriage in a public gathering and even ndered an Earl¡¯s daughter without any evidence. How do you suppose the King perceives this? Was he to suspect that this lewd bunch was in cahoots for rebellion? Count Hasha, of course, was tear-soaked and pleading His Majesty the King for justice. Regardless of the truth, since the other party dered their dissolution in front of everyone, the marriage arrangements between both families were irrevocably void. Thus, Miss Audrey presumably can no longer wed¡­ Although His Majesty the King was raging, heposed himself and conducted an investigation and inquiry into the entire matter. Ultimately, the issue boiled down to the validity of Miss Audrey¡¯s alleged bullying of Miss Ang. The nobilities stated that they¡¯d seen and heard it first-hand and fervently denounced Miss Audrey for tormenting Ang. They couldn¡¯t produce any evidence but insisted that they weren¡¯t lying. Miss Audrey, however, testified that she had indeed spoken to Ang. After all, Ang was quite close to Audrey¡¯s fianc¨¦. Audrey reasoned her stern talks with Ang as merely asking her to respect herself a bit. But she staunchly denied any instances of her bullying Ang. N?v(el)B\\jnn Next was the testimony from Hanna, President of the Manaria Academy Student Council. She authenticated that Miss Audrey and Miss Ang indeed argued at the academy, yet they were insignificant quarrels. The student council had even mediated a few times. About Ang¡¯s ims of bullying and even attempted murder¡­ they¡¯d never heard of such. This spawned a peculiar deadlock in the matter. What could be concluded for sure was that Miss Audrey and Miss Ang indeed had some disagreements. However, on the usation of bullying, the views of both parties were pr opposites. Miss Audrey strongly refuted that she ever bullied Ang, while Student Council President Hanna asserted that they received no reports of bullying. The nobilities imed that Ang was always bullied in a secluded ce where no one else was present, hence no one knew about it. However, it was extraordinary how they always ¡°coincidentally¡± witnessed Ang being bullied¡­ My, how peculiar. Howe out of all the students in Manaria Academy, only you folks keep running into these situations? As for why they didn¡¯t report it to the student council, they exined that Ang was weeping and pleaded with them not to make a big fuss about it. Plus, she mentioned that she didn¡¯t want to sour the student-to-student rtionship, saying it was not appropriate. She only had to endure a little hurt, after all, it was nothing to make a fuss about. Indeed, this reminded Duanmu Huai of the female protagonists in an eight o¡¯clock soap opera. They suffered but would not resist, only cried, feeling sorry for their miserable fate¡­ and then they ran into true love¡­ Talking about true love, Young Master Yald was quite something. Even in the Throne Room, he proimed loud and clear that his love for Ang was pure, insisting he would not love anyone other than Ang in his lifetime¡­ It riled up his father so much that he even pped him multiple times out of sheer irritation, his imbecilic face all swollen. Speechless before this outrageousedy unfolding in front of them, Ang and Greiya were lost for words. In this world, so-called marriage arrangements are notpulsory, it¡¯s more like a letter of intent for cooperation. Like the marriage arrangements between Ang, Greiya, and Duanmu Huai, they were regarded as friendly gestures between families offering them an opportunity tomunicate and understand each other better. If both parties got along well, then came the engagement ceremony, followed by marriage. But if both parties didn¡¯t see eye-to-eye, they could request a cancetion of the arrangement. To put it simply, it was like breaking up after failing to agree on certain issues¡­ this kind of situation was not unheard of. However, breaking off an engagement in a public event like this was a tant humiliation. It wasn¡¯t something you¡¯d pull off without a serious grudge. Duanmu Huai merely observed this farce from the sideline, which seemed like a live adaptation of an eight o¡¯clock soap opera. What utter foolishness. Upon hearing Young Master Yald prattle on about true love, Duanmu Huai sneered. The so-called true love was absolute nonsense. Without you being the son of a duke and looking decent, who would fancy you? Just like those romance novels the girls adore reading wherein the handsome protagonist, surrounded by beauties, falls for an unremarkable ugly duckling. Wake up. Those are mere fictions. It¡¯s wishful thinking for a 300-pound fat woman to expect a handsome man will fall for her. Simrly, a nerd who stays cooped up at home all day need not fantasize about a fairy descending from heaven to grace his life. Chapter 188 - 151: Interrogation_2 Chapter 188: Chapter 151: Interrogation_2 After hearing many tales, one tends to believe they hold truth. An impoverished man fantasizes about being loved by a wealthydy for his warm,mon demeanor. A shameless woman fantasizes about being loved by Prince Charming due to her distinctive charm. This proves that, deep down, men and women are not that different when you look past the surface. ¡°What¡¯s your take on this?¡± The king, disturbed by the current situation, looks helplessly at Duanmu Huai standing next to him. Duanmu Huai thinks for a moment without speaking. Just then, a guard steps forward. ¡°Your Majesty, Miss Lorena from the Cathedral Church and others have arrived.¡± ¡°Let them in.¡± Soon, Duanmu Huai sees Lorena walking into the hall led by Ogis, and with heres a person that Duanmu Huai could have never anticipated. A young girl with light brown hair and a pair of white wings ¨C if Duanmu Huai remembers correctly, she is the angel who once eliminated the demon in the Holy City who tried to summon the Lord of the Ice Hell. He had a brief conversation with her back then. ¡°This is Saharir, one of the seven Clear Sky Angels.¡± Lorena introduces her reverently to Duanmu Huai and others. ¡°I received an invitation from Miss Ogis while at the church and invited her toe along.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Upon hearing Lorena¡¯s introduction, Duanmu Huai sighs with relief. After breaking the cycle of reincarnation in the Holy City, the Heaven World reconnected with the Holy City, so it¡¯s not unusual for angels toe here from Heaven. Besides, angels and demons are mortal enemies. If there¡¯s something wrong with that woman, this angel should be able to notice it. After signaling Lorena and Saharir to stand aside, Duanmu Huai looks at the hall again. People are still arguing vehemently, and at that moment, Duanmu Huai realizes something unusual. ¡°Something doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± ¡°Hm? Is there a problem, Sir Knight?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s murmur, Ann asks curiously. Duanmu Huai nods and steps forward. ¡°May I ask a few questions?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai speak, everyone stops abruptly, even the king is looking at him. ¡°You have something to say?¡± ¡°Indeed, I think there¡¯s something off about these people¡¯s usations.¡± As he speaks, Duanmu Huai looks at the young nobles. Sensing his gaze, the nobles shiver and quickly gather their courage, ring back at Duanmu Huai ¨C after all, he is the one who had Miss Ang jailed; he¡¯s obviously their enemy in their eyes. ¡°Based on your statements, the gist is that Miss Audrey has been oppressing and bullying Ang because she cannot stand her, and that¡¯s because she¡¯s just amoner¡­ At this point, Duanmu Huai frowns. ¡°But how did you conclude this was the reason? Normally, one would suspect that she was jealous her betrothed was getting too close to another girl. Has Miss Audrey ever explicitly stated something like, ¡®Amoner like you is not worthy to associate with us¡¯?¡± ¡°I¡­I have never said anything like that!¡± Denying vehemently, Audrey shakes her head and her testimony is substantiated by Hanna, standing beside her. ¡°Right, Miss Audrey has never shown any disrespect towards themoner students.¡± ¡°That¡¯s peculiar.¡± Duanmu Huai stroked his chin, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the crowd. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why are you all so intent on insisting that Audrey despised Ang because she was amoner? Are you all somehow privy to Miss Audrey¡¯s inner thoughts?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, the noble offspring seemed perplexed. However, someone soon stepped forward. ¡°Miss Ang herself told us that she is aware of her humble origins, that she shouldn¡¯t have been so close to Yald¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re implying if she were of higher social standing, she would be entitled to steal another¡¯s betrothed, right?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± N?v(el)B\\jnn Indeed, something was off about that woman. Duanmu Huai scoffed. To be honest, as an observer, he always had a feeling that something was off. It felt particrly strange when these noble offspring were indignantly iming that Audrey looked down on Ang due to her being amoner. The reason was simple. There were manymoners in the Manaria Magic Academy, even more than nobles. There might be cases of nobles looking down onmoners, but wasn¡¯t it missing the point to focus on this single aspect? Wouldn¡¯t it be more fitting to say that Miss Audrey was a jealous person and couldn¡¯t bear to see others close to her betrothed? It¡¯s like two people arguing, but you¡¯re insisting the root cause lies within the system ¡ª it gives one pause and makes them question the true motives at y. Upon reflecting, Audrey¡¯s public humiliation by Yald was definitely a widespread rumor. The students of the Magic Academy would surely know about it. And if they found out the cause was Audrey despising Ang for being amoner, what would they think? Upon reaching this thought, Duanmu Huai made up his mind. He then turned and looked at the king. ¡°It seems we need to bring Miss Ang here for a proper discussion.¡± Soon after, Miss Ang was brought into the grand hall by the guards. Perhaps due to her captivity, she appeared pale and weak, looking as though she might copse at a simple gust of wind. Seeing Ang, the noble offspring began to stir once more ¡ª though they were quickly silenced by their own family. ¡°Are you Ang Celt?¡± Hearing the king¡¯s question, the girl before him raised her head to look at him. She was indeed cute and petite, her frail body and captivating eyes making her appear like a girl who one would want to hold close and protect. It¡¯s no wonder the noble offspring saw her as the wronged party. ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point when questioning you.¡± Even the king¡¯s gaze on Ang had softened somewhat. ¡°Did you have an intimate rtionship with the Duke¡¯s son, Yald? Have you ever been in a romantic rtionship with him?¡± ¡°Nothing of the sort, Your Majesty.¡± Ang¡¯s eyes appeared sorrowful as she lowered her head, but her voice flowed from her thin, cherry-like lips. ¡°Sir Yald has taken good care of me in the academy, but I am aware of my status and have never dared to overstep my bounds. Although I do harbor some feelings for Sir Yald, I have never thought about breaking up his marriage.¡± The girl¡¯s voice echoed in the hall like a clear spring, the luscious sound seemingly filling everyone¡¯s brains directly. At that moment, all eyes were attracted to her. Even the nobles who had initially had a bad impression of Ang started to soften their stance. Something¡¯s not right! Only Duanmu Huai shivered, immediately identifying the issue. Just one sentence had immediately changed the atmosphere of the entire hall, making everything turn to her favor. This was not something a normal person could achieve! As expected, there was something wrong with this woman! Almost simultaneously, Duanmu Huai saw Saharir staring at Ang. Her eyes were devoid of any sadness or happiness, with no sign of wavering. In the next moment, the angelic girl raised her hand. With her movement, an Angelic Arrow shot forth, aimed directly at Ang!! Chapter 189 - 152 Exposed_1 Chapter 189: Chapter 152 Exposed_1 Saharir¡¯s attack was so fast and fierce that almost everyone failed to react. But when faced with Saharir¡¯s attack, Ang, who had just been ying the pitiful party, suddenly twitched the corner of her eye. She raised her hands and instantly, her clothing turned into dozens of poisonous snakes, trying to block Saharir¡¯s attack. However, this Clear Sky Angel seemed to have foreseen this. She trembled her fingers ever so slightly and the next moment, the light arrow burst open like fireworks, directly piercing the barrier formed by the venomous snakes. At the same time, Ang leaped backwards, and a pair of bat-like wings appeared behind her as she turned to fly towards the skylight. But at that moment, a huge shadow descended from the sky into Ang¡¯s field of vision. Duanmu Huai had been paying attention to Ang and Saharir¡¯s every move. In fact, the moment Saharir had raised her arm, he was ready. Therefore, when Ang nned to escape, Duanmu Huai instantly leaped, using the power of the jetpack to rush above Ang. As Ang was trying to escape, he grabbed her head and mmed her onto the ground. ¡°Boom!!!¡± With this ruthless strike from Duanmu Huai, the entire Royal Pce Hall seemed to tremble. Only then did everyone react to what had just happened. Shrieks of surprise echoed throughout, nobles retreated in droves, while fully armed guards rushed forward to shield the king, looking with terror at the scene before them. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai rose to his feet and raised his right hand. ¡°It seems the fox has finally shown its tail.¡± The Ang in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hands was no longer the pitiful little girl she had appeared to be. On the contrary, she had a curvaceous and wonderful body, a mature and charming face that remained unmarred despite being mmed to the ground by Duanmu Huai, and a pair of bat-like wings and a long pointed tail. Um¡­Duanmu Huai was sure he had seen something simr somewhere¡­ isn¡¯t this the nun from the Lord of the Ice Hell? ¡°What is this?!¡± Looking at thepletely transformed Ang before him, the King was taken aback, while Lorena¡¯s eyes went wide with surprise. ¡°It¡¯s a subus?¡± Seeing the strange demon beast before them, the crowd retreated in fear, looking anxiously at Ang in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand. Yet, Duanmu Huai grabbed Ang by the neck and held her in front of him. ¡°Speak, what is your purpose ining here?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡± Though her true form was exposed, the subus was still tearful. ¡°I am indeed not a human, but I didn¡¯t do any harm¡­ I just wanted to study magic in Manaria¡­ I haven¡¯t done anything wrong¡­¡± As she cried, others started to look at her differently. Indeed, Ang wasn¡¯t human, but she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong¡­ ¡°Aahhhh!!!¡± However, before the subus could finish pleading, Duanmu Huai grabbed her wings with one hand and broke them off with a ferocious twist. He let out a cold snort, and a bone-chilling aura of fear instantly filled the entire hall, dissolving the subus¡¯s earlier pitiful atmosphere. ¡°If you choose to use your despicable powers again to stir up trouble, I won¡¯t hesitate to snap your head off. So, you better answer my question obediently, and I assure you I can make your death less painful¡ªwhat is your purpose ining to Manaria?¡± This time, under Duanmu Huai¡¯s pressure, the subus finally went pale and lost her cockiness. ¡°It, it was someone else who told me to do it¡­!!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Fafner!!¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing this name, everyone in the room was taken aback, while Duanmu Huai gripped harder with his hand. ¡°Fafner is dead; you better find someone else to take the me.¡± ¡°Wait, wait!! I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± Feeling Duanmu Huai¡¯s action, the subus instantly turned pale. ¡°I know that the evil dragon is dead, but it has been resurrected!!¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± This time the king stood up and roared loudly. ¡°To prevent Fafner from being resurrected, we even incinerated Fafner¡¯s corpse! There¡¯s no way it could be resurrected!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done, but Fafner indeed became an undying beast.¡± The subus didn¡¯t bother to hide anything anymore. ¡°As for the specifics, I¡¯m not clear. I¡¯m just the one summoned by Fafner to carry out the task.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your task?¡± ¡°Stir internal unrest in the Kingdom of Manaria, weakening its strength as much as possible¡­ Just making use of the conflict between themoners and the nobles as a cover could make their rtionship tense. If it could incite a rebellion or even a civil war within Manaria, it would be even better¡­¡± ¡°So, you chose to bewitch those idiots?¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the nobles hiding behind their families, all of whom were pale, while the subus nodded proudly. ¡°Of course, those foolish and naive idiots, as long as I disguise myself as their ideal form and whisper words of affection to them, these little creatures be utterly fixated on me. I even let them experience joys that they¡¯d never experienced before¡­¡± Hearing the subus spew such vulgarnguage, both Ann and Greiya¡¯s faces reddened, while the Duke red furiously at his son. ¡°You fool, have you been seduced by a demon?¡± ¡°Father, please hear me out!!¡± However, even at this moment, Yald remained foolishly smitten. ¡°I¡¯ve known about Ang¡¯s identity all along, but she¡¯s not a bad person at all, she¡¯s just¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve known all along? You disobedient son!!!¡± Yald¡¯s words, far from helping his case, turned his father bright purple with rage. The Duke threw a punch, knocking Yald unconscious.N?v(el)B\\jnn Witnessing this scene, the surrounding nobles wore strange expressions ¨C even showing a touch of sympathy for the Duke in their eyes. Had your years of education only produced such a creature? They quickly reminded themselves that their own sons were not much better, which just added to their frustration. In the face of Duanmu Huai¡¯s Fearful Aura, the subus ran out of tricks. She confessed obediently ¨C just as she imed to be a mere errand girl, summoned from a temple, tasked with inciting a rebellion in the Kingdom of Manaria. As for the resurrection of the Evil Dragon, she heard it from others ¨C ndestine followers of Fafner, the Evil Dragon. Who would have thought that such followers existed? Well, the world is indeed full of wonders. Once Duanmu Huai confirmed their location, he promptly broke the subus¡¯s neck and cast her aside ¨C the next moment, the subus¡¯s body waspletely obliterated under Saharir¡¯s angelic light arrows. Everyone anticipated a standard disengagement case, but to their surprise, it became a hive ofplications. The King was stern and livid. He ordered everyone to remain silent about the incident, and hemanded the nobles to take their sons home for strict discipline. Seeing the infuriated nobles, it was clear that a harsh punishment awaited those idiotic young noblemen. ¡°I must thank you. Without you, who knows how this would have concluded.¡± Once the noble courtiers had left, the King finally exhaled and turned to Duanmu Huai to express his gratitude. The alluring subus would have undoubtedly caused trouble for Manaria if Duanmu Huai had not discovered and exposed her. Those who sided with her included the children of ministers from both military and political circles of Manaria; Count Hasha, though only an Earl, led arge portion of the nobility active in politics and finance. If this matter was not handled properly, it would likely cause a political rift, even conflict, within Manaria. Add to that the societal conflicts induced by the subus between the civilians and nobles, there may even be a real chance of a civil uprising. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, mostly just professional habit. Plus, her ruse was pretty feeble.¡± Duanmu Huai casually brushed off his hands. Half the reason he even detected the anomaly was the intuition groomed over his judging career. The followers of the three Evil Gods, excluding the Brutal God, tended to love weaving all sorts of conspiracies and plots, especially the followers of the God of Lust and God of Trickery. So, Duanmu Huai had long learned to spot every dubious detail and respond ordingly. ¡°But¡­ is it really possible for the Evil Dragon to resurrect? We burned Fafner¡¯s corpse and destroyed all evidence of him.¡± This time, it was Lorena who replied to the King¡¯s question. ¡°As long as the soul exists, coupled with a skilled necromancer, resurrection isn¡¯t impossible¡­ However¡­ ¡± ¡°Regardless, we¡¯ll know once we investigate.¡± Duanmu Huai quickly made his decision. ¡°That¡¯s true, but sir knight, aren¡¯t you afraid that the subus is simply tricking us?¡± Ann asked. From her perspective, the subus had been extraordinarilypliant, making it impossible for her to understand why the subus would betray her co-conspirators so readily. ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about that, Miss Ann.¡± Lorena shook her head. ¡°Demons don¡¯t adhere to any concepts of loyalty. In fact, she would actually hope that we eliminate those cultists.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯ve pledged allegiance to evil and signed contracts with demons. Once they die, their souls will fall into Hell and be the possessions of the demons. Thus, to that subus, the lives of those cultists are irrelevant.¡± Hearing this, the King furrowed his brow. ¡°So, what about the nobles she deceived?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain, but demons are indeed skilled at inducing others to sell their souls unknowingly¡­ based on the reactions of those young noblemen towards the subus¡­¡± Even if Lorena did not finish her sentence, her meaning was already quite clear. ¡°AGH¡­ ¡± The King sighed deeply. Evidently, this was another troubling matter. However, Duanmu Huai was contemting another issue. Who would be trying to resurrect the Evil Dragon, and why? Chapter 190 - 153 Expansion (The Complaining is Back Again)_1 Chapter 190: Chapter 153 Expansion (The Comining is Back Again)_1 The tumult of the banquet thus concluded. But it didn¡¯t end there. The King had ordered that everyone present at the time must not disclose this. As for the scandal of the broken engagement at the banquet, it was dered to the public that the Duke¡¯s eldest son was infatuated with another woman and unrepentant, and Ang was painted as the kind of green tea bitch who would do anything to ascend to power (which was more or less true). Of course, it was announced to the public that both of them had been detained. Indeed, the Duke¡¯s son was detained. If it wasn¡¯t his own son, the Duke would have wanted to behead this idiot himself. It was heard that after this, the stubborn fool was still unrepentant, insisting that he and Ang were truly in love, and stating that everything Ang, a subus, had done could be forgiven¡­ Honestly, if it were Duanmu Huai, he would have directly beheaded this idiot himself. Keeping him was just a disaster. Not only that, after this, the issue of how to deal with demons was also brought up to the agenda. Why hadn¡¯t Ang been discovered before? The reason was that she had infiltrated the Magic Academy, where magic power was greatly inted and a little demonic qi could easily be concealed. Even if someone felt something was wrong, they would only think it was the aura revealed by the magic books in the library, and would not think of it as a demon beast. But now this problem must be addressed; as to how, it seemed His Majesty the King nned to consult with the Holy City before making a decision. Of course, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care about political affairs; he was only responsible for dealing with aliens, heretics, and demons. So he quickly made a decision. That was to travel to the westernnd mentioned by the subus and find out exactly what happened. As for whether Fafner hadpletely resurrected, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t concerned about this. With Fafner¡¯s strength, if it truly resurrected, it would havee raging at them long ago; there would be no need to use this method to weaken the enemy. Moreover, ording to the records of the magic academy, Ang was a freshman who enrolled this year. Even if her n went smoothly, it would take at least two or three years to cause the Kingdom of Manaria to copse as she imed. So Duanmu Huai was sure that even if Fafner had resurrected now, it was probably just for show,pletelycking the strength to deal with the Kingdom of Manaria; otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have used this method to weaken Manaria¡¯s power in advance. Therefore, Duanmu Huai intended to head west to see what was going on there. And those who would apany him were still Ogis, Ann, Greiya, and Lorena ¡ª and Saharir. Yes, this Lord Angel wanted to join the journey too. Clearly, as an angel, she couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that the demon was rampantly domineering on the ground. But for Duanmu Huai, it was¡­ ¡°Finally, some growth in this world¡­¡± Yes, while this was a nuisance for the Kingdom of Manaria, for Duanmu Huai, this was proof that this world fragment was growing. Of course, ording to the game setting, when a world fragment breaks out of the cycle and starts to grow, it will attract other world fragments to gravitate towards it, like a ma. Just like when Duanmu Huai solved the demon summoning event in the Holy City, Heaven and Angels materialized in this world. Now Manaria was in the same situation. Since Manaria, Regnes, and the Holy City had all been joined together by Duanmu Huai, their ¡°maism¡± was bing stronger and naturally attracted other world fragments toe here for ¡°convergence¡±. In the game, it was like a DLC hade out, expanding into new events and maps. As long as this continued, this world fragment could sessfully expand into a, or even continue into a gxy, a universe¡­ This mode was widely popr among lone wolf yers who preferred single-yer games. In fact, many people in the virtual world do not wish to interact with strangers. Moreover, the more yers there are, the lower the overall quality, and there are often disputes and quarrels in random instances. Therefore, some yers detested group dungeons and preferred to immerse themselves in world fragment questing instead. Duanmu Huai remembered that in the game, the strongest yer had a world fragment area equivalent to about one-fifth of the Milky Way. That yer almost never appeared in any yer gathering areas, and could be considered the epitome of a social anxiety yer¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this to happen.¡± When he returned to his residence, Ann huffily found Duanmu Huai and began to grumble andin. ¡°Those fools! That they could do such a thing is simply uneptable!¡± ¡°Speaking of which, what will be of Miss Audrey?¡± Greiya also opened her mouth with confusion. Hearing Greiya¡¯s question, Ann extended a distressed hand to hold her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But after this, I¡¯m afraid it will be even more difficult for Miss Audrey to get married. Although she¡¯s not to me, but¡­¡± As she said this, Ann sighed helplessly and sat down on the chair. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t want to say this, perhaps Miss Audrey also carries some me herself.¡± ¡°What? Is it not said that it takes two to make a quarrel?¡± Duanmu Huai took a sip of tea, curiously looking at Ann, who helplessly shook her head. ¡°Political marriages are like this. How should I put it, Audrey might make a good wife, but not a good partner¡­ In fact, in the academy, even when Ang¡¯s not around, I never saw Audrey and Yald being close¡­¡± That¡¯s just how political marriages are. Ann helplessly spread her hands, and Duanmu Huai seemed to understand her meaning.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om In simple terms, while Audrey epts her fate of marrying the duke, for her, the marriage felt like a job. As such, she and Yald didn¡¯t have much in the way of personal feelings for each other. ording to Ann, Audrey was indeed trying hard to y the part of future duchess, but that was it. At least from Ann¡¯s perspective, there was no particr intimacy between the two. In such a situation, it¡¯s not entirely unreasonable for Yald to be duped by Ang¡¯s sweet words, and unconditionally follow her. After all, men can be emotional creatures too. Being expected to marry a woman who doesn¡¯t love him and whom he doesn¡¯t love, is likely something not everyone would be willing to do. In fact, ording to the information Annter gathered from the duke, Yald also had his own ¡°life n¡±. He believed that his happiness should be in his own hands, and in Yald¡¯s view, this kind of union between nobles that disregards emotions and only talks about interests is outdated. Hence, he wanted to change this system. That¡¯s why he hid it from his father and publicly tore up the engagement at the banquet. In Yald¡¯s view, he was dering war on the outdated customs of the old world¡­ He had even thought of leading themoners to overthrow the current system and create a brand-new world where everyone was equal and free¡­ Well, it must be said that this idea was beautifully noble. Unfortunately, reality didn¡¯t seem to share his dream. Anyway, given what has happened, Audrey¡¯s marriage ispletely ruined, and even if she¡¯s not at fault, this still leaves a stain on her. That¡¯s like the superstition about ¡°Kiev¡±; few nobles would dare to propose to Miss Audrey again. Furthermore, Miss Audrey, as the daughter of an earl, must find someone of simr status. And rather unfortunately, those of simr status to hers, who are potential suitors, are mostly the same group of fools who previously used Audrey at the banquet. So¡­ it doesn¡¯t look very promising for this noble miss. ¡°It¡¯s bad luck that they expect you to worry about this.¡± Looking at Ann who was sprawled across the table, Duanmu Huai shook his head helplessly as thetter threw herself onto him. ¡°What can I do, I¡¯m a princess. If I don¡¯t handle it, who will? Ah¡­ wait a moment!¡± However, at that moment, Ann looked at Duanmu Huai as though she had just thought of something, lighting up her face. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m warning you not put any ideas on me.¡± ¡°Eh? Why not? The knight¡¯s status is high enough, and even if he can¡¯t be the main wife, he could be a concubine. I don¡¯t mind!¡± ¡°But I do mind!¡± Duanmu Huai reached out his hand and lightly flicked Ann¡¯s forehead. ¡°I agreed to your marriage proposal because I somewhat liked both of you. But sorry, I won¡¯t randomly get together with a woman I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s a limit to using me as a tool. Solve your own problems and don¡¯t always ask me to solve these troubles for you.¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t like to get involved in these women¡¯s disputes. What he despised most were those idiotic 8:00 pm melodramas. Duanmu Huai had watched these with his mother before, and while she enjoyed them, they only made him feel irritated. Both men and women in those dramas were idiots, making irrational decisions like drug addicts, constantlyining about love¡­ Duanmu Huai even suspected that half of all cases of high blood pressure in women were caused by watching those dramas. Duanmu Huai had never had a girlfriend¡ªone reason being his fierce appearance which made people reluctant to approach him and another reason being those urban romantic dramas. The thought of potentially getting stuck in such a stupid love life scared him away from any interest in love or marriage. ¡°Er¡­,¡± Ann held her forehead and stuck out her tongue at Duanmu Huai, but she didn¡¯t say anything more. ¡°Your Highness.¡± At that moment, a maid entered and respectfully bowed to everyone. ¡°Count Hasha and his daughter Miss Audrey request an audience.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Hearing the maid¡¯s report, Duanmu Huai and Ann looked at each other. It seems that speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. Chapter 191 - 154: Request (Starting to enjoy Ancient OL today)_1 Chapter 191: Chapter 154: Request (Starting to enjoy Ancient OL today)_1 Count Hasha is in his early forties this year, just a typical man in his early forties. But honestly, looking at his Mediterranean hairstyle and his mncholic face, if it hadn¡¯t been for Ann¡¯s introduction beforehand, Duanmu Huai might have mistaken him for a man in his fifties or sixties¡­ Well, people who deal with numbers do seem to age faster? At least he looks worn out, like someone who works tirelessly and is ready to die from overwork¡­ It¡¯s quite possible his will is already written and he¡¯s just awaiting death by overwork¡­ After all, I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s the Minister or perhaps the Secretary of Finance? Anyway, it¡¯s not that important. ¡°I am grateful to all of you for your help previously, especially the Princess and the Knight¡­ if it hadn¡¯t been for your astute discernment, my daughter might have already¡­.¡± At this point, Count Hasha began to shed old tears. Well¡­ it¡¯s understandable. There are often scenes in urban romantic dramas where the female lead is looked down upon or bullied after a broken engagement. Although Duanmu Huai doesn¡¯t mix in noble circles, he can still imagine it. ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry so much, Count Hasha. We only did what we were supposed to do.¡± Ann quickly replied, suggesting the Count not worry too much. After receiving the princess¡¯s permission, Count Hasha finally stood up, but he continued to hang his head, looking a bit ashamed. He then expressed his gratitude to everyone again, rambled for a moment, then gathered up his courage and made his request. ¡°Well¡­¡­¡­Actually, I have an unconventional request.¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± ¡°Actually¡­ it¡¯s about my daughter, Audrey.¡± As he spoke, Count Hasha nced at his daughter. ¡°I believe all of you already know, no matter what, Audrey is now unable to re-marry¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so certain.¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow. ¡°Even if there wasn¡¯t anyone before, who knows about the future? Maybe she will find a good husband?¡± ¡°In fact, after this incident, my daughter has given up on marriage, so¡­I am taking the liberty of requesting¡­¡± At this point, Count Hasha nced at Duanmu Huai and hesitated a bit. ¡°Please let my daughter be your personal maid!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Huh?¡± Taken aback by this unexpected request, Duanmu Huai froze for a moment. On the other hand, Ann jumped up in excitement with a loud p. ¡°Right, why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Which side are you on?! Because of Ann¡¯s sudden betrayal, Duanmu Huai could only say he needed to think about it, and then dismissed the father and daughter pair. It wasn¡¯t until they left that he reached out and grabbed Ann by the cheeks. ¡°Ow ow ow¡­¡­you, you, you! What are you doing¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± ¡°Speaking ill with that dog mouth of yours, whose side are you on?¡± After giving Ann¡¯s face a good rub, Duanmu Huai let go of her, ring unhappily. She rubbed her reddened cheeks and pouted. ¡°What does it matter? Having a personal maid is great. Actually, I had forgotten till Count Hasha mentioned it, Mr. Knight you are now a nobleman and should have a personal maid.¡± ¡°Why would I need a maid? Besides, you two don¡¯t have maids, do you?¡± ¡°Who says I don¡¯t? I have one at home! Greiya does too, right?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Hearing her name being brought up unexpectedly, Greiya paused before nodding. ¡°Yes¡­.¡± ¡°Even so, having a youngdy be a maid is rather unorthodox.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, you¡¯re wrong there, Mr. Knight.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s remark, Ann¡¯s chest puffed up in satisfaction. ¡°You might not know this, but in fact, almost all the maids in the royal pce are daughters of nobles.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course! They are supposed to work in the pce after all. How could they hire people of unknown status? Interviewing and investigating each hire would take far too long, so instead, they select staff from trusted nobles to be maids in the pce. So, even though these are youngdies we¡¯re talking about, they aren¡¯tcking inmon day-to-day tasks!¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Initially surprised upon hearing Ann¡¯s exnation, Duanmu Huai reconsidered. After all, the pce is a significant ce; dubious people can¡¯t be allowed to work there. While the job of a maid doesn¡¯t seem very important, they are in charge of the royals¡¯ daily life, so if someone with ill-intentions was let in, it would be dangerous for the royal family. On the other hand, if a noble¡¯s child were to be employed, they would have their family¡¯s reputation backing them. If something goes wrong, their entire family could be implicated, thus they wouldn¡¯t dare to cause trouble within the pce. ¡°In that case, why not send her to be a maid in the royal pce?¡± Duanmu Huai sincerely didn¡¯t want to add more people to his side. ¡°That won¡¯t do, after all, the news has already spread out. If Audrey bes a maid in the pce, she will be bullied by others. Otherwise, Count Hasha wouldn¡¯t have specifically sought you, sir knight. Because not only is your status high, but your strength is also very strong. Moreover, you don¡¯t have any exclusive maidservants, isn¡¯t that just right? Or is it¡­¡± While speaking, Ann curiously looked towards Ogis. ¡°Is Miss Ogis your exclusive maid?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡­ not exactly¡­¡­¡± If you ask whether Ogis is Duanmu Huai¡¯s maid, she definitely isn¡¯t. After all, Ogis won¡¯t cook and make fire for Duanmu Huai, she won¡¯t help him dress, and she won¡¯t bathe him. Strictly speaking, for Duanmu Huai, Ogis is more like his follower andrade in arms. Anyway, she¡¯s not a maid. Strictly speaking, Duanmu Huai does have a maid, but ¡­¡­ her psychological state is rather unusual that after Duanmu Huai took her into his card hand, he doesn¡¯t n to bring her out again for now. Instead of calling her a maid, it¡¯s more appropriate to call her a killer. If possible, Duanmu Huai would rather not use her ever¡­¡­ ¡°So, I think it¡¯s quite convenient to have an exclusive maid. Many things can be entrusted to her.¡± ¡°For example?¡± ¡°For example, if you want to notify someone, ept letters, represent you in dealing with others, and handle financial as well as internal affairs¡­ Sir knight, you don¡¯t actually think maidservants are just for washing and cooking and cleaning, do you?¡± Isn¡¯t that the case? Looking at Ann, Duanmu Huai really wanted to say that¡­ after all, in his impression, there¡¯s not much difference between a maid and a housemaid. But truthfully, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t quite sure what the maids in the pce were supposed to do. Just like when he watched Qing Dynasty dramas, he couldn¡¯t figure out what all those pce maids and nobledies were useful for. Are they for washing and cooking? Or for ughtering chickens and pigs? Or just like the maids in a hotel, simply responsible for cleaning and delivering food and water? It¡¯s fair to say that this is quite a mystery to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Just like before, when you, Sir Knight, wanted to find Miss Lorena, didn¡¯t you have Miss Ogis deliver the message? If you had a personal maid, then you wouldn¡¯t need to dispatch someone from your side for this kind of thing.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡­ that seems a bit reasonable¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai felt somewhat helpless. Just like Ann said, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to summon Lorena directly, but if he wanted help from the Cathedral Church, he had to exin the situation over there. Well¡­ In fact, Ogis didn¡¯t make it clear. ording to Lorena, when Ogis found her, she just said ¡°There¡¯s a demon, the master needs your help¡±¡­ It goes without saying, Ogis is really not a good choice for conveying messages. ¡°Let¡¯s do it like this!¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn At this moment, Ann seemed to havee up with a good idea, and pped her hands excitedly. ¡°We¡¯re going to the West, aren¡¯t we? Let¡¯s take Audrey with us. It¡¯s a great chance for you, Sir Knight, to personally experience thepetence of an exclusive maid! Consider it as an assessment, how about that? If you, Sir Knight, are satisfied, then let her be your exclusive maid. If you aren¡¯t, then she can leave.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going there for fun.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m very clear about Audrey¡¯s strength. Although it¡¯s not as good as mine, she¡¯s also quite outstanding in the Magic Academy.¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai waspletely speechless. Apparently, looking at Ann¡¯s attitude, she couldn¡¯t wait to have Audrey as her exclusive maid. But¡­ is the power of that miss really that strong? Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai reached out his hand, drawing a card in the air. Soon, a card information appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. [ck Swan. Audrey (Gold)] [Cost: 6] [Attack: 6] [Defense: 5] [At the end of your turn, inflict two points of damage to all enemy units] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Is she so badass?! Seeing the card introduction in front of him, Duanmu Huai was startled. While 2 points of damage wasn¡¯t much, but the issue was that it dealt damage to all enemy units! Although Ann and Greiya had greater attack power than Audrey, they were mostly single or range attacks. For overall attack, Duanmu Huai only had that [Divine Relic] card to be used in conjunction with [Sky City]. An ordinary noble miss actually has a downgraded version of an all-attack effect? And that ck Swan¡­¡­ Looking at the card in front of him, Duanmu Huai hesitated for a moment, then made a decision. ¡°Alright.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai looked at Ann. ¡°Let¡¯s do as you said, and let me see what she is capable of.¡± Chapter 192 - 155 Heading West (Desperate because there is machine translation in the office!!)_1 Chapter 192: Chapter 155 Heading West (Desperate because there is machine trantion in the office!!)_1 For Duanmu Huai, a personal maid was not within his scope of attention. After resolving this matter, he turned his gaze to the west. So, what exactly lies there?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Frankly, we don¡¯t really know either.¡± When Duanmu Huai posed this question to Ann, she also shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ve never had any interaction with the west. In fact, we don¡¯t even know if there are any people living there¡­¡­¡± ording to Ann, the western part of the Kingdom of Manaria is a contiguous range of towering mountains, and perhaps because of this, nobody knows what lies beyond these mountains or whether anyone lives there. In a world where civilization is not highly developed, this is quite normal, after all, the range of human activities is limited, and it is incredibly difficult to cross rugged mountains, rivers, or seas to reach other ces without any special mode of transportation. Of course, ording to the information obtained from the subus, there is a civilization on the other side, and even a strong empire that worships various deities. Indeed, the subus was summoned from a sect that worships dragons there. For this reason, for Ann, this is not simply a journey of adventure. As a princess of Manaria, she must find out what it all means. She has to figure out whether it is the cult¡¯s doing or if the country over there has instigated it. After all, such acts of espionage infiltrating other countries to cause divisions can be considered acts of war. Not to mention that the other side is a country they¡¯ve never encountered before, so Manaria must proceed with caution. If this turns into a full-fledged war between two countries, the situation could be tricky. Well¡­ logically speaking, that should be unlikely because ording to the subus, she was able to cross the mountains toe here purely because she could fly, while a massive army cannot ovee the high mountains. Therefore, this journey to the West is not only to find the culprit behind the scenes, but also to see what the country on the other side is like. Given these circumstances, Duanmu Huai and the others had to act together. After all, Ann is the princess of Manaria, Greiya is the princess of Regnes, and Lorena is the Missionary Priest of Holy City, they can be seen as representatives of three nations. Adding Duanmu Huai and Ogis, the five-member team was basicallyplete. Of course¡­¡­ not forgetting Miss Audrey who had been turned into a personal maid. Initially, Duanmu Huai wanted to bring Felin along as well, but this dragonkindy was a real homebody,pletely unwilling to move from the warship. However, she did provide Duanmu Huai and the others with a clue¡ª¡ª¡ª ording to Felin, for several hundred years, the dragons from their side hadpletely cut ties with the dragons from the West, effectively ceasing all contact. As for the specific reason, ording to Felin, a dragon once wanted to rule the world, causing a split with his fellow dragons. The dragonkin eventually divided into separate groups, a part of the dragonkin moved to the Manaria continent and cut off rtions with their old kin, forming what would be the precursor to Regnes. As for what happened to that dragon in the end¡­it was said to have been vanquished by a hero. As for the specifics, even Felin wasn¡¯t sure. But since that instigator hasn¡¯t shown up and unted his power in this world, it is safe to say he has met the same fate as all viins who attempt to rule the world ¡ª he is done for. In fact, the split of the dragonkin happened hundreds of years ago. Even in Regnes, few dragons are aware of the situation. After all, even Greiya hadn¡¯t heard of such a thing. But the same may not be true for Fafner. ording to Felin, Fafner, the ancient dragon, may have been present during the splintering of the dragonkin. It¡¯s possible that he¡¯s gone west to seek help and try again. Generally, without the ability to fly, it¡¯s nearly impossible to cross the mountain range to reach the Western continent. Well, if one can¡¯t fly. ¡°Yahoo¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Sitting on Night Raven ck Star, Ann excitedly raised both hands, as thrilled as if she was riding some thrilling ride at an amusement park. ¡°Indeed, having something that can fly is quite convenient. When I learn how it works, I shall have my father build something simr in Manaria!¡± ¡°Have you learned it already?¡± Duanmu Huai, while piloting the Night Raven ck Star Gunship, curiously nced at Ann, who was sitting in the co-pilot¡¯s seat. She tilted her head, thinking for a moment. ¡°Hmm¡­I think I¡¯ve pretty much understood why this can fly without magic. If that¡¯s the case, I suppose the power system needs improvement. I¡¯ve only just started studying aerodynamics, not sure how far I can get with that. As for the craftsmanship, the current manufacturing craftsmanship in Manaria seems unable to meet the requirements. We need to elevate the overall industrial manufacturing level¡­¡­¡± Look, that¡¯s what a diligent learner looks like. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡­¡± Contrary to the excited Ann, at this moment, Greiya was lying motionless in her chair at the back with a pale face, eyes tightly shut. Yes, she has motion sickness! Chapter 193 - 155 Heading West (Desperate because there is machine translation in the office!!)_2 Chapter 193: Chapter 155 Heading West (Desperate because there is machine trantion in the office!!)_2 Surprisingly, as a Dragonkin, Greiya gets airsick! She was fine on the warship, but while riding on the Night Raven ck Star, Greiya started looking pale and nauseated¡­ Now she was lying still at the back like a lifeless dragon. At that moment, a figure appeared beside Greiya. ¡°Miss Greiya, please have some water.¡± ¡°Ah, um¡­ Thank you¡­¡± Upon seeing the offered cup of water, Greiya collected herself, took a few sips, and then closed her eyes again. Audrey, who was beside her, picked up a damp handkerchief and ced it gently on Greiya¡¯s forehead. As for Lorena and Ogis on the other side, one was praying with closed eyes while the other was absorbed in a book. It seems that having a maid was indeed a right choice.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Duanmu Huai nced at the back and shook his head. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t too familiar with Miss Audrey; they¡¯d just met a few times. But her impression on him wasn¡¯t exactly positive. Although the self-pitied female leads in urban romance dramas could be quite annoying, Audrey gave Duanmu Huai a different vibe. She didn¡¯t constantlyin about her fate or grumble about the world treating her unfairly, nor was she particrly annoying. However, she seemed tock any personal characteristics. In other words, Duanmu felt that she was more like a puppet than Ogis. Although Ogis rarely spoke, whenever Duanmu asked her anything, she gave her own thoughts and answers¡ªthough some of Ogis¡¯ replies could be rather damaging¡ªyet, this at least showed that Ogis had the ability to think for herself. But Audrey was different. When Duanmumunicated with her, her answers were typically, ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°I understand,¡± or ¡°Okay.¡± She felt like a robot just followingmands, emotionless, everything she did appeared to be out of obligation. Even though Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t quite like the standpoint of ¡°you are also at fault,¡± he would nevertheless have to agree that Audrey, who acted like a living puppet, was perhaps less attractivepared to a subus, and it made sense why young master Yald chose thetter. Thetter at least felt like a living person, while the former¡­was more like a living dead. Even though Audrey was beautiful, for Duanmu Huai, it seemed that she had nothing more than just a pretty face. To be honest, for men, this hardly added any charm points. Compared to her, someone beside Duanmu Huai was bing a bit too noisy. ¡°Ah, Mister Knight, we¡¯ve crossed the mountains, right? Is that the western continent below us?¡± ¡°Um, probably.¡± As he answered, Duanmu looked out the window. Before themy a dense primitive forest. Perhaps due to the altitude, the sight was filled with heavy snowfall, and there was snow everywhere on the treetops. In the distance, the outlines of cities could be vaguely seen. Without a doubt, these were the signs of civilization on this continent. ¡°What should we do next? Are we going to fly straight over?¡± ¡°No, no need.¡± Duanmu Huai surveyed the surroundings and focused on a vige nearby. ¡°We¡¯rending here, then we¡¯ll disguise ourselves as adventurers and head to that vige to gather information about this ce. Extra steps will be decided after we know more.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± After making a decision, Duanmu parked the Bristol nearby and everyone got off. The Night Raven ck Star took off again and disappeared into the sky¡ªit would continue cruising until it receives amand from Duanmu. ¡°Ugh¡­is this the Western Continent?¡± Perhaps because her feet were now on solid ground, Greiya¡¯splexion had improved significantly. Duanmu nodded in confirmation. ¡°Yes, ording to the intel, it should be¡­ anyway, let¡¯s head to the vige first and discuss the restter.¡± After this, Duanmu led the girls towards the vige they saw earlier. When they arrived at the vige entrance, they weren¡¯t stopped by the guards. To the guards¡¯ inquiries, Duanmu simply introduced his party as adventurers passing through the area, and that they were looking for a ce to rest since apanion wasn¡¯t feeling well. Despite the guards¡¯ initial fear of Duanmu Huai¡¯s appearance, they let everyone in without saying much. Though the innkeeper was uneasy about Duanmu Huai¡¯s presence, her smile appeared instantly at the sight of the gemstones he brought out¡­ From this, it could be seen that money truly is universal. Faced with the gemstones, the innkeeper was naturally overjoyed, quickly arranging the best rooms for everyone. From her, Duanmu Huai also gathered some information about the surroundings. ording to the innkeeper, this ce was indeed part of an empire, and could be considered a border region. Not only that, this empire seemed to control a vast expanse of territory. Of course, this world also contained demon beasts, dragons, and even ghosts. After hearing this information, Ann couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit worried. From what they had seen so far, this country¡¯s territory seemedrger than Manaria. If a war were to break out, it was uncertain what would happen¡­ Fortunately, the level of magical civilization here didn¡¯t seem to be as developed as Manaria¡¯s. Of course, given that this was a border vige, one could not generalize. Soon, a night passed. However, when Duanmu Huai woke again, he heard an unfamiliar voice. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Duanmu Huai lifted his head only to see an unfamiliar face staring at him calmly. He nced to his side and saw Ogis sitting at the table next to him, and standing in front of him was¡­. ¡°Audrey, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Soldiers have entered the vige.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Upon hearing that, Duanmu Huai instantly became alert. ¡°Are theying for us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. They¡¯ve sealed off the vige and aren¡¯t allowing anyone to leave.¡± Duanmu Huai got up and walked to the window to look outside. At this early dawn, he could indeed see many armored soldiers, armed with torches and weapons, standing on both sides of the vige streets, as though they were sealing the vige off. What¡¯s going on? ¡°Go ask the innkeeper.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, Audrey immediately turned and left. After a moment, the innkeeper, swaying her ample hips, walked over. ¡°Ah, esteemed guest¡­please don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the innkeeper seemed a bit hesitant, but she started speaking in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Imperial Army captured the leader of a rebellion, and they n to execute him here. That¡¯s why the vige was sealed off. Please don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a big deal. Once the execution is over, the blockade will be lifted. I ask that you all stay in the inn and don¡¯t go out to avoid any trouble. I heard the Imperial General will evene in person¡­ I didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen.¡± Speaking of which, the innkeeper did mention yesterday that there was a military fortress near the vige. It seemed usible that they would execute a criminal here. But judging by their tense expressions¡­ It seems the criminal to be executed is not an ordinary person. With that thought, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Chapter 194 - 156: Sudden Change (I will dismantle the scattered soldiers 10 times a day!)_1 Chapter 194: Chapter 156: Sudden Change (I will dismantle the scattered soldiers 10 times a day!)_1 Not long after that, everyone saw two dpidated carriages drive in from outside, carrying a few people who looked like prisoners. Obviously, they were likely the criminals meant to be executed, as the inn¡¯sndy had mentioned. At first nce, these people didn¡¯t seem to have any particr distinguishing feature; they were dressed shabbily and looked far from respectable ¨C quite fitting for their status as prisoners. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Watching this unfold, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but start pondering. He had already heard about the goings-on in this so-called Sky Province from the inn¡¯sndy. In short, although the province had been conquered by the Imperial forces, its people were stout-hearted, so the rebellion didn¡¯t ceasepletely. Particrly, the captured man was the leader of the rebellious forces in Sky Province, Ulfric Stormcloak, the Lord of Gray Helm City. However, judging by the equipment of these soldiers, the power of this empire might not be that strong. Who knew? At least for now, they did not seem to possess the kind of potent magic powers Manaria had, nor the blessed protection simr to what the Holy City had. ¡°No!!¡± As Duanmu Huai was deep in thought, a sudden scream interrupted his thoughts. He looked towards the source of the noise, and saw a prisoner screaming there. ¡°No, I am not a rebel! You can¡¯t do this!!¡± As he hollered, the prisoner turned and made a desperate dash towards the vige gate. But he¡¯d only taken a few steps when an arrow shot from behind pierced him, turning him into a lifeless corpse. ¡°Sir Knight, should we help them?¡± Watching this, Greiya frowned and whispered her question. But Duanmu Huai just shook his head. ¡°Of course not, this is an internal affair of the empire, don¡¯t forget our objective, and let¡¯s not alert the snake in the grass.¡± Following this, other prisoners were taken off the carriage one by one and lined up in a row. Soon, a man appearing to be amander announced the charges against the prisoners in front of the public. ¡°Ulfric Stormcloak, Hailgen and a few others gloatingly call you a hero. But a true hero doesn¡¯t use his dragon roar to usurp power. You instigated this civil war and plunged Sky Province into rebellion. Now, the empire will wholly wipe you out to restore peace in Sky Province!¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-!!¡± However, before his words had even fully echoed, a strange roar sounded from the distance. Hearing this roar, Greiya¡¯s tail shot up in an instant, and at the same time, her eyes widened, and her body began to shake slightly. ¡°Greiya? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Sensing her friend¡¯s unease, Ann quickly approached her and softly asked, to which Greiya responded by shaking her head. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. But this voice¡­ It¡¯s terrifying, highly dangerous¡­ It feels as if something ising¡­.¡± ¡°Be wary.¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai too had noticed it. Although everything appeared normal on the surface, he could sense that the chirping of the birds and insects that had filled the surroundings had suddenly silenced. Simultaneously, the air had evidently started to be viscous. It was certainly a sign of impending danger. In fact, even the vigers who¡¯d initially been watching themotion from outside their houses had begun retreating inside. Surely, it wasn¡¯t merely to avoid watching the execution. ¡°¡ª!!¡± Suddenly, another roar echoed, instantly causing everyone to jerk in rm. Even the Imperial soldiers who were executing the prisoners seemed to have noticed something amiss and began looking around nervously. ¡°Next!!¡± Seeing the soldiers¡¯ agitation, the captain appeared displeased. She yelled loudly, swinging her weapon around. ¡°Hurry! Continue the execution, we still have to¡­¡­!¡± However, her words were cut short when a massive ck shadow flew out from the clouds andnded directly on the stone watchtower in front of the execution ground. Seeing this huge shadow, everyone let out screams of terror. ¡°Dragon!!!¡± Yes, it was a giant dragon, but unlike Regnes¡¯ Dragon Race, this dragon wasn¡¯t robust in stature. Instead, it appeared rather lean. Comparing it to animals on the basis of size, if Regnes¡¯ Dragon Race were tigers, this dragon would be a leopard. However, the dragon¡¯sck of size didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t formidable. The ck dragon perched on the watchtower took a deep breath and then a thunderous dragon roar exploded the next moment, sting like a thunderp in the stillness. Simultaneously, as if in response to the dragon¡¯s roar, the clear sky abruptly turned ck, with dense clouds swirling and gathering together. From the heavyyers of cloud, countless meteorites, aze with mes, fell from the sky, hurtling towards the vige! ¡°Ann! Prepare to defend! Audrey, you stay here. Everyone else, follow me!!¡± While they did not know the intent of the giant dragon, it was clear that it meant harm. It certainly wasn¡¯t a time for Duanmu Huai and the others to stand idly by. Quickly, Duanmu Huai issued orders and then, bursting through a window, leaped from the second floor balcony of the inn, hurtling towards the giant dragon. Simultaneously, Ann raised her hands and swiftly, a deep-blue circr barrier materialized in the air above the inn, blocking the falling meteors. Although Ann¡¯s reaction was swift, most of the vige was engulfed in a sea of fire in a matter of moments. The vigers screamed, scattering in all directions, while the soldiers raised their longbows,unching attacks towards the inky ck dragon ¡ª But to their disappointment, their attacks made no impact on the ck dragon that hovered in the sky. ¡°Boom!!!¡± Just as Duanmu Huai rushed out of the inn, the gargantuan dragonnded heavily on the ground. It then fired a stream of me-filled breath at the soldiers in front of it, reducing dozens of them to ashes in an instant. ¡°Die!!!¡± As the dragon spewed its mes, Duanmu Huai also leaped into the air, hefting the War Hammer above his head and smashing it downward onto the ck dragon. Sensing Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack, the dragon roared in fury and, pping its wings, soared up again, avoiding Duanmu Huai¡¯s strike. ¡°Tsk, this is why I hate these smaller creatures!¡± Duanmu Huai, missing his hit, clicked his tongue. What he detested most were these not-sorge, unusually agile creatures. If the foe were as huge as Fafner, resembling a small hill, it might have been easier to hit. But the creatures that seemed big, yet not quite so, were extremely vexing! Even though Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t hit his target, he wasn¡¯t battling alone! Just as the ck dragon attempted to ascend once again, Ogis raised both her hands. Soon, invisible strings wrapped themselves around the dragon¡¯s body,pletely interrupting its flight. Then, with a forceful tug, Ogis pulled the dragon right back onto the ground. Meanwhile, Greiya had regained use of her dragon limbs and held aloft her right w, ame, crashing it down on the ck dragon. On the other side, Lorena lofted the Holy Canon, crashing it down onto the dragon¡¯s head. And as for Duanmu Huai, he would not pass up this opportunity. He swung the Thunder Warhammer in his hand, charging once again towards the ck dragon. He refused to believe that he couldn¡¯t defeat this giant lizard! But to Duanmu Huai¡¯s surprise, in that moment, an unexpected scenario unfolded.¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn In the face of Duanmu Huai and the others¡¯ onught, the ck dragon once again lifted its head, opened its mouth and then¡­¡­ ¡°¡ª!!!¡± A powerful gust of air jetted out from its mouth, heading straight for everyone. Had it been just a simple gust, it wouldn¡¯t have been a big deal. But this gust seemed to carry a mysterious power and in that instant, the me in Greiya¡¯s ws extinguished, the Holy Canon in Lorena¡¯s hand flew out. The strings wrapped around the ck dragon broke apart. Even Duanmu Huai felt an almost irresistible forceing right at him, striking his hands and causing him to loose his grip on the Thunder Warhammer he¡¯d been holding! But Duanmu Huai was no pushover. Seeing the War Hammer slipping from his grasp, he swung it with a swift turn of his body, hurling it into the sky. The Thunder Warhammer, with a loud whistle, cleaved the air before pounding into the dragon¡¯s chest. This caused the ck dragon to open its mouth and spit out a gush of fresh blood. Although it was hit by Duanmu Huai, it took advantage of the ensuing chaos and, by a powerful pping of its wings, the ck dragon rose up into the sky. Looking down at Duanmu Huai with its crimson eyes, it turned and disappeared into the dense cloud cover above. ¡°Are you all okay?¡± Duanmu Huai retracted his gaze, looking around at hispanions to ask. And hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, everyone quickly got up. ¡°I¡¯m okay, master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also fine, Sir Knight.¡± In contrast to Ogis and Lorena, Greiya¡¯s reaction seemed somewhat abnormal. She just stood there, vacant, looking in the direction of the departing ck dragon, lost in her thoughts. Duanmu Huai went over to her, his hand waving in front of her eyes. ¡°Greiya? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah, Sir Knight!¡± Only at this point did Greiya snap out of it. She looked at Duanmu Huai and nodded sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m okay, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°Do you know something about the spell that dragon used just now?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Greiya hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, that should be¡­a Dragon Roar!¡± Chapter 195 - 64: Humiliated in Front of the Whole World Chapter 64: Humiliated in Front of the Whole World Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion The corpse disappeared in front of Chu Bai. Chu Bai took a deep breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t lose anything.¡± In thest five seconds, he collected two items! Then, Chu Bai took a look. [Goddess Tian Xue¡¯s white underwear. Grade: Divine Emperor. It¡¯s a piece of undergarment for Goddess Tian Xue, one of the three goddesses of the human race on the Land of Fate. 10,000 years ago, when Goddess Tian Xue fought with Gluttony, Gluttony identally damaged her interspatial ring, causing a pile of items to spill out. This undergarment was identally sent to Starter Vige 7777 by Goddess Tian Xue along with Gluttony and sealed in the Tower of Trials.] [Usage requirements: female.]N?v(el)B\\jnn [Effect: all damage received is reduced by 50%.] [Passive effect: when equipped, the body will have a fragrant smell.] Chu Bai was speechless. Buzzzzzz! What the hell was this? However, this attribute was really overbearing. Just this effect of reducing damage by half was worthy of its Divine Emperor grade. No other attribute couldpare to this effect. ¡®Should I sell it?¡¯ It could be sold for a good price due to the effect alone. All damage was reduced by 50%. Even he wanted to equip it. Unfortunately, he could not. ¡°At that time, my Level 2 gathering skill managed to sessfully gather a Divine Emperor-level item with a 0.01% sess rate. It¡¯s no wonder my gathering skill was upgraded to Level 5,¡± Chu Bai muttered to himself. Chu Bai ced it in his spatial ring, then looked at the other parchment scroll. [Mysterious parchment scroll. Grade: Super God. The mysterious parchment scroll looks like a special map. No one knows where the other segments of the map are, but this is only one of the four pieces of it. When all four pieces of parchment scroll are gathered together, theplete map will be formed.] ¡°This is good stuff.¡± Chu Bai really liked this kind of tool. Although he would not be able to get anything, such harsh requirements usually meant that there was a huge treasure hidden to be sought after. Chu Bai took a deep breath, then raised his head and looked ahead. There was a sh of light. It was the teleportation formation. ¡°It¡¯s time to leave the vige,¡± Chu Bai muttered to himself. At this time, the system notification came again. [Ding. As you¡¯ve cleared the abyss-level Tower of Trials, the system will now announce it to the world. Do you wish to hide your ID?] ¡°Don¡¯t hide it. Use the highest decibel to broadcast it.¡± The system was speechless. ¡­ At this moment, in Sakura Nation. A yellow-haired man appeared in the courtyard of the vige chief. ¡°The hell-level trial is nothing more than this! There¡¯s nothing much to a Level-20 Yellow-Gold boss!¡± He revealed a cold smile. He did not dare to go to the abyss-level, but he went to the hell-level! It was the second most difficult level. The final boss was a Level-20 Yellow-Gold boss. His ID was ¡®I am God¡¯. He was a very famous yer, one of the top yers in Sakura Nation! He had been famous for a long time, and his reputation was no less than that of Emperor, Shadow One Sword of Helplessness, Feng Lin, and others! Almost everyone knew about him! All the countries knew him. ¡°The first person in the world to leave the starter vige is me!¡± I am God revealed a smile! He imagined the shocked faces of the entire world. ¡°Bai Ye, right? He had reached Level 10 and entered the starter vige so early, but he hasn¡¯t left yet. He probably died inside. Hehehe, trash!¡± The countries could only see the rankings that belonged to them! However, once they left the starter vige, the rankings would be the global rankings. All the major rankings were the same! This was because once they left the starter vige, the yers from the hundreds of battle zones would gather together! ¡°Vige Chief, I want to leave the vige,¡± he found the vige chief and said. ¡°My brave warrior of the great Sakura Nation, you¡¯ll soon be the first person in the world to go to the Land of Fate. Congrattions!¡± The vige chief bowed to him. I am Godughed. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your help!¡± Then, a teleportation array appeared in front of him. ¡°Enter the teleportation array, and you¡¯ll be able to go to the Land of Fate.¡± He was about to step into the teleportation array. However¡­ He suddenly stopped in his tracks. He had a very good idea. He had passed the hell-level trial and was about to be the first to leave the starter vige. He could try to act cool! He could suppress the arrogance of famous experts from various countries! ¡°Release a global system announcement.¡± He spent 10,000 gold coins to make a global system announcement. That was a million! However, he did notck the money! The system notification sounded. [Ding. Attention all yers around the world, Sakura Nation yer I am God has made a global system announcement.] ¡°What¡¯s the situation? Isn¡¯t that the master from Sakura Nation? Why did he make a global system announcement? That¡¯s a million yuan.¡± ¡°F*ck! Are they trying to provoke us? He seems to have some grudges against a few of our experts. Is he going to fight us?¡± ¡°F*ck! A little Sakura ything.¡± ¡­ Chu Bai raised his brows. [I am God¡¯s system announcement is as follows: yers from various battlezones, I¡¯m very sorry, but I¡¯m about to be the first person to leave the starter vige. Also, I¡¯ll tell you that I passed the abyss-level Tower of Trials. You guys probably don¡¯t even dare to enter the abyss-level Tower of Trials, right? It was quite simple, but it seemed that Sino Nation¡¯s Bai Ye hasn¡¯t made any moves yet, right? Could it be that he died in the abyss level? Hahaha, let him find me. I¡¯ll teach him how to clear the game.] He deliberately said that he had cleared the abyss-level Tower of Trials since no one knew about it. No one in his own country knew about it except for the vige chief. However, the vige chief could not hear the system announcement. He could make everyone worship him! He was even happier when he saw their shocked expressions. Everyone was speechless. ¡°F*ck your mother! F*ck! F*ck! He¡¯s f*king dead!¡± ¡°F*ck, the price of groceries will definitely increase. Your father will never get a good hand when ying poker. Your grandfather will always lose at thest moment when ying mahjong. Your grandmother¡¯s hands will be pricked by needles when she¡¯s sewing. Your brother¡¯sputer will definitely break down. F*ck!¡± ¡°F*ck! The trash that was instantly killed by God Bai Feng in the past is now showing off? F*ck!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so angry, I¡¯m so f*cking Angry! I really want to deal with him, but I really have no choice.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t a lot of Sino experts enter the Tower of Trials? Was there no one faster than him? What about God Bai Ye? He¡¯s been in the vige for so long, but why wasn¡¯t he the first to leave? Ahhhh!!! I¡¯m so angry!¡± ¡°The abyss-level Tower of Trials was actually cleared by someone from Sakura Nation? Ahhhhhhh!¡± ¡­ Everyone was furious! However, they had no other choice. When Chu Bai heard the system announcement, heughed. ¡­ I am God looked at the shocked expressions of the surrounding yers and basked in the glory of it all. Although it was fake, he was enjoying it. He would be the first person to leave the vige anyway, so no one would doubt him. He wanted all the glory. At that moment, a system notification came. [Ding. All yers, please take note that yer Bai Ye from Starter Vige 77777 in the Sino battlezone has passed the abyss-level Tower of Trials. He¡¯s currently the only yer to have passed the abyss-level Tower of Trials.] [Ding. All yers, please take note¡­] [Ding¡­] I am God was speechless. Everyone was speechless. [Ding. Attention all yers around the world, yer Bai Ye from Starter Vige 77777 in Sino¡¯s battlezone has made a global announcement. The content of the announcement is as follows: ???] I am God was full of question marks. Chapter 196 - 158 Dragonborn (Ancient Scroll Online is not fun at all)_1 Chapter 196: Chapter 158 Dragonborn (Ancient Scroll Online is not fun at all)_1 By the time Duanmu Huai and the Guard Team arrived at the watchtower, it was already toote. The entire watchtower had been burned to ruins, with rubble and debris strewn everywhere. mes were still raging on the ground. ¡°Damn it, we¡¯re toote!!¡± Seeing this, the captain of the Guard Team bit his lip, his face pale. But at that moment, a guard peeked out from the ruins of the tower, waving at them. ¡°Hey,e quickly! The dragon is still nearby!¡± ¡°Are you the only one alive?¡± Seeing a survivor, the captain of the Guard Team breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stepping forward to inquire. The guard nodded in conformation. ¡°Yes, everyone else was caught by the dragon while trying to escape¡­¡­ Oh, damn!¡± However, before he could finish his sentence, the guard¡¯s face changed dramatically, his eyes wide in surprise as he looked to the sky. ¡°It¡¯s back!!¡± Following the guard¡¯s cry, everyone looked up to see a giant dragon, flying overhead, its wings pping, issuing a roar like thunder. The captain of the Guard Team hastily raised his bow and arrow upon seeing this. ¡°Everyone conceal yourselves! Arm your arrows, prepare to attack!!¡± Though fearful of the dragon before them, the soldiers quickly hidden themselves andunched an attack. As their arrows flew towards the dragon, but they could not prate the dragon¡¯s scales ¨C which was to be expected. ¡°Sir Knight, this dragon looks different from the one we saw earlier.¡± Ann curiously eyed the dragon and asked. Duanmu Huai nodded in agreement. As Ann said, this dragon was sizable but smallerpared to the previous ck Dragon. Instead of ck, this one was white¡­Well, not knowing the reason, there was only one solution to a dragon appearing before them. ¡°Take it down!¡± With Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, everyone sprang into action. Ann held up her hands, and quickly, a massive magic circle materialized above the dragon¡¯s head. Following that, a bolt of purple lightning thundered down, striking the dragon directly. Unable to withstand the attack, the dragon howled in pain before crashing to the ground. At the same time, Duanmu Huai, Lorena, and Greiya charged toward the dragon from three different directions. ¡°Roar!¡± The dragon on the ground, on seeing someone trying to attack, became enraged. It opened its mouth and sparks of fire flickered within, as it prepared to breathe fire at them. However, before it could, Ogis pped her hands together, then pulled apart. The next moment, the dragon¡¯s head was forcibly pulled to the side by an invisible thread. The mes from its mouth narrowly missed the trio, hitting nothing but air. However, the dragon wasn¡¯t ready to give up just yet. Unlike Regnes¡¯s dragon, this dragon¡¯s front ws were fused with its wings, making it look like giant bat wings. Now facing an imminent attack, it quickly lifted its front ws to cover its head, its wings unfurling like a shield to protect its front. However, this level of defense was utterly useless. ¡°Aaaahhh!!¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn Facing the dragon¡¯s resistance, Lorena raised the Holy Canon and struck hard. The thick book mmed into the dragon¡¯s forearm with a ¡°snap¡±, bending it in a seemingly impossible direction. The massive impact even made the dragon let out a deafening scream. But that was not all. As the dragon staggered, Greiya, like a hunting panther, dashed past it. Her hand, transformed into a dragon w, easily sliced through the dragon¡¯s wings, cutting it in half like paper. Without the support of its front ws, the dragon again fell heavily onto the ground. When it lifted its head, all it saw was a heavy hammer, shing with lightning. ¡°Boom!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s thunderous heavy hammer came down from the sky, smashing through the dragon¡¯s skull, cracking its head in half. Like a stone shattered by a hammer, the dragon¡¯s head split open, blood and brains sttering all around. The dragon¡¯s immense body convulsed once, theny still. The coordination between Duanmu Huai and the rest was wless. From the moment the dragon appeared, to when it was killed, not even a minute had passed. Seeing this, the soldiers were wide-eyed in surprise, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. They had thought they would have a tough battle with this fearsome dragon, but these adventurers had defeated it so easily?! ¡°Sure enough, this dragon is pretty weak.¡± Looking at the dead dragon in front of him, Duanmu Huai nodded and sighed in relief. Compared to the ck Giant Dragon he encountered before in Hailgen, this dragon was not as powerful, and didn¡¯t unleash the dragon roar that contained strange and mysterious powers. At least to Duanmu Huai, it was just a very ordinary dragon. Chapter 197 - 158 Dragonborn (Ancient Scroll Online is not fun at all)_2 Chapter 197: Chapter 158 Dragonborn (Ancient Scroll Online is not fun at all)_2N?v(el)B\\jnn However, just as everyone was nning to approach the body of the giant dragon to see what was actually happening, suddenly, a miraculous scene unfolded. The body of the giant dragon lying on the ground suddenly started burning fiercely, and subsequently, countless rays of light flew out from the burning body of the giant dragon. Drawn as if by a ma, they flew toward Greiya. In the blink of an eye, Greiya was enveloped by them. ¡°Greiya!¡± Upon seeing this, Ann cried out suddenly and rushed over to Greiya, anxiously looking at her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± However, in response to Ann¡¯s inquiry, Greiya did not immediately answer. Instead, she closed her eyes, seemingly immersed in some kind of aftertaste. After a while, she reopened her eyes, giving Ann a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ann, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°But, that dragon¡­you¡­¡± Ann turned her head and looked at the dead body of the giant dragon¡ªby now, it was nothing but a skeleton. Nobody knew what exactly had happened to the dragon just now. However, what Greiya said next greatly surprised everyone. ¡°I¡­ seem to have learned the Dragon Roar.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± At Greiya¡¯s words, everyone was momentarily taken aback and looked at her in astonishment. Greiya turned to look at a giant stone not far away¡ªit was once a part of the watchtower and nowy on the grass, just a massive rock. She took a deep breath facing the rock and then¡­ ¡°¡ª!!¡± With a roar, everyone saw a powerful wave of energy emerge from in front of Greiya, hitting the stone directly and sending it flying. ¡°Eh??!!¡± Everyone was stunned by what they were witnessing. Although it wasn¡¯t exactly the same, this indeed resembled the Dragon Roar they had previously heard from the ck dragon in Hailgen. But¡­ how did Greiya suddenly learn it? Just when everyone was confused and puzzled by what had happened, a guard walked over. He looked at Greiya in surprise, unable to hide his astonishment. ¡°I can hardly believe it! You are a¡­ Dragonborn¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Me? Dragonborn?¡± Upon hearing the guard¡¯s words, Greiya was also taken aback. In response to Greiya, the guard nodded firmly. ¡°You may not know this, but in the oldest legends, ancient ones dating back to when dragons still roamed the skies, the Dragonborn would kill them and absorb their power. Isn¡¯t that what you just did? Absorbed the dragon¡¯s strength?¡± ¡°This¡­I¡­¡± Faced with the guard¡¯s question, Greiya didn¡¯t know what to say for a while. Indeed, she was a hybrid of a dragon and a human, and it wouldn¡¯t be incorrect to say she was Dragonborn. But to kill a dragon and gain its power? Greiya had no idea that she had such an ability! ¡°You weren¡¯t able to use the Dragon Roar before, but now you can, right? That means you are Dragonborn.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Other guards nearby also chimed in excitedly. ¡°My grandfather once told me the story of the Dragonborn! Those people are born with the blood of dragons flowing in their veins, like the ancient Talos Septim! ording to legends, the Dragonborn could kill dragons and absorb their power. You must be a Dragonborn!¡± With that, the guards turned their gazes to the captain of the guard team. ¡°What do you think, Iriles?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Facing the guards, the leader of the guard team appeared indifferent. ¡°You¡¯d all do well to not speak lightly of things you don¡¯t understand. The only thing we can confirm is that this dragon is dead, which means, dragons can indeed be killed.¡± With that, Iriles first nced at Greiya before looking at Duanmu Huai. ¡°While I may not understand much about Dragonborns, I am d you fought with us. While we clean up the aftermath here, it would be best if you go back to Whiterun immediately. Lord Balgoff is eager to know what happened here.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Duanmu Huai sheathed his weapon and then looked at Greiya, who also wore a shocked expression. Clearly, Greiya had never anticipated that she would possess such lineage and power ¨C it was natural she didn¡¯t know, for ording to these guards, the Dragonborn needed to kill dragons to gain their power¡­ but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s strange. During our previous battles with Fafner, we had also killed several giant dragons. But why didn¡¯t Greiya absorb their power back then?¡± Ann obviously thought of the same question. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯re of different types?¡± Duanmu Huai remembered that the dragons they had faced at Regnes and Fafner¡¯s were all four-legged giants, while this one had forelimbs fused with wing-like structures, simr to a bat. Could it be that differences arose due to their species? ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll talk more after we return.¡± On the way back to Snow City, Greiya kept quiet. After all, for her, this was a considerable shock. Although everyone wanted tofort Greiya, they were at a loss for words. Eventually, they arrived at the Dragon Night Pce and reported the attack on the watchtower by the giant dragon and its subsequent death to Lord Balgoff. After listening to Duanmu Huai¡¯s report, Lord Balgoff nodded his head in satisfaction. Chapter 198 - 158 Dragonborn (Ancient Scroll Online is not fun at all)_3 Chapter 198: Chapter 158 Dragonborn (Ancient Scroll Online is not fun at all)_3 ¡°Very well, it seems that the letter spoke the truth, you really do possess the ability to repel and kill Giant Dragons, I can hardly imagine¡­¡± ¡°Just that this dragon was a little too weak.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°The Giant Dragon attacking Hailgen was much stronger than this one. This dragon, aside from flying and breathing fire, did not have anything particrly powerful.¡± ¡°Nothing particrly powerful, huh¡­ Hahaha, for us ordinary people, even just flying and breathing fire is already terrifying. I can¡¯t imagine what a Giant Dragon like the one you mentioned would be like.¡± Lord Balgoff shook his head with a bitter smile, then looked towards Greiya. ¡°So¡­ she¡¯s a Dragonborn?¡± ¡°The Guards said so, but we¡¯re not exactly sure either.¡± Duanmu Huai spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°So, I¡¯d like to ask about the matter of the Dragonborn¡­ ¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°There¡¯s someone who¡¯s better suited to discuss this than I am.¡± With that, Lord Balgoff paused for a while. ¡°Did you hear the Greybeards¡¯ summoning just now?¡± ¡°We did hear an enormous boom.¡± Duanmu Huai did not hide anything. Shortly after they entered the gates of Snow City, they heard a loud roar in the sky, so loud that even the ground started shaking. It scared everyone at that moment, they thought a Giant Dragon was attacking once again. ¡°That was a summoning from the Greybeards, the masters of the Way of the Dragon Roar, they live separated from the world, in the highest ce at the world¡¯s throat.¡± ¡°If they can use the Dragon Roar, does that mean those people are also Dragonborn?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Lord Balgoff shook his head. ¡°But if the youngdy really is a Dragonborn, they will teach her how to use her Dragonborn talents. The Dragon Roar just now was a summon from the Greybeards, calling you to Highrothgar¡­ I couldn¡¯t have guessed, it¡¯s almost been hundreds of years since the time Talos Septim was summoned.¡± After speaking, Lord Balgoff looked at Greiya. ¡°You¡¯d better set out for High Hrothgar as soon as possible, no one can refuse the summons of the Greybeards, it¡¯s a great honor. But today, you should rest well, I will arrange the best guest rooms for you, do not hesitate, these are rewards that the heroes who slew the dragon should receive.¡± As promised, Lord Balgoff provided the best rooms for Duanmu Huai and the others, along with Snow City¡¯s unique cuisine, not to mention rewards. After a long day¡¯s work, everyone was weary and quickly went to rest in their rooms. On the second day, when Duanmu Huai got up, the others had already been waiting for him outside. ¡°Really, Sir Knight, you¡¯re so slow.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± At Ann¡¯sint, Duanmu Huai chuckled, then looked at Greiya. At this moment, Greiya was still looking not quite herself, it seemed she hadn¡¯t slept wellst night. ¡°Greiya, have you made your decision?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure.¡± In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Greiya seemed a bit hesitant, when suddenly Ann seemed toe up with an idea, pping her hand together. ¡°Right, Mr. Knight, I actually have a suggestion.¡± ¡°What suggestion?¡± ¡°How about if we split up?¡± ¡°Split up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ann nodded. ¡°Lorena and I discussed, asrge as this ce is, if we all investigate together, it would waste a lot of time. So I believe it¡¯s better if we split up.¡± ¡°You must have a target now since you¡¯re saying this?¡± ¡°Of course, I n to visit the Mage¡¯s College at Winterhold, while Lorena heads to other cities, to investigate the faith in the Nine Spirits.¡± ¡°Just the two of you going individually?¡± ¡°Of course not¡­¡± As she was saying this, Ann cheerfully pulled Ogis over. ¡°Going alone is too dangerous, so I think it¡¯s best if we pair up. Miss Ogis and I are a team, Miss Lorena and Audrey are another team, and Sir Knight, you apany Greiya, how¡¯s that?¡± ¡­¡­This is obviously your n, isn¡¯t it? Seeing how Ann was forcefully hinting at him, Duanmu Huai understood her intention. Clearly, Ann had also noticed her friend¡¯s condition and suggested this on purpose. But well, it¡¯s not a bad suggestion. After pondering for a moment, Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go with that.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 200 - 160 Sneaking (Seems like there are no new games this month)_1 Chapter 200: Chapter 160 Sneaking (Seems like there are no new games this month)_1 Duanmu Huai discovered that he indeed was not gifted in making conversations. After that, Greiya hadpletely withdrawn into herself, silently trailing behind Duanmu Huai. Hmm¡­ apparently, they had run out of things to talk about. However, for Duanmu Huai, this was another question that he had to ask. Always, the identity of hybrids was the most awkward; they belonged to neither side. In honesty, Duanmu Huai¡¯s most disliked were those foolish couples that birthed hybrids under the name of true love. If it was within human hybrids, that could still be tolerated since the difference isn¡¯t much. But hybrids between humans and other races were an entirely different story. Like Greiya, it¡¯s not clear whether she is a dragon or a human. This species, unpleasing to both sides and unable to find a sense of belonging, can be said to be the most troublesome. In fact, even they themselves, are often uncertain. Felin is the same, and by Felin¡¯s ount, there were quite a few Dragonkin hybrids in their time. But why were they now extinct? To put it simply, they were naturally eliminated. Neither humans nor the Dragon Race would ept these Dragonkin, and their numbers were too small to form a racial group. As such, they faded away over the long span of time. Indeed, for Judges, hybrids have always been a troublesome issue. Some Judges directly categorize them as aliens and purify them. Some Judges use these hybrids as tools to fight the Chaos Evil God and aliens, and some Judges simply ignore them, leaving them to their fate. Duanmu Huai still remembers that in the ¡°future¡± he saw before, Greiya led the invasion of Manaria by Regnes. This meant that, in the end, Greiya still chose the Dragon Race side. Although Regnes had temporarily lowered their banners due to the defeat of Evil Dragon Fafner, Duanmu Huai would not naively think that the Giant Dragons of Regnes had simply surrendered. And now, Greiya had obtained the Dragon Roar¡­ This skill was indeed quite peculiar, and even contains some rules. It can be assured that, once Greiya had fully mastered the power of the Dragon Roar, she would definitely be a great threat to humans. Therefore, Duanmu Huai needed her to rify her position, whether she was part of the humans or the Giant Dragons. If Regnes obtained a major weapon like the Dragon Roar, would their attitude change? Would theyunch another attack on humans? You have to understand that this World Fragment is controlled by Duanmu Huai. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t want this world to be embroiled in war. However, on the contrary, he wouldn¡¯t allow any race in this world to pose a threat to humans. Thus, when night fell and the two were resting in a ruined forest, Greiya spoke for the first time. ¡°I¡­ envy you, Sir Knight.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Duanmu Huai, who was tending the fire, heard Greiya speak. He raised his eyebrow and looked at her. With Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze on her, Greiya hesitated for a moment before continuing. ¡°Because¡­ Sir Knight can firmly state his stance, but¡­ I can¡¯t make decisions as easily as Sir Knight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is for Hybrids.¡± Duanmu Huai stared into the fire, humming lightly. Greiya then contemted for a moment before looking at Duanmu Huai again. ¡°Then Sir Knight, I¡¯d like to ask¡­ which side do you hope I would choose?¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°To me, it¡¯s simple ¨C of course, the humans.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai give such an easy answer, Greiya was taken aback. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Simply put, because you are good friends with Ann, which would prevent both of you from confronting each other in battle. Of course, what¡¯s most important to me is¡­ ¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai focused intently on Greiya. ¡°I won¡¯t allow any race to pose threats to humans¡¯ safety. Greiya, you¡¯ve followed me for quite some time now. I believe you understand that if I wished, I could totally annihte the entire Regnes. And I believe you know very well, even though the Evil Dragon King is dead, the internal attitude towards humans in Regnes still remains prized, am I correct?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Although Greiya wanted to say it wasn¡¯t the case, unfortunately¡­ The fact was as Duanmu Huai said, moreover, within Regnes, the hard-liners against humans were in the majority, while those friendly towards humans were in the minority. If it weren¡¯t for Duanmu Huai¡¯s feat of eliminating the Evil Dragon King, which greatly deterred the hard-liners, who knows what might have happened. But Greiya also knew that the hard-liners chose to retreat, not out of friendliness towards humans, but merely for fear of Duanmu Huai¡¯s might. Moreover, Duanmu Huai¡¯s power was far from exhausted. Greiya would certainly not forget how terrifying that colossal metal warship stretching across the sky was. One could imagine that even all the dragons of Regnes couldn¡¯t survive under its horrific firepower. Greiya wasn¡¯t naive, let alone a fool. Although her quiet demeanor gave off a vibe of introverted slowness, in fact, Greiya was always pondering. She just seldom voiced her thoughts. In fact, all the way, Greiya seemed withdrawn, but actually, she had been constantly thinking about one question. That was, how to avoid conflict between the hard-liners within Regnes and Duanmu Huai? Both sides are racial supremacists, the hard-liners believe that the Dragon Race should naturally dominate everything, while Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t allow any race to dare to threaten humans. Just thinking about such a terrifying scene of a sh made Greiya shudder. She certainly didn¡¯t believe that the dragons of Regnes would have the power to confront Duanmu Huai¡¯s warship. But Greiya also knew, the dragons of Regnes would never ept submission to humans. And now, all Greiya could do was¡­ ¡°¡­ Sir Knight, let¡¯s not look for the Greybeards anymore.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai paused for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re not nning to learn the Dragon Roar anymore?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Yes.¡± Greiya nodded. At first, she wanted to learn Dragon Roar because it was a lost culture. If she could acquire Dragon Roar and bring it back to her country, it would undoubtedly be very beneficial for the Dragon Race. But after pondering for an entire day, Greiya realized that this was a double-edged sword. The great power of Dragon Roar is both a blessing and a curse for the Dragon Race. If the hardliners of the Dragon Race gained such power, they would surely want to attack humans again. Therefore, the final decision Greiya chose was¡­¡­¡­ to maintain the status quo. As long as she didn¡¯t actively inherit Dragon Roar, it wouldn¡¯t be spread to other members of the Dragon Race. Rather than learning it and not using it, Greiya chose not to learn at all. ¡°Is it okay? The Greybeards beckoned you, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve decided against it.¡± Greiya shook her head. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t know why the Greybeards wanted to see me, I know that Dragon Roar isn¡¯t a good thing for today¡¯s Regnes.¡± ¡°So, you won¡¯t learn Dragon Roar?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Hearing Greiya¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai gave nomend orment, merely shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Since you¡¯re not going, then you¡¯d better juste with me.¡± ¡°Is Sir Knight intending to go to¡­ the Thalmer prison?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon saying this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face suddenly darkened. Even though Greiya had made her decision, he still wanted her to personally experience how the Judges dealt with the Alien Race who dared to threaten humans. Firstly, it was an announcement. Night descended. Amid the pitch-ck night sky, the Night Raven ck Star quietly floated and underneath it was a square stone castle, a North Tower Fortress where the Thalmer Elves kept their rebel army and prisoners. It waste, but the bustling castle filled with Thalmer soldiers holding torches and patrolling was still in view. It was obvious that the location was heavily guarded and inessible to ordinary people. Of course, that applies to ordinary people. ¡°We only have one mission.¡± Standing in the ship¡¯s cabin, Duanmu Huai looked at the Night Guard in the ck power armor. A cold light shed in his eyes. ¡°Kill all Aliens except humans, not sparing a single one. This is the Judges¡¯ final verdict for the Aliens!¡± ¡°Is it okay, Sir Knight?¡± Greiya, standing next to Duanmu Huai, looked at him uneasily. ¡°If this is discovered by someone, then¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Greiya, no one will know.¡± Duanmu Huai looked at Greiya, letting out a chuckle. ¡°As long as all those who know are killed, no one will know that we came¡­¡­¡­¡± Saying this, Duanmu Huai signaled the Night Guard in front of him. ¡°Charge!!¡± With Duanmu Huai¡¯s order, several smokeunchers were shot from the Night Raven ck Star andnded inside the North Tower Fortress below. Following that, hypnotic gas, resembling dense fog, was sprayed out, instantly covering the entire castle. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai put his helmet on and jumped down! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The ck Shinigami descended from the sky, heavily hitting the fortress wall. The originally solid wall that had been able to withstand a stone-throwing machine copsed under this hit. Following that, the other Night Guards alsonded in the surrounding area of the castle. At this moment, no one in the castle was awake, whether they were prisoners or Thalmer soldiers who guarded them, all had fallen into a deep sleep. ¡°Very well.¡± Looking at the Thalmer soldiers who had fallen into a deep sleep, Duanmu Huai showed a violent smile. ¡°Act now.¡± He then coldly issued an order. Chapter 200 - 160 Sneaking (Seems like there are no new games this month)_1 Chapter 200: Chapter 160 Sneaking (Seems like there are no new games this month)_1 Duanmu Huai discovered that he indeed was not gifted in making conversations. After that, Greiya hadpletely withdrawn into herself, silently trailing behind Duanmu Huai. Hmm¡­ apparently, they had run out of things to talk about. However, for Duanmu Huai, this was another question that he had to ask. Always, the identity of hybrids was the most awkward; they belonged to neither side. In honesty, Duanmu Huai¡¯s most disliked were those foolish couples that birthed hybrids under the name of true love. If it was within human hybrids, that could still be tolerated since the difference isn¡¯t much. But hybrids between humans and other races were an entirely different story. Like Greiya, it¡¯s not clear whether she is a dragon or a human. This species, unpleasing to both sides and unable to find a sense of belonging, can be said to be the most troublesome. In fact, even they themselves, are often uncertain. Felin is the same, and by Felin¡¯s ount, there were quite a few Dragonkin hybrids in their time. But why were they now extinct? To put it simply, they were naturally eliminated. Neither humans nor the Dragon Race would ept these Dragonkin, and their numbers were too small to form a racial group. As such, they faded away over the long span of time. Indeed, for Judges, hybrids have always been a troublesome issue. Some Judges directly categorize them as aliens and purify them. Some Judges use these hybrids as tools to fight the Chaos Evil God and aliens, and some Judges simply ignore them, leaving them to their fate. Duanmu Huai still remembers that in the ¡°future¡± he saw before, Greiya led the invasion of Manaria by Regnes. This meant that, in the end, Greiya still chose the Dragon Race side. Although Regnes had temporarily lowered their banners due to the defeat of Evil Dragon Fafner, Duanmu Huai would not naively think that the Giant Dragons of Regnes had simply surrendered. And now, Greiya had obtained the Dragon Roar¡­ This skill was indeed quite peculiar, and even contains some rules. It can be assured that, once Greiya had fully mastered the power of the Dragon Roar, she would definitely be a great threat to humans. Therefore, Duanmu Huai needed her to rify her position, whether she was part of the humans or the Giant Dragons. If Regnes obtained a major weapon like the Dragon Roar, would their attitude change? Would theyunch another attack on humans? You have to understand that this World Fragment is controlled by Duanmu Huai. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t want this world to be embroiled in war. However, on the contrary, he wouldn¡¯t allow any race in this world to pose a threat to humans. Thus, when night fell and the two were resting in a ruined forest, Greiya spoke for the first time. ¡°I¡­ envy you, Sir Knight.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Duanmu Huai, who was tending the fire, heard Greiya speak. He raised his eyebrow and looked at her. With Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze on her, Greiya hesitated for a moment before continuing. ¡°Because¡­ Sir Knight can firmly state his stance, but¡­ I can¡¯t make decisions as easily as Sir Knight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is for Hybrids.¡± Duanmu Huai stared into the fire, humming lightly. Greiya then contemted for a moment before looking at Duanmu Huai again. ¡°Then Sir Knight, I¡¯d like to ask¡­ which side do you hope I would choose?¡± ¡°To me, it¡¯s simple ¨C of course, the humans.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai give such an easy answer, Greiya was taken aback. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Simply put, because you are good friends with Ann, which would prevent both of you from confronting each other in battle. Of course, what¡¯s most important to me is¡­ ¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai focused intently on Greiya. ¡°I won¡¯t allow any race to pose threats to humans¡¯ safety. Greiya, you¡¯ve followed me for quite some time now. I believe you understand that if I wished, I could totally annihte the entire Regnes. And I believe you know very well, even though the Evil Dragon King is dead, the internal attitude towards humans in Regnes still remains prized, am I correct?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Although Greiya wanted to say it wasn¡¯t the case, unfortunately¡­ The fact was as Duanmu Huai said, moreover, within Regnes, the hard-liners against humans were in the majority, while those friendly towards humans were in the minority. If it weren¡¯t for Duanmu Huai¡¯s feat of eliminating the Evil Dragon King, which greatly deterred the hard-liners, who knows what might have happened. But Greiya also knew that the hard-liners chose to retreat, not out of friendliness towards humans, but merely for fear of Duanmu Huai¡¯s might. Moreover, Duanmu Huai¡¯s power was far from exhausted. Greiya would certainly not forget how terrifying that colossal metal warship stretching across the sky was. One could imagine that even all the dragons of Regnes couldn¡¯t survive under its horrific firepower. Greiya wasn¡¯t naive, let alone a fool. Although her quiet demeanor gave off a vibe of introverted slowness, in fact, Greiya was always pondering. She just seldom voiced her thoughts. In fact, all the way, Greiya seemed withdrawn, but actually, she had been constantly thinking about one question. That was, how to avoid conflict between the hard-liners within Regnes and Duanmu Huai? Both sides are racial supremacists, the hard-liners believe that the Dragon Race should naturally dominate everything, while Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t allow any race to dare to threaten humans. Just thinking about such a terrifying scene of a sh made Greiya shudder. She certainly didn¡¯t believe that the dragons of Regnes would have the power to confront Duanmu Huai¡¯s warship. But Greiya also knew, the dragons of Regnes would never ept submission to humans. And now, all Greiya could do was¡­ ¡°¡­ Sir Knight, let¡¯s not look for the Greybeards anymore.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai paused for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re not nning to learn the Dragon Roar anymore?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Yes.¡± Greiya nodded. At first, she wanted to learn Dragon Roar because it was a lost culture. If she could acquire Dragon Roar and bring it back to her country, it would undoubtedly be very beneficial for the Dragon Race. But after pondering for an entire day, Greiya realized that this was a double-edged sword. The great power of Dragon Roar is both a blessing and a curse for the Dragon Race. If the hardliners of the Dragon Race gained such power, they would surely want to attack humans again. Therefore, the final decision Greiya chose was¡­¡­¡­ to maintain the status quo. As long as she didn¡¯t actively inherit Dragon Roar, it wouldn¡¯t be spread to other members of the Dragon Race. Rather than learning it and not using it, Greiya chose not to learn at all. ¡°Is it okay? The Greybeards beckoned you, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve decided against it.¡± Greiya shook her head. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t know why the Greybeards wanted to see me, I know that Dragon Roar isn¡¯t a good thing for today¡¯s Regnes.¡± ¡°So, you won¡¯t learn Dragon Roar?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Hearing Greiya¡¯s reply, Duanmu Huai gave nomend orment, merely shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Since you¡¯re not going, then you¡¯d better juste with me.¡± ¡°Is Sir Knight intending to go to¡­ the Thalmer prison?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon saying this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face suddenly darkened. Even though Greiya had made her decision, he still wanted her to personally experience how the Judges dealt with the Alien Race who dared to threaten humans. Firstly, it was an announcement. Night descended. Amid the pitch-ck night sky, the Night Raven ck Star quietly floated and underneath it was a square stone castle, a North Tower Fortress where the Thalmer Elves kept their rebel army and prisoners. It waste, but the bustling castle filled with Thalmer soldiers holding torches and patrolling was still in view. It was obvious that the location was heavily guarded and inessible to ordinary people. Of course, that applies to ordinary people. ¡°We only have one mission.¡± Standing in the ship¡¯s cabin, Duanmu Huai looked at the Night Guard in the ck power armor. A cold light shed in his eyes. ¡°Kill all Aliens except humans, not sparing a single one. This is the Judges¡¯ final verdict for the Aliens!¡± ¡°Is it okay, Sir Knight?¡±@@novelbin@@ Greiya, standing next to Duanmu Huai, looked at him uneasily. ¡°If this is discovered by someone, then¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Greiya, no one will know.¡± Duanmu Huai looked at Greiya, letting out a chuckle. ¡°As long as all those who know are killed, no one will know that we came¡­¡­¡­¡± Saying this, Duanmu Huai signaled the Night Guard in front of him. ¡°Charge!!¡± With Duanmu Huai¡¯s order, several smokeunchers were shot from the Night Raven ck Star andnded inside the North Tower Fortress below. Following that, hypnotic gas, resembling dense fog, was sprayed out, instantly covering the entire castle. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai put his helmet on and jumped down! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The ck Shinigami descended from the sky, heavily hitting the fortress wall. The originally solid wall that had been able to withstand a stone-throwing machine copsed under this hit. Following that, the other Night Guards alsonded in the surrounding area of the castle. At this moment, no one in the castle was awake, whether they were prisoners or Thalmer soldiers who guarded them, all had fallen into a deep sleep. ¡°Very well.¡± Looking at the Thalmer soldiers who had fallen into a deep sleep, Duanmu Huai showed a violent smile. ¡°Act now.¡± He then coldly issued an order. Chapter 201 - 161: Commission from the Lord (Ben Meow starts gaining weight for winter)_1 Chapter 201: Chapter 161: Commission from the Lord (Ben Meow starts gaining weight for winter)_1 Not long after, a piece of news exploded across the entire Sky Province. Rumors spread that the North Tower Fortress used by the Thalmer to imprison the Rebel Army and other convicts was burned down overnight, with the mes rising high into the sky. By the time the soldiers arrived, all they saw were the ruins of the castle consumedpletely by the fire and the bodies of the Thalmer soldiers pierced by long spears and standing upright in the snow around the castle. As for the prisoners, they were nowhere to be found. Naturally, this caused a strong ripple throughout the Empire. Soon, soldiers were dispatched to search, and some prisoners previously incarcerated at the North Tower Fortress were re-captured, tortured, and interrogated. However, their confessions startled everyone¡ªording to these prisoners, they had no idea what had transpired; they merely went to sleep, and when they woke up, they found themselves on a sunlit in instead of the cold dungeon within the North Tower Fortress. Because of this, these prisoners firmly imed it was a Godsend from Talos that saved them. This left the imperial soldiers doubtful, unsure of how to react. After all, they understood that the continent was indeed under the protection of a deity. Although the idea of divine intervention by Talos might sound absurd, they couldn¡¯tpletely dismiss it. After all, the fact was that there were no traces of prisoners escaping around the North Tower Fortress. It seemed like the prisoners had just evaporated. After that, these prisoners reappeared at the center of the Sky Province. Unless all of the prisoners had grown wings and could fly, the only usible exnation left was a miracle. Not only that, subsequently, every Thalmer fortress across Sky Province was attacked. No one knew who had assaulted these ces, but each Thalmer fortress was thoroughly destroyed. The bodies of Thalmer Elf soldiers were impaled on long spears and imnted into the ground. It was a reminiscent scene. This triggered immense excitement among the people of the Sky Province. In fact, even the Empire itself had a sort of ambivalent attitude about these events. On one hand, they obviously disliked the arrogant demeanor of the Thalmer, but on the other hand, they worried about the repercussions from the Thalmer. In reality, the Thalmer ambassador had already summoned the king, demanding a thorough investigation into this matter. Otherwise, the Thalmer elf army would mobilize topletely obliterate the Empire! ¡°Do we really have to wait further, Mr. Knight?¡± Sitting in the tavern, Greiya was restlessly handling a cup of wine while Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°Indeed, to obliterate all Thalmer outposts, kill the Thalmer elves, all this is to instigate Thalmer into dering a war. Once their army is assembled, I canpletely annihte them. The mere Thalmer fortresses are not our target, this is nothing more than baitid out to obliterate the Thalmer.¡± ¡°But the Empire¡­ Don¡¯t we have to let them know?¡± ¡°This is a matter between the Tribunal and the Aliens, it has nothing to do with the Empire.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°I will not make the Empire mistakenly think that I am siding with them. The Tribunal guards humans, not any particr regime. As a rule, we do not get involved in local power disputes proactively. If the Empire can stabilize its footing during this time, it would be great. However, if the Empire loses its ground due to ipetence, we will not worry¡­ Do you understand?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I understand.¡± Greiya, as a princess, was not foolish and obviously understood Duanmu Huai¡¯s intentions. If Duanmu Huai was to coborate with the Empire, no matter how, it would lead to an impression that they were working together. The Empire could possibly take advantage of the backing of the Tribunal and act tyrannically. Then the Tribunal may end up shouldering the me for the Empire¡¯s atrocities. This is why Duanmu Huai separated the Empire entirely; it was a matter of you carry out your operations, and I conduct mine. As Duanmu Huai said, the Tribunal guards humanity, not the Empire; the continuity of the Empire is irrelevant to the Tribunal. If a regime more favourable to the humans than the Empire emerges, the Tribunal will not object to them overthrowing the Empire. Of course, the prerequisite is that they do not conspire with the Chaotic Demons. ¡°Dum dum dum¨C!¡± At that moment, the clear sounds of a lute rang out. Duanmu Huai turned his head to see a bard strumming a lute and singing by the edge of the bonfire. @@novelbin@@ ¡°The next is dedicated to the fearless warriors!¡± As the bard said these words, he started ying and singing the song. ¡°On the barren snowfields of the Sky Province, the free winds blow. People drink hearty pints of barley beer, praising blood and glory. But the wolves, theye sniffing, trying to shatter this mirthful feast. Guests scream in horror, fleeing in all directions. With heads held high, the wolves rejoice in sesses. But the great God sees these wolves. His warriors descend from the ck steel war car, from the sky. They wield their weapons, skin the wolves, tear them to bones, and leave them in destion. Frail and feeble, the wolves tuck their tails, fleeing without daring to nce back. For they know, behind them is the divine executioner¡¯s de!¡± Soon the song ended, the patrons of the tavern cheered, raising their cups in jubtion. Duanmu Huai sat in his chair, nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Hmm, this is sung quite well.¡± In fact, this bad started circting after the Thalmer fortresses were destroyed. The wolves in the bad represent the utterly detestable high elves who came uninvited; this is a clear allusion to the Thalmer. It is said that the Thalmer ambassador was so outraged upon hearing this song that he smashed his ss. Chapter 202 - 161: Commission from the Lord (Ben Meow starts gaining weight for winter)_2 Chapter 202: Chapter 161: Commission from the Lord (Ben Meow starts gaining weight for winter)_2 Usually, those Thalmer Elves would have already apprehended any human brazen enough to sing that song, using various reasons to justify their actions. But now, with the destruction of the Thalmer Fortress, these arrogant High Elves could only cower in the embassy, trembling in fear, refusing to step out, for fear that they might be the next ones to be impaled by a spear and disyed in the snow. Understandably, this asion was met with apuse from the people of Sky Province, who relished the opportunity to vent their pent-up frustrations. Amid the cheerful exmations of the tavern patrons, however, Duanmu Huai noticed that the tavern owner approached him with a serious look on his face. Walking up to Duanmu Huai, he spoke in hushed tones. ¡°Apologies for the interruption, warrior, but the Lord requests your presence¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± On hearing about the message from the tavern owner, Duanmu Huai paused. While this continent did have adventurers, there were no organizations such as the Adventurer Association. Typically, if adventurers wished to findmissions or work, they would approach the tavern¡¯s owner, who would usually get hold of bounty papers or rewards of some sort from the Lord¡¯s subordinates. Fuxis, where Duanmu Huai currently resided, was one of the nine territories in Sky Province. Located deep within a densely forested region, it wasn¡¯t easy to reach, but it was an excellent ce for recuperation. Thus, Duanmu Huai chose to stay in Fuxis during the time it took for the Thalmer to wage war. Of course, asionally he also undertook a fewmissions to exterminate brigands or to eliminate beasts the locals couldn¡¯t handle, earning him a fair amount of fame in the region. However¡­ why might the Lord be seeking him out? Could it be that he intends to ask him to investigate the murderers of the Thalmer Elves? As hrious as that sounds¡­ surely not? ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll check it out.¡± With that thought in mind, Duanmu Huai rose, exiting the tavern in thepany of Greiya, heading towards the Lord¡¯s Hall. Having stayed in Sky Province for this long, Duanmu Huai had developed a preliminary understanding of the ce. In simple words, it was ¡ª ¡®vast and sparsely popted¡¯. Take Sky Province for example, it was divided into nine territories controlled by nine lords, all of whom reported to the Supreme King of the Sky ¨C a fancy title when it essentially meant the Governor. As for the nine lords, they were equal to the mayors of nine cities. Typically, each domain governed by a lordprised a central city and two to three viges. Each vige inhabited by little less than a couple of hundred people and cities housing slightly more, but never exceeding a thousand individuals. One can imagine that with such a small poption, there were hardly any soldiers. A lord¡¯s direct force consisted of only a few hundred soldiers, and each vige¡¯s security team maxed out at a few dozen. Inparison, the Holy City Area where Lorena resided had a central city poption exceeding fifty thousand people, with surrounding towns and viges each amodating three to four thousand residents. Manaria¡¯s two central cities had a minimumbined poption of a hundred thousand, not to mention that the small towns and viges around had at least a poption of one or two thousand. @@novelbin@@ Even if they can¡¯t bepared to the modern megacities that have hundreds of millions of inhabitants, it is evident that Manaria and the Holy City are, at the very least considering the current level of civilization, head and shoulders above Sky Province ¨C even the Imperial ¨C in terms of both poption quantity and quality. In other words, the Imperial was just high onnd, and practically didn¡¯t have enough soldier reserves due to years of warfare. The same was true for Fuxis. The total poption of the entire city of Fuxis was less than three thousand, even less than the poption of a school during Duanmu Huai¡¯s era. Shortly after, both of them arrived at the Lord¡¯s Hall and met the lord of Fuxis, Sidger. Compared to other lords, Sidger was rtively young, looking to be in his twenties. The lordship was initially held by his uncle, but as his uncle aged, Sidger had be the new lord. Well, that wasn¡¯t important. ¡°Are you the Steel Warrior from the rumors?¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai, the young lord was taken aback. He widened his eyes in surprise, sizing Duanmu Huai up and down before nodding his head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a considerable number of rumors about you. I thought they would have been exaggerated, but it seems that might not be the case.¡± Duanmu Huai chose not to respond to Lord¡¯sment ¡ª that¡¯s the advantage of looking fierce after all, people would believe he had in a dragon. Indeed, he had killed before. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the point.¡± Saying this, Sidgerposed his expression, gazing seriously at Duanmu Huai as he exined hismission. In short, it was amission concerning the small town he governed ¡ª Locques. ording to Sidger, bizarre urrences had started in Locques several months ago. First, bodies in the graveyard began to disappear inexplicably. Their graves were dug up, and the bodies inside were nowhere to be found. When the furious townsfolk went looking for the graveyard¡¯s priest for answers, they found that the priest had also vanished. Afterwards, in an effort to figure out what was happening, the townspeople formed their own patrol groups to guard the town at night. Yet¡­ more people went missing. And so now, nearly the entire town had descended into a state of panic. Every night, people locked their doors tightly, not daring to step out, and they had sent a number of pleas for assistance to Sidger. ¡°Although I¡¯ve dispatched soldiers to investigate numerous times, suspecting that perhaps a necromancer was behind all this, we haven¡¯t managed to uncover anything. Not only that¡­ even my uncle was killed!¡± Say, at this point, a furious Sidger mmed his clenched fist down onto the armrest of his chair ¡ª during thest patrol, his uncle, a martial guard, had led a team to investigate. However, a day after his arrival, he was found silently deceased in his bed by a guard. ¡°This is a tant provocation against Lord Siefrig! We absolutely cannot tolerate such behavior!¡± Under such circumstances, Sidger, of course, wouldn¡¯t choose to back down. Coincidentally, he¡¯d recently heard about Duanmu Huai¡¯s deeds as a ¡°Steel Warrior,¡± and summoned him. ¡°My request is simple; thoroughly investigate this matter and find out who is responsible. The one who killed my uncle must also be apprehended. If you canplete this task, I will specially allocate a piece ofnd within Siefrig for you! And appoint you as a Baron!¡± Look, with an expanse and small poption,nd is easily given away. It¡¯s not worth much anyway, right? ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± While he wasn`t too concerned about the reward, Duanmu Huai was indeed interested in thismission. After all, wasn¡¯t such a storyline more interesting than dealing with bandits or wild beasts? ¡°Sir Knight, are we really going?¡± After leaving the Lord¡¯s Hall, Greiya looked somewhat pale. It¡¯s fair to say that the story told by Sidger had genuinely terrified her. ¡°Of course, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s interesting? Besides, we¡¯re free anyway, isn¡¯t it good to pass the time with such an interestingmission? Better than dealing with bandits and robbers.¡± ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± Duanmu Huai did not tell Greiya that the reason he epted thismission, aside from it being an interesting story, also triggered a system task prompt. [Activate Hidden Task ¡°Dark Haze¡±] [Task goal: Investigate the secret of Locques] [As you embark on this journey, you cannot imagine what you will face is no ordinary adventure.] Didn¡¯t you just spell it all out? Seeing the system prompt in front of him, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but retort silently. Regardless, it was clear that the events happening in Locques were not as simple as they seemed. Chapter 203 - 162 Dark Shadow (Ben Meow biting its tail and rolling)_1 Chapter 203: Chapter 162 Dark Shadow (Ben Meow biting its tail and rolling)_1 Locques town is located in the forest canyon to the west of Fuxis, a remote ce only connected to the outside world by a small road. The people here rely on crops, lumbering, and mining for a living. They have lived here generation after generation as ordinary civilians. They rise with the sun and rest at sunset, leading ordinary lives. Recently, however, the town was shrouded in a gloomy haze, making it hard to breathe¡ªas if the Shinigami had enveloped this area, and all life seemed to disappear utterly in its presence. ¡°Ahh¡­¡­¡± After a nce at the dusky sky outside, Old Bent sighed. The sun had just set, and by this time, people should have just finished work. Under regr circumstances, men carrying tools on their way home would be seen everywhere, with their wives and children waiting for them on the street. But now, the town was deserted with hardly a living soul in sight. Truth be told, if you stood at the doorway and looked out, you could even get the illusion that you were the only living person remaining in the entire vige. Maybe it wasn¡¯t an illusion. Maybe when you woke up tomorrow morning, you would find the entire vige empty, and perhaps there wouldn¡¯t be another living person left in the world, leaving you as thest living person on earth, and then¡­ there would only be death and destruction left. At this thought, Old Bent shuddered and shook his head, discarding the terrifying imagination. He then lit the oilmp, put it on the table next to him, and picked up the book. Perhaps reading would temporarily make him forget the nightmare that the town was currently experiencing. Maybe¡­ everything would be back to normal when he woke up tomorrow. ¡°Knock, knock, knock.¡± However, just then, there came a knocking sound. Hearing this, Old Bent¡¯s hands ckened in fright, and the book he had just picked up fell to the ground. ¡°Who, who is it?¡± Soon, a voice came from outside. ¡°Sorry for the disturbance. I¡¯m a traveler. Could I ask for some help¡­?¡± Traveler? At this, Old Bent tiptoed to the door and cautiously peered out through the crack. There, indeed, stood a small figure at the entrance, a red-haired girl with a big bag on her back and wearing a hat. She seemed a bit troubled and insecure. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve run out of provisions. If you could, could you sell me some dry food? I¡¯ve been to the inn, but they are closed¡­¡± Such a young girl. @@novelbin@@ Hearing this, Old Bent hesitated and sighed. He surely knew why the inn was closed, but it must be strange for a traveler from afar. At this thought, Old Bent extended his hand and carefully opened a sliver of the door. ¡°Miss, so you need¡­¡± However, before Old Bent could finish, suddenly a big hand stretched out from the side and pushed against the door. Before he could react, a powerful force pushed the door open, and he saw arge, shadowy figure appear in front of the girl, its crimson eyes shing with an eerie red light. It¡¯s a demon!! Seeing this, Old Bent opened his mouth to scream, but the giant iron hand covered his mouth. The next moment, this massive shadow bent over and squeezed in through the door. ¡°Phew¡­¡­.It was not easy to find someone who isn¡¯t dead.¡± Duanmu Huai practically bent over to enter the room, then lifted his head to take a breath. His head almost bumped against the ceiling. There was no helping it. Houses of this era were usually small. Even now, Duanmu Huai had to lower his head, truth be told. ¡°Honestly, Mr. Knight, why do you have to do it this way!¡± At this point, Greiya had scampered in after him and quickly closed the door before she startedining. ¡°I got no choice. People won¡¯t let me in when they see me. Without this approach, I couldn¡¯t even find anybody.¡± I think Mr. Knight would be better off changing his outfit¡­¡± Looking at Duanmu Huai in his ck Power Armor and skull-like helmet, Greiya murmured her suggestion. ¡°Should I go back and paint my armor pink?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡­.never mind.¡± After chatting casually with Greiya for a while, Duanmu Huai turned his attention back to Old Bent. Thetter¡¯s face had turned pale, he was covered in sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot. It was no wonder¡ªsuddenly confronted by the giant ck steel figure holding him in its grip, Old Bent felt that it could crush his skull with a slight squeeze! ¡°Listen, I have something to ask you. As long as you answer obediently, you¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a devil or a demon. I¡¯m just an adventurer,missioned by Lord Frederick, here to conduct an investigation. Do you understand? If you do, nod.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..!!!¡± Old Bent used all his strength to nod, and only then did Duanmu Huai ce him on the ground and release his grip. Chapter 204 - 162 Dark Shadow (Ben Meow biting its tail and rolling)_2 Chapter 204: Chapter 162 Dark Shadow (Ben Meow biting its tail and rolling)_2 Almost the next moment, Old Bent copsed onto the floor, unable to even crawl up. ¡°Did I scare you? Sorry, because nobody else would open the door no matter how we exined earlier, we had to resort to this. Apologies.¡± ¡°You¡­you really are adventurers here to investigate?¡± Old Bent took a breath to calm himself and fearfully looked towards Duanmu Huai and then at Greiya ¨C there was a colossal gap between the two! ¡°Yes, as you can see, I have no reason to lie to you, sir.¡± Duanmu Huai sat down on the floor, eyeing Old Bent. ¡°If we were really some kind of demon, we¡¯d have chopped you up and eaten you by now. Why would we still be here chitchatting with you?¡± ¡°Wait, Sir Knight, that¡¯s not a very good way to say it¡­¡± Hearing what Duanmu Huai said, Greiya hurriedly tried to say something, but Duanmu Huai just stretched out his hand and grabbed hold of Greiya¡¯s tail, gently rubbed the underbelly of her tail, and the next moment, Greiya moaned softly and copsed, showing no more movement. ¡°Alright, the troublemaker is quiet now.¡± After a nce at Greiya, Duanmu Huai shifted his focus back to Old Bent. ¡°Mind telling me about what happened earlier?¡± ¡°Of, of course, what would you like to know?¡± Although Old Bent was still somewhat terrified of Duanmu Huai, he thought there might be hope this time because the adventurers who came were so¡­out of the ordinary. Maybe they could really solve the problem this town was facing? ¡°Start from the beginning, when did you notice something was wrong? What were the symptoms?¡± ¡°O-ok, I¡¯ll tell you all I know.¡± Old Bent took a deep breath, nodded vigorously, and after a brief moment of recollection, he began to speak. ¡°The way I see it, it all began around two months ago¡­ I can¡¯t remember exactly which day it was. I only remember that the carpenter, Carl, died that day¡­¡± ¡°Died? How did he die?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Old Bent shook his head. ¡°Indeed, it was strange. Carl went to cut wood in the mountains that day. He returned for lunch, rested, and by the afternoon we heard his wife crying that Carl was dead¡­ We were all shocked. After all, he had been perfectly fine at lunch, and he just suddenly died¡­¡± ¡°What was the cause of death?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Priest Allen, who was responsible for taking care of the corpse, couldn¡¯t figure it out either. There were no visible injuries, only suspicions of poisoning or something else¡­¡± Recalling the events of that day, a long sigh escaped from Old Bent. ¡°I attended Carl¡¯s burial that night. The way Carly in the coffin looked as if he were asleep. To be honest, I wondered if he was simply asleep at the time. However, he wasn¡¯t breathing¡­ Plus, his body was as cold as a block of ice. That¡¯s not a human body temperature.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°And then?¡± ¡°Then¡­ strange things started happening.¡± Old Bent shivered as he recounted. ¡°Strange indeed. Two dayster, Carl¡¯s wife also died. No one knew how she died. Her best friend went to visit her, but when the friend knocked on the door and got no answer, she looked inside through the window to see herying on the bed. Eventually, with everyone¡¯s help, the door was opened, only to find her already dead on the bed. As for how she died¡­no one knows.¡± As he narrated, Old Bent sighed helplessly. ¡°Everyone assumed that Carl¡¯s wife was overwhelmed with grief and had possibly consumed poison, leading to her death. Therefore, she was immediately buried. But then¡­¡± ¡°Let me guess, the next one to die wasn¡¯t the good friend, was it?¡± Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows, and hearing his words, Greiya curled up even more. Old Bent responded with a heavy nod. ¡°Indeed, right after that, that good friend also died! By then, people in the town were starting to feel uneasy. After all, three people they all knew died in just a few days. Everyone felt something was off. We even asked the priest for help, but there was still no resolution. No one knew what was going on. The day after her good friend¡¯s funeral, her mother imed that her daughter came back to visit her that night¡­ She said it was so cold in the cemetery, she wanted toe out¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Now, Greiya was even more terrified. After all, this wasn¡¯t just a ghost story, it was something that actually happened! ¡°Then the mother of the friend died too?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ the day after she said those words, she died.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°At that time, we all panicked. After that, no one dared to go out. But after a few days, when no further deaths urred, people began to rx and return to work. But then, we received news from the mine that the miners had been attacked by wild beasts. Of the five who had gone underground, only one survived. But when the miner woke up, he said¡­ what they encountered was not any beast, but the very people they had just buried, like Carl!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°At that time, everyone was afraid to go down into the mine, so we sent for the Lord. Later, the Lord did send people over who searched all over the mine, but they found nothing. The leader of the group, after hearing about Carl and the others, felt that something was strange. He went to the cemetery and dug up their graves, and then people made a staggering discovery¡­ ¡± Recalling that sight, Old Bent involuntarily swallowed. ¡°The bodies of Carl and the others were gone! And there was a hole beneath each casket, making it clear that they used this hole to dig a tunnel and escape!¡± ¡°Beneath the coffin?¡± At this point, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s beneath? Not above?¡± ¡°It¡¯s beneath, I¡¯m sure.¡± Old Bent nodded firmly. ¡°Everyone was scared out of their wits at the time. Some suggested that Carl and the others had turned into ghouls. So, initially, the soldiers patrolled. But when they had no results, they returned, and we formed our own patrol team to patrol. But then¡­¡± As he said this, Old Bent rolled up his sleeve to reveal a long scar clearly visible on his arm. ¡°You were attacked?¡± ¡°Yes, they suddenly lunged out from the fog. We had no idea what was happening, and then several people were dragged away. My quick reaction helped me dodge in time, otherwise, I might also have been one of those dragged away. But, after that, people were too scared to go out again and had to ask the Lord to send more guards. This time, the leader was said to be a guard from the Lord¡¯s side, but he was¡­ he was killed.¡± ¡°Killed? Are you sure? Not like the others who died of unknown causes?¡± ¡°I merely heard. ¡± Old Bent shook his head. ¡°ording to the guard who was responsible for watching over him, it seemed like he was in his sleep when his throat was cut, and the dagger was deliberately left by his side¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± After listening to this, Duanmu Huai nodded. He had felt earlier that Lord Frederick was a little vague about it. It now seemed more like a warning or show of power. Otherwise, why would the murder weapon be left at the crime scene, right? @@novelbin@@ ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡± At that moment, Old Bent had narrated all he knew. Duanmu Huai paused to reflect for a while and then nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on then.¡± ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± In response to Greiya¡¯s query, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re obviously going to the cemetery.¡± ¡°¡­¡­. Eh?!!¡± Chapter 205 - 163: A Terrifying Encounter in the Cemetery_1 Chapter 205: Chapter 163: A Terrifying Encounter in the Cemetery_1 To be honest, visiting a cemeteryte at night isn¡¯t a pleasant experience. Going after hearing ghost stories makes it even worse. ¡°Couldn¡¯t wee back during the day?¡± Standing behind Duanmu Huai, Greiya looked around nervously and whispered, herpanion Old Bent sweating profusely and nodding in agreement. ¡°Are you kidding, we¡¯re not here for fun but to investigate, what if we scare something away if we wait until daylight?¡± Something?! After hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Greiya fell silent and didn¡¯t dare to speak further. ¡°But speaking of which ¡­ this cemetery is indeed quiterge¡­¡± Standing at the entrance of the cemetery, Duanmu Huai curiously peered inside, the whole cemetery was engulfed in silence under the moonlight. A faint fog drifted about, other than that, there were no sounds at all. It felt as if they had entered the Land of Dead Silence. Moreover, as Duanmu Huai pointed out, the cemetery was vast, almost asrge as a small town. ¡°There¡¯s no helping it; many lives were lost in the war against the elves¡­¡± Speaking of this topic, Old Bent also seemed rather mncholic. ¡°At that time, most of the town¡¯s young folks went off to war, but only a few came back¡­ s¡­¡± ¡°Such is the nature of war.¡± Duanmu Huai took a nce at the cemetery ahead and withdrew his gaze. ¡°Then, lead us to the graves of the four victims.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Under Old Bent¡¯s guidance, the trio arrived at a tomb in the depth of the cemetery. The tomb had already been dug up, and around it, piles of dirt and tools like iron spades were visible. It seemed as though the job had been abandoned halfway through. Looking closely at the surroundings, Duanmu Huai started asking questions. ¡°Doesn¡¯t anyone manage this ce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid no one dared toe in recently, so it was left as is.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Upon hearing Old Bent¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai nodded. He turned on a shlight, illuminating the dark grave. Inside the grave was an ordinary wooden coffin. Duanmu Huai reached out, lifted the coffin¡¯s lid, and saw an empty coffin, along with¡­ arge hole. ¡°So you¡¯re saying the bodies escaped through this hole?¡± Duanmu Huai pointed at the hole at the head of the coffin and asked Old Bent. The hole looked slightlyrger than a human head, as if it had been dug out by a beast. It was pitch ck inside, and they couldn¡¯t see anything, even with the shlight. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s interesting.¡± Duanmu Huai raised his head, giving a chuckle. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s inspect the other three graves.¡± Soon, they had inspected the other three graves, and all of them were just like the first one. Something had dug a hole from underneath, through the top of the coffin, and then ran off with the bodies. At least from what they currently saw, those bodies had indeed disappeared into the hole, their whereabouts unknown. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After inspecting the four graves, Duanmu Huai pondered a bit and then looked to the side. ¡°Have you ever dug up these graves?¡± @@novelbin@@ ¡°Of course not.¡± Old Bent shook his head vigorously and then looked at Duanmu Huai as if he had thought of something disturbing. ¡°Are you suggesting that the bodies in these graves might have also¡­¡± ¡°What a waste of effort to dig a long tunnel just to steal four bodies. That¡¯s boring. If it were me, I¡¯d steal more since I¡¯m at it.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai walked up to a nearby grave and reached out his hand. Immediately, the soil on the grave rolled away due to the effects of the Gravity Gloves. Old Bent watched in surprise, quickly covering his mouth to stifle any sounds. Greiya, on the other hand, hid behind Duanmu Huai, barely daring to stare at the grave. Despite being a dragonkin and a mage, she had never done something like digging up graves in a cemetery in the middle of the night! At this moment, Greiya remembered what Ann had said to her before they set out. ¡°It¡¯s never boring with Sir Knight. It¡¯s super exciting and fun! Try it, and you¡¯ll know!¡± Okay¡­ digging up graves in a cemetery in the middle of the night was indeed super exciting, but not at all fun! Although Greiya was screaming inside, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care about her fragile heart. He reached out, lifted the coffin¡¯s lid once again, and found¡­ it was empty. ¡°How could this be!?¡± Upon seeing this, Old Bent couldn¡¯t help but exim. As a long-term resident, Old Bent naturally had a good understanding of the town. The owner of this grave had passed away from illness two years ago, and his body, strangely, was nowhere to be found? What¡¯s more, atop his coffin, another hole had been excavated!! No, could it be¡­ Thinking of this, Old Bent cast his eyes around the cemetery, swallowing nervously. Could all of the cemetery have been hollowed out? No, that¡¯d be an exaggeration!! Earlier, Duanmu Huai had said that the cemetery was nearly asrge as the town, which wasn¡¯t an exaggeration considering the increasing number of deceased. Even though the dead didn¡¯t need as much space as the living, each grave was not exactly small. The cemetery probably contained several hundreds of bodies, and could it be that¡­ all of them had been taken away? Impossible, there were people who had been dead for centuries and likely had nothing but bones remaining. However, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care what Old Bent thought. He excavated the neighboring graves one by one, and, shockingly, found that the bodies inside, regardless of how long they had been dead, were allrgely gone! ¡°Interesting, why on earth would someone want so many bones?¡± Looking at the dates on the tombstones before him, and at the empty graves, Duanmu Huai was speechless. Whoever did this didn¡¯t let go of even ten-year-old skeletons. Was the perpetrator nning to let his dog chew on the bones or make bone broth? Although the system hinted earlier that this mission would not be simple, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t expect it to be so bizarre. ¡°Well, let¡¯s check out thisst grave.¡± At this point, Duanmu Huai had dug all the way to the edge of the row, the part nearest to the cemetery boundary. He had now examined all the graves in this row, finding each and every one of them empty. The next one would likely be the same¡­ huh? But just as Duanmu Huai was about to open the coffin as usual, he felt something was off. Could there be a chance of encountering something this time? With this in mind, Duanmu Huai grabbed the coffin lid and lifted it off. ¡°Ah!¡± Upon seeing the content of the coffin, Greiya screamed, while Old Bent copsed onto the ground in shock. No wonder they were so frightened. Unlike the others, this coffin was not empty. There was actually a person inside! The corpse belonged to a man who appeared to be in his forties or fifties. He wore a yellow robe, his eyes wide, and his face contorted in extreme pain. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s the priest!¡± Recognizing the man in the coffin, Old Bent couldn¡¯t help but scream. ¡°The priest? You mean the one who tended to the cemetery and then went missing?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, why would he be here?¡± Looking at the corpse, Old Bent mumbled to himself. When the priest disappeared, many suspected that he might be behind the strange urrences. But who could have foreseen that he would be dead and buried in a grave? However, the truly unexpected were just beginning. Suddenly, the priest¡¯s corpse twitched. Seeing this, Greiya screamed, clutching Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand tightly in fright. ¡°Sir Knight, he moved!¡± ¡°I saw, can you stop being so nervous?¡± Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes at Greiya. In this world, the existence of demons and monsters was normal. You are a mage yourself, can you pull yourself together? Although Manaria didn¡¯t seem to have necromancers, you shouldn¡¯t be so unfamiliar with the undead¡­ right? However, Duanmu Huai soon discovered that the corpse in front of him seemed different. The man¡¯s mouth was slowly widening, like he wanted to say something. Wait, can the dead speak? As Duanmu Huai gazed intently, the priest¡¯s mouth opened wider and wider, and then ¡ª a chubby, furry rat crawled out. It lifted its head, staring at everyone, and squeaked. Simultaneously, the priest¡¯s whole body began to convulse. Then, like a gushing fountain, dozens of rats climbed out from the priest¡¯s mouth and other openings in his body. In a blink of an eye, the grave was nearly filled with rats. ¡°Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!¡± The sight of hundreds of scurrying rats filled them with dread. Not only that, they now noticed that all the other graves they had previously excavated were also gushing out rats in torrents. Even the unopened graves nearby were stirring ominously as though something was moving beneath. Suddenly, without warning, a sinkhole appeared, followed by countless rats bursting out. They spread out like ck floodwater in every direction. At this sight, Greiya¡¯s already taut nerves finally snapped. ¡°Nooooo!!¡± Along with an earth-shattering scream, a scorching me suddenly erupted and surged into the grave before them. In the blink of an eye, the rats inside, along with the priest¡¯s corpse, were incinerated. Furthermore, the me emitted from Greiya¡¯s right hand, transformed into a dragon¡¯s w, directly reached into the underground tunnel below. Then, the cemetery ground shook. Afterwards, a massive sinkhole appeared, swallowing the three of them whole in an instant! Chapter 206 - 164 Ancient Tomb’s Evil Shadow_1 Chapter 206: Chapter 164 Ancient Tomb¡¯s Evil Shadow_1 ¡°Boom!!!¡± The earth broke into pieces, the ground copsed, and in the next instant, the three of them directly plunged into the dark abyss. Duanmu Huai reacted quickly, stretching out his hands and grabbing Old Bent and Greiya with one hand each. The jetpack on his back immediately fired, rapidly emitting a stream of air that halted their further descent, they then slowlynded on the ground. ¡°Bang!!¡± The heavy Power Armor collided with the ground, emitting a low sound. Duanmu Huai then let go, allowing Old Bent and Greiya to stand. It wasn¡¯t until now that Greiya seemed to understand what she¡¯d done, and she hurriedly stood, incessantly apologizing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, Sir Knight, I¡¯m sorry¡­ It was my fault¡­¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s not solely your fault.¡± Duanmu Huai replied casually while observing the surroundings. ¡°Seems like those goddamn mice have been hollowing out the ground here for some time, otherwise, it would not have turned into this.¡± ¡°Right, the mice!!¡± Hearing this, Old Bent also immediately regained his senses. ¡°Where are the mice?¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably all dead.¡± Duanmu Huai clearly knew the power of Greiya¡¯s previous burst of fire. His Power Armor had even issued a warning when Greiya released the fire. The Power Armor was a type of equipment specially made for space warfare. Under normal circumstances, ordinary fire couldn¡¯t possibly cause damage to Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor. Judging by the rm triggered by Greiya¡¯s fire, it was likely that those mice were destroyed without a trace. However, soon after, under the illumination of the spotlight, Duanmu Huai discovered something unusual. ¡°Hm? It seems this ce is quite interesting too.¡± Speaking, Duanmu Huai raised his head. With this action, the spotlight¡¯s white light shone directly onto the wall in front of them. Under the illumination of the spotlight, they could vaguely see the stone-carved walls and a half-copsed gate¡­ ¡°Sir Knight, what is this?¡± ¡°In short, it¡¯s definitely not built by those mice.¡± Duanmu Huai walked over and took a closer look. Then he reached out, forcefully prying open the iron door blocking the entrance, revealing the dark passage inside. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡± Under the lead of Duanmu Huai, the three of them walked into the passage. Fortunately, the passage was rtively spacious, at least it allowed Duanmu Huai to walk straight up inside it. Illuminated by the spotlight, they could see several rectangr holes on both sides of the passage, and in the holes, there were piles of bones. ¡°Seems like, this should be an underground tomb.¡± Duanmu Huai observed the surroundings and made a judgement, then he looked at Old Bent. ¡°Did you know about this underground tomb?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard that there is indeed a Nord Cemetery near the town, but no one has ever been there, because such ces are usually haunted by the undead¡­¡± Old Bent replied, terror-stricken as he looked around, not daring to say much. ¡°Well, seems like you built your cemetery on top of someone else¡¯s.¡± Duanmu Huai made a casual remark and continued walking forward, while Old Bent and Greiya followed him without uttering a word. No doubt, this underground cemetery was massive. Piles of bones, even some mummified corpses could be seen everywhere in the holes along the corridor. They were all fully armed, holdingrge swords, standing in the niches at the corners of the corridor, just like living guards, still guarding this cold, dead world. ¡°Sir Knight, where are we going?¡± Greiya asked in a cautious whisper. Duanmu Huai, without turning his head, focused on the road ahead and replied. ¡°We need to observe closely, this underground tomb must have some secret. Also, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s just a coincidence, there must be some connection.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Ahh!!¡± However, before Greiya could finish her words, a sinister feeling suddenly emerged, causing her to freeze. ¡°Sir Knight, please stop grabbing my tail!¡± ¡°I¡¯m in front of you, how could I grab your tail?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At this point, Greiya realized that indeed, Duanmu Huai had been walking in front of her all along, then who was the one who had been grabbing her tail¡­ Fearing for her life, Greiya turned her head. A desated corpse was slowly emerging from the hollow, its eyes glimmering with blue luminescence, clutching a giant sword and coldly staring at the intruder within its presence. @@novelbin@@ ¡°A m-monster!¡± Greiya¡¯s terrified shriek echoed in their surroundings. In the next moment, her long, thick tail was mmed directly into the undead mummy, shattering its form into pieces and sending it crashing clumsily into the wall, motionless. But this seemed to awaken the rest of the undead. One by one, from all sides, undead returned to life bearing shields, battle axes, giant swords, and long bows, emanating spectral blue lights from their eyes. Duanmu Huaiughed coldly in response, pulling the Thunder Warhammer from his back. ¡°Good, always ying ghost house games was somewhat tiring. Let¡¯s have warm-up exercise!¡± As for Old Bent, he seemed to have suffered all the thrilling experiences of his lifetime this night. Though surrounded by the undead Nords, truthfully, Old Bent was already in despair. After all, they were only three against several dozen fully armed undead soldiers, a battle seemingly impossible to win. However, the reality was far beyond Old Bent¡¯s expectations. The man d in ck armor, tall as a giant, crushed the undead into pieces with rxed swings of his war hammer. The arrows shot by the Nord undead could not even pierce his heavy armor. Even the previously terrified young girl seemed to have found her courage. Old Bent saw her right hand mutate into a form resembling a lizardman¡¯s w, swinging at the enemies before her while engulfed in mes. Every sweep of her hand annihted the undead soldiers in her path. Had he not witnessed all this personally, Old Bent would never have believed it. He had lived many years and met several adventurers, but he had never met anyone as formidable as them. ¡°Ha!!¡± Greiya let out a roar, her right fist collided with the undead soldier who had swiftly raised his shield in defense. But her punch casually tore through the soldier¡¯s defense, knocking him flying into the mes, turning them into ashes. ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡± Greiya finally breathed a sigh of relief as thest foe fell. At that moment, a voice sounded next to her. ¡°Are you feeling calm now?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing the voice, Greiya turned her gaze towards Duanmu Huai, who stood next to her. Their eyes were locked, and she blushed a bit, nervously looking down. ¡°Yeah, sir knight¡­ I apologize for my previous panic.¡± True, as a student of the Manaria Magic Academy, she was not naturally afraid of ghosts. However, the various strange events she had encountered tonight while with Duanmu Huai had even disturbed the usually calm Greiya. Especially those rats¡­ it still sent shivers down her spine when she thought about them. After the battle, Greiya definitely felt less panicked than before. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it; just calm down,¡± Duanmu Huai reassured her, patting Greiya on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and your mistake actually helped us find some clues.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± After the sudden interruption, they all continued onward. However, the further they proceeded, the more Greiya¡¯s expression seemed tense. ¡°Knight sir, I smell a strong¡­ scent of blood.¡± ¡°It seems like we are heading in the right direction then.¡± Upon hearing Greiya¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the war hammer, squinting his eyes, and vigntly watched ahead. Soon, they crossed the corridor and reached the massive stone door at the end. The door was unlike the others. It was locked by some special mechanism with three owl, bird, and bear engravings embedded around an inset that looked like a ce for a key. Clearly, if this were some adventure game, they might need to find a key to unlock this strange three-ring stone door. But, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care about these trifles. He signaled Greiya and Old Bent to back off, then retreated a few steps, let out a roar, and his jetpack burst, propelling him mercilessly forward. Immediately after, Duanmu Huai charged at the stone door like an angry rhino, smashing through it effortlessly! ¡°Boom!!!!!¡± Such was the might of Duanmu Huai¡¯s blow, the door frame was ripped apart, and the dozens of centimeters thick stone door was split into fragments that soared into the air. Duanmu Huai then stormed into the secret chamber, and the sight before him finally came into view. At the center of the chamber was a red crystal, glimmering brightly. At this moment, it was bursting with a foreboding power, red thunderbolts scattered from the center of the crystal. Around the crystal, kneeling on the floor etched with bewildering, array-like markings, were several figures in ck robes who looked like the cultists of the Evil God. These cultists were chanting some spells in unison, raising their hands high, blood flowing like water, seeping into the markings on the floor, taking the form of some special pattern. Although Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know what these cultists were up to, he knew it wasn¡¯t good! ¡°Greiya, protect Old Bent! I¡¯ll deal with these bastards!¡± Duanmu Huai roared, brandishing his Thunder Warhammer, and rushed towards the array! Chapter 207 - 165: Prisoner_1 Chapter 207: Chapter 165: Prisoner_1 When fighting, Duanmu Huai always believed in being swift, urate, and ruthless. Due to his size, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t really resort to sneaking attacks during battle. Therefore, his best strategy was always to charge directly at them, intimidate his opponents, and disrupt their gathering while they still hadn¡¯t fully react. As for other things¡­he¡¯d figure it out after the disruption!! As it turned out, Duanmu Huai¡¯s strategy worked magnificently. The individuals busy with the ritualpletely didn¡¯t seeing the heavy stone door being violently smashed open, giving them quite the fright. Before they could snap out of it, Duanmu Huai, with the assistance of his jetpack, catapulted into the air, crashed into the ritual area like a massive stone flung from a trebuchet. Then he gripped his war hammer tightly and swung it hard, sending several ritual participants flying against the wall, where they fell silent after their cries of agony. A few robed men standing by reacted to this and rushed towards Duanmu Huai with their weapons. However, fast as they were, their weapons did no good against the sturdy power armor, not even leaving a scratch despite the nging noises. Seizing this opportunity, Duanmu Huai once again wheeled both his hands around holding the war hammer, sending other enemies at his sides flying. Meanwhile, with angry barks, several ck evil hounds lunged at him from all directions. But even before they could show their brutality, Duanmu Huai kicked them into meat paste with just one foot. With the participants of the ritual cleared out by Duanmu Huai, the ongoing ritual was undeniably interrupted. The blood flowing around started to boil, and the floating blood-red crystal in the center started to gradually darken and fall to the ground. ¡°You damned bastard!!¡± Seeing this, the robed man on the high tform let out a roar. He threw up his hands, his eyes shining brightly. As the robed man made his move, all the graves around them exploded one after another. Following that, dozens of pale-white, gruesome creatures emerged, looking like a blend of human and bat with their bodies all draped in dead skin that you could almost see the green, robust blood vessels inside, devoid of any fresh blood, wriggling about.
The faces of these monsters also resembled the hybrid of human and bat. Though they still had features of human faces, their teeth, ears, and mouth all looked like those of bats. ¡°It¡¯s Carl!!¡± Seeing one of the monsters, Old Bent screamed out loud. He grabbed Greiya tightly with one hand, pointed at the front with the other, his face pale and his body trembling. Though they had already guessed that the missing vigers wouldn¡¯t find a good end, they didn¡¯t expect them to be transformed into these grotesque creatures! Apanying the appearance of these monsters, countless undead soldiers emerged. The scattered white bones on the ground, as if attracted by some powerful force, started to condense rapidly, forming numerous skeleton soldiers,pletely surrounding Duanmu Huai. Seeing all this, the robed man showed a chillingly ruthless smile. ¡°Damned human, how dare you interrupt my ritual. Now, feel the real taste of destion¡­¡­¡± But he didn¡¯t finish what he was saying. Duanmu Huai nced around his surrounding undead army and monsters, sneered and raised his right foot for a heavy stomp! [Soul me]! Centered on Duanmu Huai, a holy power-infused, pure white me burst out instantly, filling the entire hall in the blink of an eye. Under the impact of Soul me, all the surrounding undead and monsters fell to the ground in an instant. The blinding brilliance forced the taken-by-surprise robed man to instinctively raise his hand to his face. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± The robed man scorched by Soul me fell to his knees, groaning in pain. Then his body was suddenly covered by pitch-ck fog, and his clothespletely dissolved in that instant. What reced it was a tall, ck figure with the head like a goat and bat wings, revealing its sharp fangs as it opened its mouth. ¡°You, how do you dare¡­¡­.!!!¡± However, the robed man¡¯s rage ended right there. Because at that exact moment, Duanmu Huai, who had rushed in front of the robed man, raised his war hammer and smashed it down hard on his distorted, dog-like, goat-like head. ¡°St!!¡± The robed man¡¯s head burst like a watermelon, his body shivered before entirely turning into a pool of blood water. ¡°Good, done.¡± Duanmu Huai put away his war hammer, nodding in satisfaction. At present, there wasn¡¯t a single living enemy remaining in the hall. Those mutated monsters and undead soldiers were all burnt to a crisp by the Soul me, and the one who orchestrated it all ¡ª¡ª the robed man had his head smashed thoroughly by Duanmu Huai¡¯s hammer. Well, while he wasn¡¯t sure what that guy was doing, at least for now, he seemed to have stopped his further actions. ¡°Are you alright, Mr. knight?¡± Right at this moment, Greiya and Old Bent cautiously entered the ritual hall. Looking at the scene around them, they couldn¡¯t help but gasp. After all, describing this ce as strewn with dead bodies wouldn¡¯t be the slightest exaggeration, and the fact that this was all done by Duanmu Huai alone was even more¡­unbelievable. ¡°I¡¯m fine, this kind of trick still can¡¯t trouble me.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. To him, the enemies on this continent were basically unchallenging. Well¡­if he were seeking a challenge, perhaps he would need to fight the demon god in the Obliteration Domain. ¡°However, speaking of which, what exactly are these guys trying to do with such a big fuss?¡± Duanmu Huai looked at the headless monster curiously. Just when he was about to search for some clues around to figure out what these people were doing, all of a sudden, a voice rang out.@@novelbin@@ ¡°If you wish to know, I can help you, the mighty Steel Warrior.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing the voice, Duanmu Huai looked up, only to find a man in a dark blue robe locked in a corner cell of the hall. He looked thin and exhausted. ¡°Praise Stendarr, it seems I¡¯m indeed blessed.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Duanmu Huai approached the cage, curiously examining the other party. ¡°I am the Watchman of Stendar, Grey Pasht.¡± ¡°The Watchman of Stendar, oh¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing the other¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai thought for a moment before nodding with a sudden realization. In the Empire of this continent, there are nine officially designated deities, also known as the Nine Spirits. They are: Time Dragon God Akatosh. God of Reincarnation Arkay. Goddess of Beauty Dibe. God of Wisdom Julianos. God of Breath, Kyne. Goddess of Love, Mara. God of Justice, Stendar. God of Prosperity, Zenithar. And¡­¡­ the unfortunate Talos, the God of Man and War, forbidden by elves. Certainly, aside from these nine officially designated spirits, there are sixteen demon gods, but that¡¯s not presently important. The Watchmen of Stendar are followers of the Hand of Justice, Stendar, mainly responsible for hunting demon beasts, including vampires, undead, werewolves, and the like¡­ Yes, they could be considered colleagues of the Judges. And then, Grey shared his experiences with Duanmu Huai ¨C like all Watchmen, Grey had been tracking and killing vampires. However, on his journey, he was suddenly besieged by a group of vampires. Grey¡¯srades were killed, and he was captured and brought here. ording to Grey, these vampires seemed to need the heart of devout followers for their sphemous and evil rituals. However, now it seemed¡­ there was likely no continuation of these rituals. ¡°Do you know what they intend to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but I know what that thing is.¡± While saying this, Grey looked towards the mysterious artifact dropped in the center of the ritual site, a stone sculpture resembling the sun. In the middle of the sculpture, the crystal part was radiating a gloomy red light. ¡°That is the Star of Azura, a divine artifact of the Demon God Azura, used for storing and trapping souls.¡± ¡°So, these vampires n on imprisoning human souls?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± Grey shook his head. ¡°ording to my observations, these vampires seem to be aiming to transform the Star of Azura into a special container¡­ this ritual was the preparation for that. As for what they really want to do¡­ probably no one knows.¡± ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± Duanmu Huai stepped forward, picking up the Star of Azura that had fallen on the ground. Now this strange object was still shimmering with a bright red light around it, much like the flow of fresh blood. ¡°I suggest you return it to Azura for her to purify this star. Regardless of what the vampires want to do with it, Azura can stop them.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Isn¡¯t Azura a demon god?¡± If Duanmu Huai remembered correctly, Azura was one of the sixteen demon gods ¡­¡­. ¡°Although Azura is a demon god, she is not an evil deity. Whatever these vampires want to do, Azura will certainly not allow them to seed.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­¡± After hearing Grey¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s go see this demon god.¡± If need be, they could always fight. Chapter 208 - 166: Unexpected Information_1 Chapter 208: Chapter 166: Unexpected Information_1 The events in Locques Town havee to an end, but the mission is far from over. At the very least, all Duanmu Huai knows right now is that the vampires have conducted some sort of ritual here, trying to modify the Divine Artifact known as the Star of Azura. However, the reason why they picked Locques Town remains uncertain. Maybe it¡¯s simply because it¡¯s remote and unlucky? Anyway, for now, the danger facing Locques Town has been removed. After returning to the surface, Duanmu Huai lets Old Bent negotiate with the townsfolk and sends someone to inform the local Lord about the situation, while they, along with the Watchman, set out for Azura¡¯s altar. The altar of Azura is located on top of the mountain, surrounded by snow. Passages there are difficult due to the snow umtion, but this is the least of Grey¡¯s concerns. ¡°In fact, these abnormal behaviors of the vampires did not start just now. About two months ago, we noticed that the vampires have begun to frequently appear in various towns. This is quite inconsistent with their usual propensity to hide from the world.¡± The Watchman begins to speak in a low voice as they trudge up the mountain. ¡°Therefore, we believed that the vampires were likely nning something significant. However¡­not everyone trusts our judgment. Some senior members of the Hall of the Watchmen believed the vampires are just causing asional disturbances. In their opinion, these vampires have always been erratic¡ªstaying quiet for a while before suddenly causing strange troubles.¡± At this, the Watchman clenches his fists. ¡°But now, the situation has obviously changed. These vampires even created so many hounds and conjured arge number of undying spirits. This is definitely not a small disturbance; they are certainly nning something big!¡±@@novelbin@@ Just at this moment, the statue of Azuraes into sight. Atop the lofty mountains, a female statue over ten meters tall stands. In her left hand, she holds the moon, and in her right, the sun and the stars. She is the Mother of Roses, the Queen of the Night Sky, the goddess of dawn and dusk¡ªAzura.
Standing in front of Azura¡¯s altar is a priestess d in a ck robe. She stands at the end of the steps, looking at the arriving group. ¡°Azura has foreseen your arrival. Adventurers, it is not curiosity that has brought you here, but the arrangement of destiny.¡± ¡°Fine, whatever you say.¡± For the priestess¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t say much. Truthfully, many Demons or Demigods like to torment yers in this manner. For instance, a certain God of Trickery likes to pop up after the yer has everything sorted out and tell them it¡¯s not a coincidence. Everything is going ording to n, everything is destiny¡¯s arrangement, and you cannot escape destiny or the n, no matter what. In the beginning, yers would be infuriated, but after multiple experiences, yers have developed their own coping mechanisms. Likening it to this priestess professing it was destiny, hey, we wouldn¡¯t know. You said you foresaw ouring, but how would we know what our destiny is? You say everything is going ording to n, but we really don¡¯t know what your n is. So the root of it is, we don¡¯t know anything, be it n or destiny, what concern is it of ours? So the only coping mechanism for yers when encountering such situations in the future is one. Yeah, okay okay okay. No matter what the other party says, just y along, don¡¯t bother arguing. Whether you say it¡¯s destiny or ording to the n, whatever you say is right, okay? ¡°It seems to be your master¡¯s possession.¡± Duanmu Huai took out the Star of Azura, which emitted a red glow, and passed it over. The priestess on the other side took the Star of Azura, reverently ced it on the altar, and then raised both hands. ¡°Azura, Mother of Dawn Star, goddess of dusk and dawn, the warrior you chose has returned your stars to you!¡± Then, the priestess kept silent for a moment, then turned to look at Duanmu Huai. ¡°She wishes to speak with you personally. So please ce your hand on the altar, and you will be able to hear her divine decrees.¡± ¡°¡­Alright, I¡¯d like to hear what she has to say.¡± While saying so, Duanmu Huai reached out and ced his hand on the altar. But what he heard first was an exmation¡ªfollowed by an earth-shattering roar. After a brief moment, a woman¡¯s voice finally reached Duanmu Huai¡¯s ears. ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine that there would be such a being in the mortal world. Even in the Domain of Oblivion, I¡¯ve never seen one like you¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s all you wanted to talk to me about, then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s face fell slightly upon hearing this. He could somewhat guess that Azura had been shivering a bit from his Fearful Aura just now. However¡­if we avoid the topic, we can still be friends, Sis. ¡°¡­Then, let me tell you what you want to know.¡± Azura seemed to consider her earlier reaction a little exaggerated, smoothly passed over the awkward round, acting as if nothing had happened. ¡°The Star of Azura is my Divine Artifact. It can absorb the souls of any non-sentient beings without limit and store them. However, the Bloodline is trying to modify it, turning it into a being that can control all the souls it absorbs¡­¡± Chapter 209 - 166 Unexpected Information_2 Chapter 209: Chapter 166 Unexpected Information_2 ¡°So, you mean, that bunch of vampires n to use this modified Star of Azura to absorb the soul of some guy and then control it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I mean.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯ve gone this far in the conversation, why don¡¯t we spit out everything? Miss Azura? I¡¯ll say it straight, what I hate the most are those prophecies that y mind games and aren¡¯t clear, so please exin in straightforwardnguage, thank you.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s blunt words, Azura couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a being like you. I can also sense the power of destruction burning inside you¡­¡­.Alright, since you said so, I¡¯ll provide some information.¡± At this point, Azura¡¯s voice once again became serious. ¡°The demon gods intend to journey into thend beyond the domain.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.huh?¡±
Hearing Azura¡¯s exnation, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean.¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Not long ago, the soul of a dragon from an aliennd came to the Obliteration Domain.¡± Azura continued speaking. ¡°It indicated a path to the foreignnd, where there are new souls andnds¡­¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s expression darkened. Not long ago¡­.. Dragon from another world¡­.. Hell, you mean to say that damn turtle, Evil Dragon Fafner, turned traitor here? Is it nning to join the demon gods and betray Manaria? ¡°The World Eater, Oduin, has already returned, and it¡¯s in the process of nning the resurrection of that dragon from the foreign domain. When that happens, it willpletely open the passage to that aliennd and devour that world¡­¡­.. and what the vampires are doing is merely preparation for the demon gods¡¯ ns.¡± Well damn, can you tolerate this? Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face turned green with rage. My Fragmented World is not for you, big lizard, to use as a feeding ground! At this point, Duanmu Huai finally got a clear picture of the situation. Back when he had killed Evil Dragon Fafner in Manaria, after which two World Fragments merged, Fafner¡¯s soul hade to this continent and hooked up with a dragon named Oduin, who seemed able to resurrect Fafner. After Fafner¡¯s resurrection, it would act like a traitor, leading Oduin ¡®Sir, this way¡­.¡¯, right? ¡°Is there a way to solve this?¡± ¡°Of course, the young girl with you, the power of the Dragonborn, is the key to ending Oduin. It can¡¯t be terminatedpletely, only the power of the Dragonborn can end it¡­¡­. As long as we can eliminate Oduin and the dragon from the foreignnd, everything will return to peace.¡± These were Azura¡¯s final words, and when Duanmu Huai came back to his senses, there were no other sounds around him except the wind. ¡°What¡¯s happened? Sir Knight?¡± Standing next to Duanmu Huai, watching his face, Greiya asked somewhat anxiously. ¡°Got a bit of a problem.¡± Duanmu Huai turned his head and briefly exined the situation to the Watchmen and Greiya. Of course, he concealed most of the truth, only saying that the demon gods were preparing a big n that would threaten the entire world¡ª¨CWell, that¡¯s actually not wrong, but which world is in danger is another story. Upon hearing this news, the Watchmen were extremely anxious, announcing that they would immediately go to the Hall of the Guardian to inform others, and Duanmu Huai also went along. Meanwhile, he took out his Soul Card and used the power of Mental Induction to contact the others. [Ann, Lorena, Ogis, are you all there?] [Of course, what is it? Sir Knight?] [Yes, Sir Knight.] [Master?] Soon, the others also responded one after another, as Duanmu Huai quickly exined what he knew. In short, after Evil Dragon Fafner was killed in Manaria, its soul escaped to thisnd, and then it found a dragon named ¡°World Eater,¡± Oduin, who sounded quite powerful. They made a deal where Oduin would help Fafner resurrect, and Fafner would open the door to Manaria, letting the World Eater feast. The demon gods in the Obliteration Domain got wind of this from various channels, and in order to get in on the spoils, they all started to act. The ceremony the vampires were doing, was basically one demon god¡¯s reaction before taking action. [There¡¯s something like this?] Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s description, the girls were shocked. [Lorena, is Saharir with you? Ask her if Heaven can withstand the onught of the Obliteration Domain?] The Obliteration Domain is equivalent to the subspace of this continent, and naturally, the counterpart in Manaria should be Heaven and Hell. Even though it¡¯s uncertain whether the Ice Hell King would fight with those foreign monks, at least Heaven wouldn¡¯t allow the demon gods to wreak havoc. [¡­¡­..Saharir says that the connection between Heaven and the Holy City is not very close right now¡­ it¡¯s difficult to send arge number of Angelic Army to assist¡­] ¡°Tsk¡­¡­..¡± Hearing Lorena¡¯s response, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows. This meant he had to face two wars at once. One was happening in the real world, led by a giant dragon known as World Eater Oduin. And the other one was a war in the subspace realm, against the demon gods in the Obliteration Domain. Of course, as things stand now, the best way out is topletely destroy the enemy before the passage is opened. Duanmu Huai can freely travel between the two continents because he is a fragment holder, but for Oduin to travel to Manaria, it¡¯s not as simple as flying over a mountain range. ¡°But there¡¯s no need to worry too much at this point.¡± Duanmu Huai reassured everyone. ¡°The dragons in this ce are notrge in size, and Fafner¡¯s body was burned by us, and Fafner himself obviously wouldn¡¯t want to make do. Plus, the rtionship between it and Oduin must not be a tight cooperation, so there¡¯s no need to worry about it resurrecting in a short time¡­¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s conjecture was also not unreasonable, as Oduin, being the big boss of this world, would inevitably be cunning and devious, and Fafner, also a world boss, would certainly be unwilling to serve anyone. And since the dragons on this continent are so small in size, Fafner definitely wouldn¡¯t be interested in their bodies. There would certainly be a struggle between the two. But this doesn¡¯t mean everyone can rest easy. No matter what, after getting information about the current situation from Azura, Duanmu Huai knew he had no more time to enjoy the rxed lifestyle. Chapter 210 - 167 Changing Appearance_1 Chapter 210: Chapter 167 Changing Appearance_1 After learning all this from Azura, Duanmu Huai quickly set his sights on his targets. The first one to defeat was naturally the World Eater Oduin from the legend. ording to Azura, Oduin, who has an extraordinary background, is the eldest son of Dragon God Akatosh and is even immortal. Previously, Oduin tried to destroy this continent, but he was banished to the other side of time by humans using the ancient scroll. This means that over the years, Oduin has not died but was banished to hundreds of yearster. Oduin is about to return, and only the Dragonborn canpletely destroy him. Well ¡­ although Azura said so, Duanmu Huai did not believe it. After all, there are many bosses in the game that can¡¯t be killed strictly. But isn¡¯t the Destroyer Warrior specialized in defeating them? Since the Destroyer Warrior canpletely eliminate the Great Demon, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t believe he couldn¡¯t kill a giant dragon. Would it even be more powerful than an Eternal Chosen One and the Chaos Daemon? The next one is naturally the demon god. Now that the demon god knows the existence of Manaria, hiding information about the world of Manaria has no meaning. Therefore, in Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, the best method is to invade the Obliteration Domain before the demon god invades Manaria. Defeat several demon gods, let them know how great he is. Only by killing one as a warning to others, can the demon gods be deterred from stretching their paws towards Manaria. Of course, this is just a temporary solution, but as long as it can give some time to Manaria, for the Heaven ne to return, then it will be enough to deal with the invasion of the demon gods in the Obliteration Domain.
As for the target, the vampire they are tracking right now is the best clue. Duanmu Huai will just follow the vampire¡¯s lead, see which stupid demon god dares to invade Manaria, then infiltrate its Obliteration Domain and chop this bastard up. After all, for Duanmu Huai, it¡¯s not the first time he has done something like invading hell. He excels at it. Of course, while Duanmu Huai has things to do, the others aren¡¯t idle either. Lorena, as the Missionary Priest of the Cathedral Church Group, is now on a religious tour throughout Sky Province. ording to Lorena¡¯s words, she hasmunicated with several deities of the Nine Spirits and is now working as a diplomatic representative in the name of the God of Heaven she worships, on behalf of the Cathedral Church Group in the Manaria Continent. Well, the diplomatic level is a bit high-end, but with Saharir around, Duanmu Huai isn¡¯t worried about Lorena. Of course, Duanmu Huai won¡¯t object to it. If he can get the support of the local indigenous deities, that would be the best. Naturally, he didn¡¯t forget to let Lorena investigate the Dragon Worship Sect, which is currently the only known clue rted to Oduin. On Ann¡¯s side, she¡¯s engrossed in the library of the Winterhold Mage Academy, Duanmu Huai can only ask her to investigate more in the library to see if she can find information and intelligence about the demon god or Oduin. After all, once the princess gets a book, it¡¯s basically all she cares about. As for the foolish Thalmer Elves, they¡¯ve been put on hold by Duanmu Huai. They are the least of his worries. Just wait until the Elf Army is assembled, and then find a warship for an orbital bombardment in the sky, which is enough to make these long-eared sprouts sing of conquest. The suppression of a civilization is indeed unreasonable like this, if you don¡¯t ept it, bring out a warship, huh? Through conversation with Azura, not only did Duanmu Huai get a lot of information, but he alsopleted the previous hidden quest. [Hidden Quest ¡®Dark Haze¡¯ phase oneplete] [You have learned the secret from the darkness, but this is only the beginning] [Task Reward: Random Gift Box +1] [¡®Dark Haze¡¯ phase two activated] [Task Objective: Stop the vampire¡¯s n, thoroughly destroy their conspiracy] ¡°A random gift box huh ¡­¡± Looking at this square, red gift box in his hand, like the ones ced under the Christmas tree during Christmas, Duanmu Huai twitched the corner of his mouth. This is a special kind of loot box in ¡°Star Ocean Online¡±, however, this kind of gift box doesn¡¯t contain extremely powerful weapons, or any skills, it only contains some external decorations. Like pendants, clothes, masks and the like with no special skills. But you know, the stuff in this could be very valuable. Back in the game, Duanmu Huai spent nearly a million buying a Starlight Gown for his female character. There¡¯s nothing special about it, it just looked particrly beautiful. That was a loot from a gift box. Of course, with Duanmu Huai¡¯s current body, he guessed ¡­ there¡¯s no chance of getting a dress this time. Ah, it¡¯s a shame he¡¯s now ying in single yer mode, otherwise if he gets something nice, he could sell it on the forum. While reminiscing, Duanmu Huai reached out, opened the gift box in front of him, then a puff of smoke escaped from the box, following which, a system prompt appeared before Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes.@@novelbin@@ Chapter 219 - 173 History_3 Chapter 219: Chapter 173 History_3 ¡°Actually, Greiya is really good at taking care of people¡­ Ah, by the way, Sir Knight, I did want to talk to you about something.¡± ¡°Oh? What¡¯s up?¡± Duanmu Huai knew, Ann wouldn¡¯t be having a chat with him for no reason in the middle of the night. ¡°Well, recently, the academy organized an exploration event, having us explore the Underground City, and guess what! We found something really interesting in there! It¡¯s called ¡­ the Eye of Magnus¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Huh!? Wait a second, the Eye of Magnus?!¡± Upon hearing this name, Duanmu Huai suddenly became alert, quickly opening his eyes. The Eye of Magnus? Was it that Eye of Magnus? ¡°What does it look like?¡± ¡°Um¡­ It¡¯s a massive sphere that emits light. It¡¯s encased in a rotating metallic shell¡­¡±
¡°Damn! It¡¯s indeed that thing!!¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai blurted out an expletive. The reason was simple, he was all too familiar with this thing! This has to do with the sixteenth gic prototype Duanmu Huai possessed ¨C the original owner of this prototype was the Red King Magnus, one of the children of the Human Imperial Emperor. He was a psychic with the most outstanding spiritual abilities among all the Emperor¡¯s children. At that time, there were quite a few psychics with mutated abilities in Magnus¡¯ Thousand Sons Army. In essence, Magnus was like a knowledge-seeking, powerful mage, leading an equally strong mage army. His homeworld was a treasure trove of knowledge and leadership. However, Magnus only had one eye. Although he imed he had dedicated his right eye to the pursuit of knowledge, ording to the gossip from various dealers in the Subspace, Magnus lost his right eye in a gamble with the God of Trickery.@@novelbin@@ Afterwards, to unt his victory, the God of Trickery turned Magnus¡¯s right eye into a divine artifact known as the ¡°Eye of Magnus¡±. Magnus tried to reim his right eye, but he never seeded. In the game, the Eye of Magnus was a power amplifier for spiritual energy. In gaming terms, within the range of Magnus¡¯ Eye, the attack power of all psychic spells would be greatly enhanced, and the bearer would even be covered in spiritual energy, gaining near-invincible defensive power. If it served as a gship artifact for the fleet, it would double the Void Shield defensive power of all the warships in the fleet, and even enable them to safely navigate through the Subspace turbulence. Yes, it was very handy and powerful, and of course, it had a side effect that was not mentioned in the instructions. As we all know, the more a psychic in the real world uses spiritual energy, the more his/her body is likely to mutate. This was also the case for the Eye of Magnus. In fact, there had been cases where mage yers used the Eye of Magnus in a battlefield and found that over half of their psychic army had turned into strange monsters of blue and pink after¡­ Of course, there is no such danger for Soul Walkers, after all, the soul cards themselves are already Subspace projections and can¡¯t mutate further! ¡°Where is that thing now?¡± ¡°Huh? The Chief Mage moved it to Winterhold Academy, saying he wants to investigate it.¡± ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll be there tomorrow!¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s previous gloominess vanished instantly. He didn¡¯t expect to find the Eye of Magnus in this Fragmented World! It turned out,ing to this continent was the right decision! Chapter 212 - 168: Twilight Guardians_1 Chapter 212: Chapter 168: Twilight Guardians_1 Although all vampires attacking the Hall of the Watchers had been annihted, the Hall was utterly destroyed by fire, and all the Watchers inside the Hall had been ughtered. This meant, essentially¡­ the organization was finished. ¡°My condolences.¡± Standing beside one of the Watchers, Duanmu Huai extended a hand and patted thetter¡¯s shoulder. The Watcher turned his head, giving Duanmu Huai a bitter smile. ¡°I never imagined it would end this way¡­ This does prove, however, that the vampires are plotting something. Otherwise, they would never have dared to attack the Hall of the Watchers¡­¡± ¡°So, do you have any other good suggestions?¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°There¡¯s only one choice left.¡± Thinking of this, the Watcher clenched his fists. ¡°We must go to the Twilight Guardians.¡±
¡°Twilight Guardians?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ they were once part of the Watchers¡¯ organization, but due to different ideologies, the Twilight Guardians focus solely on ying vampires, believing them to be humanity¡¯s greatest threat. However, the Watchers view vampires as just one of the many threats humans face¡­ If this involves vampires, the Twilight Guardians are sure to know something.¡± ¡°Well then¡­ what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go.¡± The headquarters of the Twilight Guardians was located in a valley known as Spring Valley. ording to the Watcher, the Twilight Guardians had fallen on hard times, but when Duanmu Huai and Greyia saw the vast castle nestled in the valley¡­ Well¡­pared to the previously shoddy Hall of the Watchers, this ce seemed more legitimate. Inside the castle, the trio quickly met the leader of the Twilight Guardians, a bald elder named Ishiran. However, upon seeing the arrival of the Watcher, he did not appear to be particrly weing. ¡°Grey, what brings you here? I severed ties with the Watchers long ago.¡± ¡°Now is not the time for such talk, Ishiran. The Hall of the Watchers has been attacked by vampires; it¡¯s beenpletely destroyed, and many people have died¡­ ¡± ¡°The Hall of the Watchers was attacked?¡± Upon hearing this, the disdainful expression on Ishiran¡¯s face changed abruptly. He scrutinized the Watcher before shifting his gaze to Duanmu Huai and Greyia. Upon seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s armored attire, a glimmer of confusion sparked in Ishiran¡¯s eyes, but he quickly coughed awkwardly, glossing over the awkward tension. ¡°So¡­ who are they?¡± ¡°They are adventurers, formidable ones at that. I was captured by vampires before; they were attempting to perform some sort of foul ritual. This Steel Warrior single-handedly wiped out dozens of vampires and undead. If it wasn¡¯t for him saving me and disrupting their ritual, none of us would know what the vampires would be up to¡­ ¡± Swiftly, the Watcher ryed the information he had gathered to Ishiran, then fixed his gaze on him. ¡°I admit, the Watchers previously didn¡¯t take the Twilight Guardians¡¯ perspectives seriously, but now, they¡¯ve paid the price. The vampires are gathering divine artifacts, intending to perform a sacrilegious ritual, they¡¯ve even attacked the Hall of the Watchers¡­ all of this points to some sort of conspiracy! We must put an end to this. The Twilight Guardians are more familiar with the vampires; I think you should have some clues.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Faced with the Watcher¡¯s words, Ishiran fell silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°Speaking of clues, we might have something. Just like you mentioned, the vampires have been increasingly active recently, not just against the Watchers, but also against the Twilight Guardians. In truth, we don¡¯t know much either. The only clue we have right now is this.¡± With this, Ishiran pulled out a piece of paper from his robe. ¡°ording to the information we have, a group of vampires is currently located in a Dark Cave outside Morning Star City. It is said they are searching for an ancient vampire artifact. We don¡¯t know if this is the clue you¡¯re looking for, but at least for now¡­ they are definitely plotting something.¡± ¡°A Dark Cave, huh¡­ understood. I¡¯ll go there right away!¡± Upon hearing this, the Watcher turned around to leave, but Ishiran stopped him. ¡°Grey, I wouldn¡¯t rmend going. You Watchers have not undergone the needed training¡­ rushing in would just be suicide.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re suggesting I hide here, shaking in fear as I wait for the end toe?¡± ¡°Of course not¡­ ¡± ¡°We can go together.¡± Duanmu Huai interrupted their argument. ¡°After all, one more person wouldn¡¯t make much difference.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ ¡± Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s proposal, Ishiran fell silent for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright, the Twilight Guardians are currently short of manpower, and we also don¡¯t have enough strength to investigate. Therefore, that will be up to you, and your¡­Steel Warrior and his followers.¡± Although Grey wanted to set off as soon as possible, his days of running around had made him somewhat weary. Ultimately, under Duanmu Huai¡¯s persuasion, Grey decided to rest for a night in the castle before resuming their journey. Duanmu Huai was not idle either. In fact, he kept chatting with Grey during the meal, mostly about the Watchmen. This made Greiya quite curious. During the time after finishing dinner and when Grey went to rest, Greiya also managed to find Duanmu Huai and asked about her doubts out of curiosity. ¡°Mr. Knight, you seem to be quite concerned about the Watchmen?¡± ¡°Of course, I have a n¡­well¡­it¡¯s not confirmed yet.¡± The n Duanmu Huai mentioned was naturally about expanding his legion¡¯s recruitment program. Basically, all Judges have their own conscripteds. Each Judge¡¯s Astarte regiment is recruited from these ces, then transformed into Astarte warriors. In Manaria and the Holy City, Duanmu Huai did not think about conscription because it was not suitable there. However, after arriving here, Duanmu Huai found that this continent was very suitable for his legion¡¯s recruiting base. Firstly, the people of this continent were valiant, home to many tough men. Secondly, the civilization level here was not high, which made it easier to control. However, Duanmu Huai did not really want to recruit living people as he didn¡¯t possess the Gene Seed nor the Mechanical Priest, hence he couldn¡¯t transform ordinary humans into Astartes. But conversely, this continent hosted spiritual beings, which made things much easier! Duanmu Huai¡¯s idea was to establish an organization on this continent and recruit adventurers and warriors from around the ce for battles. If they fell in battle, their souls would be absorbed into the regiment, forming a ghost troop simr to the Night Guard. The appearance of the Watchmen then made a light bulb go off in Duanmu Huai¡¯s head. From what he learned from Grey, it seemed that the Watchmen were simr to the Tribunal, their aim being all alien and non-human Evil God Cultists in the entire Sky. Just right, the Watchmen¡¯s base here was wiped out by the vampires, so Duanmu Huai thought to establish a simr organization as his recruitment base. But this required negotiating with a deity first, otherwise, those ghosts could be recruited by someone else. Incidentally, there was a statue of Stendar here, and he could discuss this with it. With this in mind, Duanmu Huai casually picked up the holy statue from the altar, saying goodbye to Greiya. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room now. Don¡¯te in no matter what happens.¡± ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡­¡± Watching Duanmu Huai return to his room, Greiya dutifully took a seat on a chair outside, picking up a book to read. However, not long after, an explosion suddenly sounded. ¡°Boom!!¡± The deafening sound echoed throughout the castle. As it did so, Greiya saw the guest room¡¯s door being knocked open by a strong force. Immediately afterwards, Duanmu Huai walked out from within, looking quite a mess. ¡°Dammit¡­..!¡± ¡°What happened to you, Sir Knight? Are you okay?¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai walking out, Greiya quickly put down the book, rushing towards Duanmu Huai. Thetter coughed twice and then threw the holy idol of Stendar away. ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­Damn, that old guy¡­¡± Recalling his prior conversation with Stendar, Duanmu Huai was somewhat annoyed. Initially, through his infusion of Spiritual Energy into the Holy Statue, he sessfully managed to connect with Stendar¡¯s munication channel¡±. The God of Justice and Mercy seemed reasonable enough, even though he initially mistook Duanmu Huai for an invading Demon n member, which irritated Duanmu Huai quite a bit¡­ Look at me, I clearly look like a human being, not the Demon n! However, afterward, their discussion broke down. Stendar refused Duanmu Huai¡¯s request to provide heroic spirits, iming that the warriors who fought against evil during their lifetime should be allowed to rest in peace after death, not forced into continued conflict. Ultimately, Stendar¡¯s words implied that he looked down on Duanmu Huai and thought his idea was naive¡­ Hey, you are not the Chaos Evil God, you¡¯re just a soul¡¯s reflection within a World Fragment, who do you think you are to disdain me? Moreover, this World Fragment belongs to me! It felt like being looked down upon by an NPC in his own sandbox game, how could he stand that? Therefore, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t bother conversing further and decisively left. I initially thought we could have a nice discussion, but since you look down on me, I won¡¯t y with you anymore. Wait till the timees, I¡¯ll go to the Obliteration Domain, y a few Demon Gods, and set myself up as the boss! Without a butcher, are we still forbidden to eat pork? If Talos can ascend to divinity, so can I! Let¡¯s see whose fist is bigger when the timees! Chapter 213 - 169 Found one... (Its snowing hard today)_1 Chapter 213: Chapter 169 Found one¡­ (It¡¯s snowing hard today)_1 After a day of rest, Duanmu Huai and his team set off once again and arrived at the Dark Cave Tomb. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m sick and tired of these damn fetch quests¡­¡± As he entered the cave before him, Duanmu Huai started to grumble. While most of their tasks did involve running around, reality wasn¡¯t a game. Though the scenery wasn¡¯t too bad, having to run back and forth was indeed vexing. Of course, there was something even more annoying. ¡°You damned Watchmen¡­¡­¡± The vampire that Duanmu Huai held by the head, red viciously at Grey standing next to him, its eyes radiating a bright red light. These vampires had attacked as soon as Duanmu Huai and his team entered the cave. It was a pity though, because they were clearly no match for Duanmu Huai. Apart from the one unlucky soul held by Duanmu Huai, the other vampires had already been hammered to oblivion. ¡°What exactly are you searching for in here? Answer me!¡± Duanmu Huai held up the vampire, ring at him viciously. In the torchlight of the cave, his Rabbit Helmet, stained with fresh blood, appeared both mad and terrifying. Witnessing this scene, Greiya shivered and silently turned her head away. Justst night, she had a nightmare about a giant rabbit grabbing and munching on human heads like carrots. Greiya had been so scared she hid under her bed the whole night. She still remembered how the rabbit in her dream had showed a menacing smile before gobbling up a human just like a carrot.
Well¡­¡­ What¡¯s happening before her seemed like a rey of that nightmare. The vampire seemed to have the same feeling too, screaming loudly at the sight of the terrifying rabbit. ¡°I, I don¡¯t know! We were just following orders! We were told to find something locked in this tomb and then bring it back! That¡¯s all I know!!¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re of no use.¡± No sooner had he finished speaking than Duanmu Huai tightly held the vampire¡¯s head, twisted and pulled like opening a Coke bottle, ripping the vampire¡¯s head straight off its body. He then casually threw the headless body and the head onto the ground. ¡°Eek¡ª¡ª¡± Seeing this, Greiya let out a soft cry. Even though it wasn¡¯t her first time seeing this, no matter how many times she had seen it, she could never get used to it. ¡°Alright, at least now we have some good news.¡± Duanmu Huai dusted off his hands, turned and looked at Greiya and the Watchmen. ¡°Since these vampires are still here, it means they haven¡¯t found whatever they¡¯re looking for. So, that gives us a chance.¡± Just as Duanmu Huai had said, the vampires in the tomb had not yet found the hidden artifact. The group soon set off again. In no time, they reached the depths of the underground tomb. When they passed through the path and came to the deepest part of the tomb, the scene they saw was astonishing. In the depths of the tomb was an undergroundke, in the middle of which was a circr altar that seemed like a ceremonial site. A few vampires were pacing around the altar, apparently investigating something. ¡°Sir Knight, should we attack?¡± ¡°No, wait.¡± However, contrary to what Greiya had anticipated, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t immediately strike. Instead, he pulled Greiya and the Watchmen back, signaling them to hide. ¡°Sir Knight?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just wait here. Clearly, they¡¯re looking for something. In that case, we might as well wait for them to find it, and then we can swoop in and snatch it!¡±@@novelbin@@ Watching the bustling vampires on the tform below, Duanmu Huai let out a vicious, icy smirk. Many adventure quests had simr scenarios where yers would delve into tombs, crack puzzles, break mechanisms, and after much suffering, finally acquire the artifact hidden within the tomb. But as soon as they turn around, viins would surround them, demanding the artifact or death¡­ To the yers, these plot turns were absolutely sickening! Why should I y the mantis, and the boss ys the yellow sparrow? Can¡¯t I reverse the roles? Scenarios like these usually involved scripted fights, which undermined the yers¡¯bat power. If it weren¡¯t for the cutscene, I¡¯d have shot that dipshit viin right in the head! Or better yet, smash the artifact right in front of the viin. Anything over this sickening plot! Plus, even if I surrender the artifact obediently, wouldn¡¯t the viin just kill me anyway? They¡¯re viins. Can I really trust them to keep their word? How dumb is the protagonist, seriously? Hey, I want to y the yellow sparrow for once! ¡°Er¡­¡­¡± After hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Greiya and the Watchmen¡¯s expressions were quite mixed. After all, they felt this strategy was somewhat underhanded. However, after giving it some thought, they didn¡¯t object. After all, the hidden artifact could be some kind of a vampire artifact, and maybe only a vampire could unlock it? The vampires busily moving about on the tform below were obviously unaware that up above, they were being watched by three unwee guests, three yellow sparrows waiting for their meal. These vampires seem to have discovered something. Soon, one vampire walked to the center of the round tform and ced his hand on the pir. ¡°Crack!¡± The next moment, sharp spikes sprang up, piercing the palm of the vampire. He howled in pain and crumpled to the ground. His blood then drained out of his limp forearm like a dam bursting, flowing into the grooves carved into the tform, and a purplish me emerged, forming a sinister pattern. As for that vampire, he was now drained of blood, leaving only a desated corpse. ¡°Tsk tsk tsk.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai shook his head and looked at the twopanions. ¡°See, lucky we didn¡¯t have to make the sacrifice.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s remarks, the two of them were speechless. Indeed, if this was the only way to break the seal, they weren¡¯t too willing to sacrifice their blood ¡­ after all, this could be lethal! Just then, the remaining vampires moved the torches on the tform to their respective positions. The previously sealed floor slid open, and a massive pir rose from the middle. It¡¯s now! ¡°Attack!!¡± Seeing the vampires delighted, intent on opening the box, Duanmu Huai roared and leaped down, raising his war hammer and charging towards the tform! Hahaha, now it¡¯s your turn to taste the feeling of a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush!! As it turns out, reversing certain scenarios can also be effective. The vampires who had solved the mechanical lock and were about to open the stone pir didn¡¯t expect to be ambushed. When Duanmu Huai jumped down, their faces were filled with surprise and bewilderment. But clearly, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t waste time talking nonsense like those idiot bosses in story cutscenes. Once they were killed, the object would be his! So, the viins in set pieces are all fools. Why not just kill the main character from afar and then send someone to retrieve the object? Why do they have to keep talking nonsense, which only makes the yer¡¯s blood pressure rise and feel like desperately killing them? Uh? Maybe mocking the yer is the intention of these idiot viins? So that the yers can tear them to piecester? ¡°Thump!!!¡± As thest vampire¡¯s head was smashed into mincemeat, the battle ended, and Grey and Watchmen joined Duanmu Huai¡¯s side. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to open the box.¡± Duanmu Huai rubbed his hands and stepped forward, gesturing for the two to step back. After all, no one knows what lies within, so caution is advised. Just as Duanmu Huai ced his palm on the surface of the stone pir, apanied by a ¡°rumbling¡± sound, the front portion of the stone pir slid down, revealing the treasure inside. However¡­ Upon seeing the treasure hidden within the stone, all three of them were stunned. ¡°Is this ¡­. a human??¡± As Watchmen confirmed, inside the stone pir was a person. More precisely, a young girl in her early teens. She had light brown hair, wore a white long-sleeved shirt and a ruffled gothic mini skirt, and sported bat wing-like adornments on either side of her head. If you just look at her like this, the girl in front of you would seem nothing more than a regr noble youngdy. ¡°Is ¡­ this the treasure??¡± Looking at the girl in front of them, Grey was stunned. They assumed that what the vampires had gone through such great lengths to find must surely be a divine artifact or something, but ¡­ it was a girl? Could it be that there¡¯s something special about this girl? ¡°I see.¡± On the contrary, Duanmu Huai narrowed his eyes upon seeing this. He hadn¡¯t forgotten what Azura had told him before, that the vampires were altering the Star of Azura to control the souls trapped in it ¡ª now, it was clear who this modified Star of Azura was supposed to be used on ¡­ Uh? At that moment, Duanmu Huai noticed a long, golden cylindrical object on the girl¡¯s back. It looked like a humongous scroll, about the same height as the girl, studded with jewels and silver patterns. One look and you know it was worth a fortune. As soon as they saw the scroll, the Watchmen were stunned. ¡°Is that¡­ the Ancient Scroll?!¡± Chapter 214 - 170: Princess of the Dark Night_1 Chapter 214: Chapter 170: Princess of the Dark Night_1 It has to be said, no one saw thising. Everyone thought that the thing hidden in this tomb would be a powerful weapon, but unexpectedly, it was a girl¡­ Could this girl possibly be the vampire¡¯s ultimate weapon? ¡°Umm¡­ huh¡­.¡± At this moment, the girl seemed to sense the stirrings outside, she yawned, took a stretch, then slowly opened her eyes, curiously looking at the people in front of her. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my question.¡± Duanmu Huai stared at the girl in front of him, asking in a low voice. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Bambi is Bambi.¡±
Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the girl who referred to herself as Bambi tilted her head in confusion, and then she looked around. ¡°Where is this?¡± ¡°This is a tomb¡­ Don¡¯t you know why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Of course! Bambi remembers clearly that she was sleeping in the castle. How did she end up here? This ce is so gloomy, cold and damp, it¡¯s not fun at all!¡± ¡­ Vampires are supposed to stay in such ces, right? ¡°Are you a vampire?¡± Duanmu Huai decided to ask directly, and Bambi nodded vigorously, revealing a proud smile. ¡°Of course, Bambi is a princess of vampires! She is a great, powerful, cute, and terrifying being¡ª huh huh!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing Bambi¡¯s answer, the three exchanged silent nces. Although what this girl was saying was rather threatening, looking at her triumphant appearance¡­ something seemed off. ¡°The Vampire Princess¡ª¡ª!¡± Just then, the Watchman hastily drew his longsword, pointing it at Bambi, who jumped in fright, quickly hiding behind Duanmu Huai. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this bald guy? Why is he brandishing his sword at Bambi?¡± ¡°Shut up! You vampires seek to destroy humans. You¡¯re terrifying monsters, even if you¡¯re just a child, I will not spare you!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?! Bambi doesn¡¯t understand!¡± Dodging the Watchman¡¯s attacks while screaming, Bambi clearly had no idea why she was being attacked. ¡°Sir Knight, what¡¯s going on here?¡± At this point, Greiya also came to Duanmu Huai¡¯s side, looking at the pair with a baffled expression. ¡°Is the child truly a vampire?¡± ¡°At least we can confirm that she is not a human.¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the now empty stone pir and answered. If a regr human were trapped in here, they would¡¯ve probably died by now, even if not, they would be weakened due to theck of food and water for a long time. But this girl named Bambi was lively right after waking up, she didn¡¯t seem like an ordinary human girl at all. Of course, if she was a vampire, her apparent age wouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°Alright, stop fighting for now.¡± With this thought, Duanmu Huai extended his hand, stopping the two of them. He signaled the Watchman to put down his weapon, then turned to Bambi.@@novelbin@@ ¡°So, Bambi, can you tell me what you did before going to sleep?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Let Bambi think¡­ Bambi attended Queen¡¯s banquet, and yed until she got tired and slept¡­ Then when she woke up, she was here¡­ By the way, how long did Bambi sleep? And where is this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, I just know that this is a tomb in the Sky Province.¡± ¡°Sky Province? What is Sky Province?¡± ¡°¡­ What? Sky Province is a territory of the Empire.¡± ¡°What is the Empire?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Bambi¡¯s query, the Watchman waspletely dumbfounded, while Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment, then looked at Bambi again. ¡°Then, do you know about the Nine Spirits?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, what is that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­It appears we have truly stumbled upon a troublesome character here¡­¡± The Nine Spirits were the unified belief after the establishment of the Empire, but the Bambi before them not only did not know about the Nine Spirits and the Empire, she even had no clue of the name Sky Province ¡ª this meant that based on the history of the Empire¡¯s establishment, she must have slept for over five hundred years. ¡°In short, let¡¯s first leave this ce.¡± It must be said that this was beyond everyone¡¯s expectations. No one expected that a Vampire that had been sleeping for over five hundred years was inside, and she even self-proimed to be a princess of vampires. On the way out of the tomb, Duanmu Huai and the others introduced themselves while also asking her about her knowledge of vampires. ording to Bambi, vampires seemed to have a nation in the past, ruled by a queen, located on the northern coast. At that time, although the rtionship between humans and vampires was not particrly good, they did not interact much. Furthermore, ording to Bambi, vampires back then did not be vampires by being bitten and having blood exchanged, but were more like creature of elves, they just happened to feed on blood. For instance, Bambi herself was a pureblood vampire without the need for ritualistic blood exchanges to turn into a vampire. In fact, when Bambi heard this from the Watchmen, she was surprised and asked him, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t this world be filled with vampires?¡± ¡­¡­¡­Uh, the Watchman didn¡¯t know how to respond. Regarding the ancient scroll on Bambi¡¯s back, she mentioned it was her queen¡¯s possession. As for why it was on her, she was clueless. For now, she hoped to return to the castle as soon as possible and return the ancient scroll to the queen. ording to Bambi, the queen lived in a castle called Blumbania. Of course, Blumbania does not currently exist in the Sky Province. However, ording to Bambi¡¯s description of the geographic location, the Watchman believed the castle she mentioned was located on a solitary ind in the northwest of the City of Solitude. Although rumors mentioned that there is a castle there, no one dares approach because of various reasons and rumors. And so, their next journey was set. It was to take Bambi home and meet the legendary Vampire Queen! ¡°Thank you!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s decision, Bambi was overjoyed and lunged towards him, hugging his arm tightly. ¡°You¡¯re a good human! Bambi has decided, although you look fierce, Bambi approves of you bing my retainer! As your master, Bambi will treasure you! Don¡¯t worry, you might have never have had the chance to bond with others because of your fierce appearance, but now you don¡¯t have to worry anymore, Bambi will take good care of you as your master!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Well then, I should really thank you¡­¡± ¡°Hehehe, don¡¯t need to thank me, it¡¯s my duty as a master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Haah¡­¡­¡± Facing the na?ve and cheerful vampire girl, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Sir Knight, is this child really a vampire?¡± Even Greiya couldn¡¯t help but voice out her doubts. It is no surprise considering Bambi¡¯s reaction when they first walked out of the tomb. Logically, vampires should feel a burning sensation in sunlight, and so, all the vampires on the continent would wrap themselves up tightly during the day. However, when Bambi stepped out of the tomb and was bathed in sunlight, shezily stretched herself and even said ¡°Warm andfortable sunlight is the best¡± nonchntly. She almost made the nearby Watchman¡¯s eyes pop out. Also, unlike the pale faces of other vampires, Bambi¡¯splexion looked very healthy under the sunlight. To be honest, if she herself didn¡¯t admit that she was a vampire, nobody would¡¯ve ever thought she was a vampire. The only strange thing was that this vampire¡¯s wings were growing on her ears¡­..How on earth is that possible? ¡°If she said it herself, then it probably is.¡± ¡°But, the child doesn¡¯t look like someone who would be a threat, does she?¡± ¡°Not necessarily. Although her current behavior doesn¡¯t seem faked¡­ it¡¯s notpletely impossible.¡± As a Judge, Duanmu Huai¡¯s observational skills were extremely meticulous, he could see that Bambi wasn¡¯t pretending to be na?ve and cheerful, it was genuinely her personality. However, this didn¡¯t mean Bambi was harmless. In fact, in games, there have been characters with a ¡°two-faced nature¡± or so-called ¡°dual-personality¡±. They appear to be as lovely as angels but when their inner personalityes out, they immediately turn into a world-annihting Great Demon King. So, even if Bambi now seems harmless, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean she is not dangerous. ¡°Retainer! Retainer!¡± However, in the midst of their conversation, Bambi jumped out again and held onto Duanmu Huai¡¯s arm. ¡°Bambi is hungry. Do you have anything to eat?¡± ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± ¡°Anything!¡± Bambi excitedly raised up her hand. ¡°Meat, vegetables, fruits, anything delicious is okay!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Can vampires actually eat food??¡± Upon hearing this, the Watchman once again looked at Bambi with surprise. Although the self-proimed vampire girl had already shattered his understanding of vampires, Bambi¡¯s statement this timepletely dumbfounded the Watchman. If you can eat regr food, can you still be considered a vampire? At least, the vampires that the Watchman knew of were monsters who needed to suck human blood to survive, and they couldn¡¯t digest human food. If they could eat human food, then¡­.. would there be any need to suck blood? ¡°It¡¯s different!¡± Noticing the Watchman¡¯s gaze, Bambi made a face towards him ¨C perhaps it was due to him pointing a sword at her at first, Bambi had no good impressions of this Watchman. ¡°For vampires, blood is the source of strength. Only vampires who have sucked blood have the power to fully unleash their strength!¡± ¡°Is¡­that¡­so¡­?¡± The Watchman and Duanmu Huai looked at each other. Clearly, the vampires Bambi was talking about werepletely different from those they had encountered before. What exactly is going on? Chapter 215 - 171: Things Remain as They are, People Do Not _1 Chapter 215: Chapter 171: Things Remain as They are, People Do Not _1 For Duanmu Huai and the others, the journey had been quite lively. From a certain perspective, Bambi and Ann were quite simr, innocent and carefree, lively and untroubled. Moreover, she was also like Ann, full of interest in Greiya ¨C especially that thick tail of hers. By the way, although Bambi¡¯s personality was indeed lively and cheerful, she was not totally clueless about fighting. In fact, when they encountered enemies along the way, Bambi would take action. However, as per Duanmu Huai¡¯s observation, Bambi usually attacked with her magic power and by controlling bats. Well, thetter had a somewhat of a vampire taste to it. From Bambi, Duanmu Huai also gained a certain understanding and knowledge about the vampires of her era. ording to Bambi, the vampires at the time lived in a country called ¡°Medebeigium¡±, a secluded country located on an ind,rgely unconnected with the outside world. Those living inside were all vampires like Bambi, characterized by not fearing sunlight, being able to eat like ordinary people, and sporting a pair of bat-like wings on their heads. Truthfully, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t understand why the wings of this vampire race would grow on top of their heads. Generally speaking, shouldn¡¯t vampire wings be on their back, at least suitable for flying? But growing on the head, what¡¯s that about? Not to mention that the ¡°wings¡± are basically useless; they¡¯re only slightly bigger than ears and look more like some kind of headwear. Although the vampires of that era could also bestow their blood onto others, transforming them into vampires, this ability was totally different from the current disease-like ability. ording to Bambi, a vampire could give blood to mortals and transform them into vampires, but notpletely. For instance, humans would share the power and life of the vampires, constituting a kind of shared existence.
Moreover, a vampire could only transform one person. Unless that person died, the vampire could not transform anyone else. Not only that, the death of a transformed person would cause great harm to the vampire, as they were sharing their life. The rtionship between vampires and humans back then was not necessarily good, either. However, unlike now where humans are treated as food, at that time humans desired immortality so much that they even deceived vampires emotionally to be transformed by them. It was also for this reason that vampires highly disliked humans, and why vampire nations also basically didn¡¯t allow their citizens to go out freely. If what Bambi described was correct, then the vampires of that time were not harmful to humans, but rather it was humans who might have been a menace to the vampires more. But what happened for vampires to have changed into their present state? Bambi had no knowledge of this. She only knew she had been invited by the queen to a banquet, and then after getting worn out from ying, she fell asleep. The next time she woke up, it was when Duanmu Huai and the others had opened the stone pir. As for the ancient scroll that Bambi was carrying, she had no recollection of it. At least ording to the information revealed by Bambi, the queen must have given the ancient scroll to Bambi and then locked her inside the stone pir. From this, it could be seen that something serious must have happened at the time, otherwise such measures wouldn¡¯t have been taken. By the way, the princess really had a profound sleep, whichsted five hundred years. The answer to all these mysteries was just before their eyes. ¡°Look, there is the Bunranianya castle!¡± Pointing towards the huge castle on the not-so-distant ind, Bambi spoke with a triumphant look on her face. There was no denying that the castle was indeed huge, towering more than ten stories high. Its four corner clock towers featured Gothic-style triangr domes, and coupled with the gloomy weather, the howling lightning and heavy rain¡­ Without a doubt, this had to be vampire territory. ¡°However, it looks so deste.¡± Once they reached the shore and looked at the castle in front of them, Bambi¡¯s face showed a puzzled expression. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Duanmu Huai stepped ashore and looked around. All he saw was destion; apart from stones, there was nothing else on the ground. Even the trees were dead and twisted into a strange shape. Isn¡¯t this fitting for a vampire¡¯s castle? ¡°Eh? There used to be a big garden here, it was very beautiful. Bambi used to love lying in the grass and sleeping in the sun.¡± However, Bambi apparently disagreed; as she stretched out her hand to gesture, she began to exin. Hearing Bambi¡¯s exnation, the watchmen beside Duanmu Huai looked speechless. ¡°Why would a vampire¡¯s castle have a garden¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, we will know once we go inside.¡± Duanmu Huai held his war hammer tight and looked at the castle in front of him. Though ording to Bambi, the castle should not be that dangerous. But Bambi¡¯s memory was from five hundred years ago. There were no such vampires that treated humans as food back then, so¡­ ¡°Bambi, Greiya, hide behind me and stay alert.¡± While speaking, Duanmu Huai strode forward, and Greiya and Bambi followed closely behind. The guards took out their weapons and prepared for battle. After passing by the deste area, they arrived at the stone bridge leading to the castle¡¯s main gate. A bloody, cold, and deadly smell hit them straight on. Even Bambi seemed to have sensed some danger, as she hid behind Duanmu Huai and grabbed onto the edge of his cloak. ¡°My, my liege, be careful, there may be danger.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t a fool. The castle before his eyes obviously had the ambiance of a ¡°final boss battleground¡±. His eyes weren¡¯t blind; if this ce wasn¡¯t a tad suspicious, nobody would believe it. However, as the group walked across the stone bridge and reached the entrance, the originally closed cast-iron gate started to rise with a ¡°crash¡±. Then the heavy stone door boomed and slowly opened to reveal a dark corridor inside. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Seeing this, everyone went silent. While Duanmu Huai who was stroking his chin, turned to look at them. ¡°You think if we turned back now, it would be quite insulting to the other party?¡± ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡± Greiya wasn¡¯t sure what to say to Duanmu Huai¡¯s suggestion, so she could only offer a strained smile. The Watchman even more so, his face ashen, clutching his weapon tightly. From the beads of perspiration on his forehead, it seemed he was in no mood for Duanmu¡¯s jokes. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Seeing that no one agreed with him, Duanmu Huai could only shrug helplessly. The truth was, he really wanted to do just that. After all, in the game, yers must move forward, but how about in reality? If the door was left open, would the dungeon boss die from frustration if they simply camped and had a barbecue outside? ¡°Speaking of which, should we start a fire here to grill some fish?¡± ¡°Sir Knight!!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I got it¡­¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ Seeing Greiya protesting with clenched fists, Duanmu Huai helplessly shook his head. If only Ann were here, she would enthusiastically agree and even volunteer to start the fire. However, Greiya was a more serious character, so she couldn¡¯t really help it. So, the group entered the castle. As expected, as soon as they were inside, the heavy door mmed shut, engulfing everyone in darkness. Then, a light flickered to life, illuminating the previously dark space. Duanmu Huai raised his head to look around. They were in the castle¡¯s entrance hall. Looking up, he saw on either side of the balcony dozens of people dressed invish attire, looking as though they were attending a banquet. Each person wore a differently shaped mask, standing behind the railing, staring at the people below. In front of them stood a man dressed in a ck suit, dressed like a butler. ¡°¡­¡­Who are these people?¡± Bambi asked in a low voice, clutching Duanmu Huai¡¯s cloak tightly, frowning in confusion. This wasn¡¯t surprising, for Bambi, this was the equivalent of returning home to find the house filled with unfamiliar strangers. It was normal to feel insecure and puzzled. ¡°Pleasee in, everyone. The master has been awaiting your arrival.¡± The butler in front bowed respectfully, then walked forward, with Duanmu Huai and the others trailing behind him to the front door. Then, the butler opened the door. Upon seeing the scene inside, everyone¡¯s faces momentarily changed. Behind the door was an opulent dining room, with three long, rectangr dining tables arranged in the middle, two in vertical alignment, the third horizontal. Behind the tables sat morevishly dressed nobles. If that was all, then this would simply be an ordinary banquet. The problem was with the food disyed on the table. It was humans. Human bodies were arranged on the table, their veins cut open, their limbs severed and ced in bowls. The air was heavy with the smell of blood, just one nce making Greiya turn as white as a sheet. And the Watchman clenched his jaw, gripping his weapon tightly. They had dealt with vampires before, but never had they seen humans used like food. ¡°This is¡­¡­what.¡± Even Bambi stared in bewilderment, ck-jawed at the scene before her, unsure of how to react. At that moment, a voice rang out. ¡°Wee home, Princess of the Night!¡± On hearing the voice, everyone raised their heads to see a middle-aged man wearing a ck suit and cloak, looking just like a typical vampire, standing up. ¡°This is the feast I have prepared for your return. How is it, Your Highness? Are you satisfied?¡± ¡°No, stop this nonsense!!¡± On hearing this, Bambi suddenly jumped up and yelled. ¡°What is this horrible thing! Who are you? Why are you in this castle? Where did the Queen go? How dare you do such outrageous things in here!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­Your Highness¡­¡­¡± Hearing Bambi¡¯s rebuke, the middle-aged man revealed a face of ecstasy. Even though Bambi¡¯s voice was sweet and quite pleasing to listen to, wouldn¡¯t this expression make him seem a bit too perverted? ¡°I am very sorry. As you can see, Her Majesty has disappeared. But rest assured, as long as we are here, the kingdom of the vampires will rise again! And vampires will rule this world!¡± ¡°You, what are you saying? Who are you exactly?¡± Seeing the man¡¯s fanatical, obsessed expression, Bambi anxiously gripped Duanmu Huai¡¯s cloak, staring at him. ¡°Bambi doesn¡¯t know you, or any of you! Who are you people? Where¡¯s the Queen? Where have all the other people in the Bunranianya castle gone?!¡± ¡°They are all here, Your Highness.¡± While saying this, the man revealed a triumphant smile and gently touched his stomach. ¡°They are all here, Your Highness. Unfortunately, you won¡¯t ever be able to see them again¡­¡­¡± Chapter 216 - 172: Kill Blast_1 Chapter 216: Chapter 172: Kill st_1 ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Upon hearing the man¡¯s words, Bambi seemed perplexed, not understanding what he meant. But for Duanmu Huai, this was enough! ¡°Greiya!¡± With his furious shout, Greiya quickly embraced Bambi. She lowered her head, and at the same time, Duanmu Huai tossed a sh bomb into the air with his right hand. Now that he had confirmed these vampires in the castle had no rtion to Bambi, he would deal with them directly. The ins and outs of the situation could be figured outter! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± In the blink of an eye, an incredibly dazzling white light erupted, illuminating the entire castle interior. The vampires, never having expected such a thing, started screaming, covering their eyes and retreating. Simultaneously, Duanmu Huai leaped up, grasped his Thunder Warhammer, and charged to the second floor balcony. Following that, a sacred Soul me radiated outwards from him in all directions! ¡°Boom!!!¡± The blistering me instantly engulfed the vampires who were thrown into disarray by the sh bomb. Although vampires possess speed and physical attributes far beyond ordinary people, they were as helpless as little children in the face of the bright light. After all, these vampires, unlike the perfect being that Bambi was, feared even daylight, and were nothing more than low-level beasts, primitive and barbaric!
Under the searing Soul me, the vampires in the dining room were burned into charred remnants within moments. Hearing the horrified screams inside, the vampires outside attempted to rush in, only to face¡­ a raging Fire Dragon. Greiya raised her transformed dragon-wed right hand, and the zing mes that erupted formed a dragon of fire that blocked the entrance, turning the entire hall into a massive furnace within seconds. If this were a regr building, the vampires could have escaped. But this stone structure was a vampire castle, with only narrow windows norger than ten centimeters wide. Furthermore, to keep Duanmu Huai and his allies from fleeing, they had sealed off the entire castle¡ªthereby cutting off their own escape route. The vampires in the main hall were frantically trying to escape, but the narrow space hindered their movements. Instead, it was the intimidating Fire Dragon controlled by Greiya that moved back and forth, relentlessly engulfing all who dared to obstruct its path. In just a matter of moments, the nearly one hundred vampires that once lurked here had beenpletely eradicated. Those who had been sitting at the dining table, pretending to be casual, were now charred bodies, their act of fleeing or blocking seemingly frozen in time. However, not all had been caught. Duanmu Huai raised his head, staring ahead. Although the sh bomb had obscured the sight of others, thanks to the protection of his helmet, Duanmu Huai¡¯s vision had remained unimpaired. Therefore, he clearly saw that the middle-aged man seemed to sense danger and had instantly transformed into a bloody tempest, rushing into the corridor in the rear. But¡­¡­ do you think you can escape? ¡°Greiya, take care of Bambi, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Duanmu Huai clenched his war hammer and without looking back, he threw these words behind him and strode into the corridor in front of him. ¡°Bang!!!¡± The heavy door was pushed open forcefully. A crimson whirlwind descended andnded on the ground, revealing a bizarre figure. It was the middle-aged man from earlier, but now he could no longer maintain a human form. He had transformed into a monster with a bluish-gray body, a dog-like elongated head, and tattered wings on his back. At this moment, the monster¡¯s legs were burnt ck He slumped on the ground, biting his teeth in desperation. Why? Why has ite to this? Who are those two? They were supposed to be ordinary human adventurers apanying the Night Princess, but why did they possess such immense power? The blinding white light, as well as the terrfying mes which seemed to threaten to incinerate their very souls¡­are they really humans? ¡°Lord Morag! Lord Morag¡­!!!¡± The middle-aged man, now unable to even walk, desperately crawled using his hands, desperately crying out to the altar in front of him. In the center of the altar was a strange-looking divine statue. With its right hand raised high and left hand outstretched forward, it looked like it was dancing. It had beast-like ears and facial features. At this moment, a dense stream of blood was flowing around this divine statue, spilling onto the ground. ¡°Save me¡­Lord Morag¡­¡± The man struggled to crawl forward, yet he could already hear the heavy footsteps approaching from behind him. ¡°Thump¡ª¡ª¡ª! Thump¡ª¡ª¡ª! Thump¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Each pounding footstep felt like a hammer pounding on the man¡¯s heart, causing an unprecedented fear and unease in him. At this moment, he seemed to no longer be a powerful vampire, but a stranded and pitiful prey attempting to escape a ferocious beast¡¯s hunt. He crawled desperately towards the altar. Once he got there¡ªif he could get there¡­ However, at that moment, the man suddenly felt a tight grip on his leg. Then, a terrifying voice emerged in his ear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re not going anywhere.¡± Right behind the man, Duanmu Huai was clutching his war hammer in one hand, while his other hand held the man¡¯s leg. He looked like a deranged killer who had caught his victim in a terrifying western horror movie. ¡°Hehehe, we still have things to discuss, don¡¯t rush to escape¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­Ah¡­¡­..Ah¡­..¡± The man turned his head back and saw Duanmu Huai¡¯s eerie rabbit helmet that, under the flickering firelight and wrapped in shadows, looked rmingly undting. His eyes widened in fear. To him, the grinning rabbit looked like it was about to open its mouth and tear him to shreds at any time ¨C just a rabbit, only a rabbit, but it seemed even more terrifying than a giant dragon! ¡°No, let me go! Let me go!! Help!! Morag!!¡± ¡°Whoo¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± At that moment, as if responding to the man¡¯s wailing and cries, the blood pool at the altar exploded violently. Subsequently, a giant handposed of blood swiftly reached out towards Duanmu Huai! ¡°Hmm?¡± As he saw the blood-soaked giant hand, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. He could certainly sense the powerful magic within it. This was not a power that an ordinary ghost or demon would possess; while it was far from matching a Chaos Evil God, the emanating aura suggested ¡ª could it be that a Demon God had intervened? Bring it on! At this moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes shed ominously. He threw the man aside and tightly gripped his war hammer. He let out an angry roar and simultaneously, a divine bloom erupted from him. He then gripped the war hammer tight and mmed it directly into the bloody giant hand! ¡°Boom¡ª!!!!!¡± The two forces collided intensely. Duanmu Huai felt a viscous, wild power from the giant hand ¨C a kind of mighty pressure. Merely the presence of it was enough to make ordinary humans kneel, repent their insignificance and humility. ¡°Submit to me!!!¡± The voice that echoed in Duanmu Huai¡¯s brain was oppressive as if the power it held could shatter him. But¡­ the being in front of it was not an ordinary human, but a Judge who protects humans! A cruel being who would mercilessly obliterate Gods and demons alike for the sake of humans! A mere demon dares to act unruly in front of me!?! Feeling the oppressive power from his opponent, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, and at the same time, the Fearful Aura erupted! Even the Demon God¡¯s pressure faltered under the angry wave of fear. Seizing this opportunity, Duanmu Huai held his war hammer and smashed forward again!! ¡°Bang!!!!¡±@@novelbin@@ The blood-soaked giant hand burst apart, and the scattered blood painted the entire room red. At the same time, cracks appeared in the divine statue on the altar. As the giant hand shattered, the statue burst open like an explosion. ¡°How is this possible¡­..!¡± Witnessing this scene, the man stood dumbfounded. He terrifiedly watched the scene before him, barely believing his own eyes. As a follower of the Demon God, he could not be more intimate with the aura of the Demon God. However, to his surprise, the terrifying existence, seemingly unbeatable in his eyes, had been directly crushed by the horrible figure in front of him?! What on earth is he?! Under the man¡¯s horrified gaze, the blood-drenched bunny slowly turned around. On its face, glistening blood could be seen flowing from the corner of its mouth, and its eyes shone a sinister red. The man copsed on the ground, trembling all over, as he watched the bunny walk over to him, grab his head, and lift him up. He saw the cruel grin on its blood-soaked face, with its buck teeth visible from the mouth, covered in a bright red of blood. Just like a rabbit that had sadistically devoured a wild beast. Merely looking at it made the man feel an overwhelming sense of fear and chill rushing to his head. His body began to shiver uncontrobly, and he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth because he felt if he did, the only thing that woulde out would be a hysterical scream andplete breakdown. ¡°Okay, sir.¡± The voice from within the helmet sounded to the man like the growl of a beast. ¡°Now we can have a proper conversation.¡± Chapter 217 - 173 History_1 Chapter 217: Chapter 173 History_1 ¡°Bang!!¡±@@novelbin@@ Duanmu Huai stretched out his hand, threw the man on the ground like a dead pig, then arrogantly sat down, coldly staring at him. Next to Duanmu Huai, Greiya, Bambi, and the Watchmen were also watching him closely. Especially Bambi, she still looked angry. It was clear that she was very upset about someone taking over her home. ¡°Alright, start talking. Who are you? Why are you here? Why did you capture Bambi?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The man¡¯s previous arrogance waspletely gone. Perhaps it was because he had witnessed the Demon God he worshipped being defeated by Duanmu Huai. He now looked as pale as death, quickly confessed and exined everything. And this, started from the very beginning of the Vampire n. Like what was said before, vampires like Bambi, are almost perfect creations. More importantly, they are all immortal beings, they will never die unless killed.
This naturally aroused the humans¡¯ envy. As Bambi said, there was a time when humans, in order to gain immortality, even deliberately deceived vampires¡¯ feelings, making them their kin. However, the vampires soon discovered that these humans were only deceiving them for eternal life, so they stopped believing in humans and closed off their kingdom under the queen¡¯s order, living their own peaceful lives. But humans wouldn¡¯t give up so easily, and this man was one of them. Once a king of a country, as a human, he naturally desired immortality. However, since the vampires shut their kingdom, he wasn¡¯t given any chance, which frustrated the king. And at this moment, a mysterious person appeared before the king and made a suggestion. If he could consume the flesh and blood of a vampire, he could inherit their powers and gain immortality. Upon hearing this, the king naturally acted on it, but¡­ how could vampires be so easy to deal with? If they were so easy to destroy, the vampire n would have been wiped out long ago. Aside from that, there was an imprable magic barrier surrounded the Vampire Kingdom, prohibiting any creature from entering. Under such circumstances, even if one wanted to attack, there was no way to do so. Yet, the mysterious person provided the king with a way to break the magic barrier. He suggested that the king offer the fresh blood and souls of his family members to form a contract with a powerful Demon God, and in this way, the magic barrier of the Vampire Kingdom could be easily broken. In the end, the king, driven by his desire for immortality, followed the mysterious person¡¯s suggestion, killed all his blood rtives, and offered their souls and fresh blood to the Demon God. He received a powerful crystal filled with magic power that could shatter the magic barrier of the Vampire Kingdom. So, on the day of the new moon, the king led his army to the Vampire Kingdom. He threw the crystal filled with fresh blood and souls towards the barrier. Not long after, the barrier shattered, the thick scent of blood and the shrieks of the undead instantly engulfed the entire royal city of the vampires. Despite being vampires, they were not undead beings, but rather living creatures. Thus, in the face of the overwhelming aura of death and the scent of blood, their strength was significantly weakened. Then the king led his army into the city, ughtering the vampires who were celebrating the New Moon Boundary, and then¡­ ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Seeing Bambi looking pale and shaking next to him, Duanmu Huai cut off the man¡¯s narration. He signaled at Greiya who nodded in response and put her hand on Bambi¡¯s body to steady her. ¡°Bambi, you¡¯re tired. Let¡¯s go rest.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Bambi doesn¡¯t want to hear anymore¡­ ¡± At this moment, Bambi nodded in fear, and was led away by Greiya. Only after the two left did Duanmu Huai look towards the man again. ¡°Continue.¡± Next, just as Duanmu Huai had guessed, the man and his soldiers ughtered all the vampires, devoured their flesh and blood, and under the crimson moonlight, they transformed into new monsters. However, they quickly realized that the vampires they became were fundamentally different from pure-blooded vampires like Bambi. They didn¡¯t breathe, they didn¡¯t have a heartbeat, and they needed to drink fresh blood to survive, otherwise, they would fall into a slumber. They couldn¡¯t bear sunlight, and they couldn¡¯t eat anything else either. The furious king found the mysterious person again, asking him the reason. He found out that the ritual to transform into a vampire was notplete. Only by absorbing the most pure essence and fresh blood from the royal bloodlines, and using it to taint the Vampire n¡¯s core relic ¨C the Ancient Scroll, could they be pure-blooded vampires instead of inferior products. In the Vampire Kingdom, only the queen and the princess possessed this pure blood essence. The queen, in an effort to protect her subjects, waspletely destroyed in thebat with the Demon God and her soul was imprisoned in the Obliteration Domain. The princess¡¯s whereabouts were unknown. So, since then, the king had been sending people everywhere to look for the missing princess, until recently, when he finally found a clue and located the princess. Chapter 218 - 173 History_2 Chapter 218: Chapter 173 History_2 Therefore, in order to fulfill his own n of bing a pureblood vampire, the man began to set his scheme in motion. He first acquired the Star of Azura from a necromancer, modified it, and sent others to find the location where the princess was asleep. In his mind, as long as he could awaken the princess and use the modified Star of Azura to absorb her soul, he would be able to control thest pureblood royal of this world. He even fantasized about breeding a new vampire race after bing a pureblood royal himself. Once arge group of vampires descended from royalty, who are not afraid of sunlight, appeared, he would then be able to conquer the world and turn it into a domain of the Demon God.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Pfft.¡± The man¡¯s head shattered like a walnut, with brain matter and blood staining the surroundings. Duanmu Huai gave his hand a flick and tossed the headless corpse into the fire. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve had enough of your fantasies. So tedious.¡± ¡°Yes indeed¡­¡± The Watchman also gazed at the headless body being swallowed by the mes with aplicated expression, not knowing what to say. ¡°I¡­once thought vampires were the most evil creatures in the world, but I didn¡¯t expect humans tomit such unimaginable atrocities.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the result of the Demon God¡¯s maniption.¡±
Duanmu Huai responded expressionlessly. Although in reality, many simr cases urred where the evil gods would im that it¡¯s human nature to be selfish and brutal. Thus, they would act out in corrupt ways even without their guidance. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they fall into wickedness. But for Duanmu Huai, this was pure nonsense. Suggesting they would act this way even without you? The reality is you led them to their fall, right? Like these guys, would they dare to attack the Vampire Kingdom if you hadn¡¯t sent your followers to deceive them? In other words, you are the root cause aren¡¯t you? What nonsense about human nature. Do you think, as a judge, I would believe your bullshit? As far as I¡¯m concerned, the Demon God is definitely the one to me, it¡¯s not humanity¡¯s fault. All this is the result of the Demon God¡¯s maniption. So, I need to confront the one who is really responsible. That¡¯s the most important thing. In Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, anyone who mes anything on ¡°human nature¡± is talking nonsense. Even a rabbit, when driven to desperation, will bite. So, aren¡¯t you supposed to me the one who drove the rabbit to bite, instead of ming the rabbit for having a bad nature? If a rabbit with a good nature is pushed to the edge, wouldn¡¯t it bite too? What kind of stupid logic is this? If you really want to discuss this, let¡¯s wait until all of you maniptive Demon Gods and Evil Gods are wiped out. Then we will have plenty of time to discuss what human nature is all about. Before that, you have to bear the me. Don¡¯t even think about shirking your responsibility. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s stop here for now. We¡¯ll discuss the rest tomorrow.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head, turned and left the room. The Watchman stared at the body in the fire for a moment, then also turned to leave. In the corridor, Duanmu Huai ran into Greiya. ¡°Where¡¯s Bambi?¡± ¡°She¡¯s asleep.¡± Greiya nced at the bedroom door and replied quietly. ¡°It appears that Bambi is indeed hit hard¡­ I suppose it can¡¯t be helped, given that her entire race has been wiped out, leaving only her¡­ for Bambi, it must feel like she is in a dream¡­¡± Greiya shook her head helplessly at this point. She could imagine the pain Bambi was going through. For them, this was an event that took ce hundreds of years ago, but for Bambi, she was enjoying a happy life in the castle just a few days ago, attending festive banquets. But after she woke up, her kingdom had been destroyed, all of her kind murdered, and the castle had been upied ¡­ Yes, things have changed, and she was confronted with the harsh reality. ¡°You should stay with her. We¡¯ll deal with the rest tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Greiya nodded and returned to the bedroom. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai went to the balcony next to him, overlooking the roaring fire below ¨C After killing the group of vampires, he had summoned puppets to throw their bodies into the fire and burn them, while conducting a thorough search of the entire castle to avoid any potential survivors. At least everything seemed to be going smoothly for now. However, at that moment, a voice emerged in Duanmu Huai¡¯s mind. [Mr. Knight, Mr. Knight, are you asleep?] ¡°Ann? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s voice, Duanmu Huai smiled. Through the Soul Card, he couldmunicate mentally with his summoned creatures anytime, anywhere. At least it was a convenient ability. They couldmunicate over great distances. However, they could onlymunicate with Duanmu Huai, and not with each other. [Are you still awake? What about Greiya? You guys are alright, right? No problems?] As expected, Ann brought up Greiya within three sentences, which is typical of her. ¡°Greiya is fine, just a little trouble¡­¡± Duanmu Huai concisely exined the situation of the Vampire Kingdom to Ann, leaving her with mixed emotions. [I can¡¯t believe such things can happen¡­ How is Miss Bambi doing?] ¡°She¡¯s taken a hit and is sleeping now. I asked Greiya to stay with her. She should be fine.¡± Chapter 219 - 173 History_3 Chapter 219: Chapter 173 History_3 ¡°Actually, Greiya is really good at taking care of people¡­ Ah, by the way, Sir Knight, I did want to talk to you about something.¡± ¡°Oh? What¡¯s up?¡± Duanmu Huai knew, Ann wouldn¡¯t be having a chat with him for no reason in the middle of the night. ¡°Well, recently, the academy organized an exploration event, having us explore the Underground City, and guess what! We found something really interesting in there! It¡¯s called ¡­ the Eye of Magnus¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Huh!? Wait a second, the Eye of Magnus?!¡± Upon hearing this name, Duanmu Huai suddenly became alert, quickly opening his eyes. The Eye of Magnus? Was it that Eye of Magnus? ¡°What does it look like?¡± ¡°Um¡­ It¡¯s a massive sphere that emits light. It¡¯s encased in a rotating metallic shell¡­¡±
¡°Damn! It¡¯s indeed that thing!!¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai blurted out an expletive. The reason was simple, he was all too familiar with this thing! This has to do with the sixteenth gic prototype Duanmu Huai possessed ¨C the original owner of this prototype was the Red King Magnus, one of the children of the Human Imperial Emperor. He was a psychic with the most outstanding spiritual abilities among all the Emperor¡¯s children. At that time, there were quite a few psychics with mutated abilities in Magnus¡¯ Thousand Sons Army. In essence, Magnus was like a knowledge-seeking, powerful mage, leading an equally strong mage army. His homeworld was a treasure trove of knowledge and leadership. However, Magnus only had one eye. Although he imed he had dedicated his right eye to the pursuit of knowledge, ording to the gossip from various dealers in the Subspace, Magnus lost his right eye in a gamble with the God of Trickery. Afterwards, to unt his victory, the God of Trickery turned Magnus¡¯s right eye into a divine artifact known as the ¡°Eye of Magnus¡±. Magnus tried to reim his right eye, but he never seeded. In the game, the Eye of Magnus was a power amplifier for spiritual energy. In gaming terms, within the range of Magnus¡¯ Eye, the attack power of all psychic spells would be greatly enhanced, and the bearer would even be covered in spiritual energy, gaining near-invincible defensive power. If it served as a gship artifact for the fleet, it would double the Void Shield defensive power of all the warships in the fleet, and even enable them to safely navigate through the Subspace turbulence. Yes, it was very handy and powerful, and of course, it had a side effect that was not mentioned in the instructions. As we all know, the more a psychic in the real world uses spiritual energy, the more his/her body is likely to mutate. This was also the case for the Eye of Magnus. In fact, there had been cases where mage yers used the Eye of Magnus in a battlefield and found that over half of their psychic army had turned into strange monsters of blue and pink after¡­ Of course, there is no such danger for Soul Walkers, after all, the soul cards themselves are already Subspace projections and can¡¯t mutate further!@@novelbin@@ ¡°Where is that thing now?¡± ¡°Huh? The Chief Mage moved it to Winterhold Academy, saying he wants to investigate it.¡± ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll be there tomorrow!¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s previous gloominess vanished instantly. He didn¡¯t expect to find the Eye of Magnus in this Fragmented World! It turned out,ing to this continent was the right decision! Chapter 220 - 174: Courtesy First, Soldiers Later_1 Chapter 220: Chapter 174: Courtesy First, Soldiers Later_1 The next morning, everyone set out again. This time, the Watchman did not join Duanmu Huai and the others, stating that he would return to the Twilight Guardians to report the vampire situation to them¡­ Despite most of the vampires turning into charred remains, there were still others scattered around that needed to be dealt with¡­ which would be the next research subject for the Twilight Guardians. As for Duanmu Huai, he proceeded to the Winterhold Mage Academy with Greiya and Bambi to ¡°retrieve¡± the Eye of Magnus. That¡¯s right, the Eye of Magnus is essentially a divine artifact made from Magnus¡¯s eye, and since Magnus is the legionmander of the empire, rounding off, the Eye of Magnus is considered the property of the empire. As a Judge of the Imperial Judiciary, retrieving the Empire¡¯s property was hardly wrong, was it? Not in the slightest! But what if someone dared not return the Empire¡¯s property? No need to worry. Because this time Duanmu Huai did not travel on foot like before, he went all out and flew the Night Raven ck Star. On one hand, it was for the show, and on the other hand, well¡­
¡°Wow¡­ amazing, such a big chunk of metal can actually fly! Amazing, my liege!¡± Seeing Bambi, who was excitedly looking around from the co-pilot¡¯s seat, Duanmu Huai smiled slightly. Bambi didn¡¯t sleep wellst night and wasckluster this morning ording to Greiya¡¯s observations. So, to cheer her up, Duanmu Huai deliberately summoned the Night Raven ck Star and took her for a ride in the sky. As it turned out, even though the princess was at least a hundred years old, her mentality was no different from a ten-year-old child¡¯s. She was exhrated as she admired the scenery outside. Seeing Bambi regain her lively and cheerful demeanor, Duanmu Huai breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, if it was a typical case of national ruin, Bambi surely wouldn¡¯t have recovered so quickly. But it has been five hundred years and the feeling of her nation¡¯s ruin hasn¡¯t fully sunk in yet. The reality of her situation still seemed unreal. Seeing Bambi like this, Duanmu Huai put his worries at rest. While Bambi and Ann were both lively and outgoing, the two had subtle differences. Ann gave off the impression of cheerfulness, often lifting the mood around her and making it feel easy and joyful. On the other hand, Bambi was like the girl next door, especially with her sweet voice. Even a sigh of mock frustration from her sounded more like a intive meow from a cute kitten, irresistibly endearing. Hence, even the ardent vampire-hating Watchman was not too harsh around Bambi. Princess Bambi seemed to have a natural charm about her, an unwavering allure that captivated people¡¯s attention. Her voice was so tender and soft that whether she wasughing, crying, or even arguing, it was music to one¡¯s ears. Ah¡­ it was indeed addictive.@@novelbin@@ Just look at Greiya. Although she was inherently introvert, she was proactive in caring for Bambi¡­ which spoke volumes about the situation. ¡°We¡¯re almost at our destination, sit tight.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Bambi nodded vigorously. Then she obediently sat in her chair, her eyes wide open as she watched the Night Raven ck Star slowly descend, heading towards the Winterhold Academy in the near distance. East Castle Mage Academy, located in East Castle, was not well regarded in the Sky Province. It was simple enough. Winterhold was once the capital of the Sky Province, a sprawling city. Yet a powerful earthquake caused most of Winterhold, half the city and surrounding territory, to be swallowed by the sea. Only the Mage Academy was spared, standing tall above the ocean like an ind. For this reason, many suspected that the disaster was caused by the Mage Academy, thinking that some experiment by the mages had triggered it. This made the mages unpopr in Winterhold, and the academy was also avoided by everyone except those passionate about magic. Duanmu Huai steered the Night Raven ck Star across the icy sea, stopping at the edge of a stone bridge connected to the Winterhold Academy, which stood on a piece of rock in the sea. He got up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯ll be back shortly. You guys wait here.¡± Although Greiya wanted to meet Ann, Duanmu Huai did not n for the two to meet so soon as it would reveal Ann¡¯s secret identity. He asked Ann to act as a stranger when they met. Ann probably didn¡¯t understand at first, but by the time she saw Night Raven ck Star¡­ with her wits, she would have figured things out. When Duanmu Huai descended from the Night Raven ck Star, arge group of mages was already waiting by the academy¡¯s gate. They looked at him with various expressions of astonishment, surprise, and bewilderment. As mages, how could they not be interested in such a contraption, especially since they couldn¡¯t sense any magic power from it! Without magic power, how could this thing fly? As they saw Duanmu Huai, d in power armor, descend from the Night Raven ck Star, the mages gasped and stepped back. The towering figurebined with the imposing aura of his Fearful Aura was enough to frighten themon folk. ¡°Greetings, unfamiliar visitor.¡± At that moment, an elderly man in a long robe with a long beard, a quintessential mage, stepped out from the crowd, in front of Duanmu Huai. ¡°I am the Chief Mage of the Academy, Savos Aren. May I ask why you havee?¡± ¡°Greetings, Mr. Aren.¡± Duanmu Huai stood in front of Savos, nodding at him. ¡°I am a Judge from the Tribunal. I am here to reim what belongs to us ¡ª¡ª I believe you should understand what I am referring to.¡± The attitude of Duanmu Huai was clear; he was practicing courtesy before applying force. Regardless of whether the other party was aware of it, he first stated his identity. Whether the other side believed him was their own issue. ¡°The Tribunal?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Savos appeared visibly confused. He nced at Duanmu Huai, then looked back at Night Raven ck Star behind him. ¡°Forgive my rudeness, I¡¯ve never heard of the Tribunal before¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you don¡¯t know, after all, we originally don¡¯t belong to this ce.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°In fact, I expect ourmunication will only be limited to this asion¡­ So, what do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Please follow me, Sir Judge.¡± Although the rabbit decoration on Duanmu Huai¡¯s power armor was ridiculously absurd, Savos thought for a moment and then made an inviting gesture. Duanmu Huai then followed Savos through the gates of the Winterhold Academy, heading toward the building in front of him ¡ª¡ª he naturally also saw Ann, the Princess of Manaria was dressed as a mage. But she wasughing so hard at him that she was almost out of breath¡­ Well, as long as it wasn¡¯t discovered by others, it should be fine. Under Savos¡¯s guidance, Duanmu Huai arrived at what they called the ¡°Elemental Hall¡±. Soon, he saw a massive sphere suspended in mid-air. Just like Ann said, it emitted a dim blue light, and the steel casing on the outside was constantly moving, making it seem like it was continuously changing its form. Not only that, the moment he saw it, Duanmu Huai could feel an elusive connection. It was a resonance between gic forces ¡ª¡ª it was clear that this was exactly what he was looking for. ¡°It¡¯s something we found in the ruins, quite miraculous¡ªyou can feel the power within it¡­¡± ¡°I understand what you mean, Mr. Savos.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded, staring at Savos. ¡°Thank you for restoring it. As a token of my gratitude, I will prepare a gift for you.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± However, at this moment, a voice suddenly sounded, interrupting the conversation between the two. Duanmu Huai then saw a High Elf in luxurious mage robes walking towards them. He squinted his eyes, puzzlement and suspicion in his gaze as he stared at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Who exactly are you? Where are you from? And how are you going to prove this belongs to you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to answer your moronic questions, alien.¡± Upon seeing the High Elf, the tone of Duanmu Huai became significantly colder. ¡°This concerns Tribunial¡¯s internal affairs and is not subject to outsider¡¯s interference.¡± ¡°Does this include the Ancestral God Province too?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, the High Elf¡¯s expression turned cold as well. ¡°Don¡¯t try to fathom the will of the Tribunal with yourughable and inferior intellect.¡± Duanmu Huai gave no good face to the High Elf. He extended his hand, controlling his spiritual energy. In a blink of an eye, everyone saw therge sphere in the air began to shrink. In just a moment, it transformed into something the size of an eye, and then floated into Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand. Witnessing this scene, the mages present gaped in amazement. Clearly, Duanmu Huai¡¯s trick had confirmed that he indeed had a connection with the mysterious sphere. ¡°Thank you for supporting the work of the Tribunal.¡± Duanmu Huai, having obtained the sphere, looked at Savos and formally expressed his gratitude. ¡°As a form of repayment, kindly state a request; as long as it doesn¡¯t vite any of Tribunal¡¯s regtions, we will do our best to fulfill it.¡± ¡°This¡­¡­.¡± On hearing this, Savos fell silent. At that moment, the High Elf suddenly spoke again. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t we get permission to investigate your steel horse carriage?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± At this, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows, turning to look at the High Elf wearing a strange smile. You, little bean sprout, seem to have a death wish. Chapter 221 - 175 Unexpected Encounter_1 Chapter 221: Chapter 175 Unexpected Encounter_1 Having no patience for such a suicidal character, Duanmu Huai simply reached into his coat and drew a hand cannon, pointed straight at the High Elf before him. The High Elf, seeing the gun pointed at him, could only stare curiously into the dark barrel. The next moment¡­ ¡°Bang!!!¡± With a loud roar, the head of the High Elf shattered, and it staggered for a moment before copsing to the ground. ¡°Nobody disrespects the Tribunal.¡± Looking at the High Elf corpse on the ground, Duanmu Huai snorted. Despite his mediocre shooting skills, that only applies at long-range. Should he miss at this distance, it would be an alien technology at work. He turned his head, looking towards the current Chief Mage, offering the hand cannon. Overwhelmed by the gesture, the old mage hesitated, looking disoriented. ¡°May I ask, what is this¡­?¡± ¡°Consider it a thank you gift.¡±
What Duanmu Huai gave to the old mage was a hand cannon known as the Midnight Coup, a crown jewel of the Guardian civilization. The hand cannon¡¯s white body, gold magazine, and ck grip were extraordinarily distinctive and exuded a holy aura. ¡°Ah, thank you very much¡­¡± The old mage quickly extended his hand, receiving the hand cannon from Duanmu Huai with a puzzled look. As Duanmu Huai abruptly turned around and left under the watchful eyes of the other mages, he returned to the Night Raven ck Star, rapidly lifting off, leaving this contentious ce. As for how the fool of a High Elf would be dealt withter, it was no longer Duanmu Huai¡¯s problem.@@novelbin@@ [Ah, sir knight, you¡¯re too stingy, only giving them a hand cannon?] Soon, Duanmu Huai received Ann¡¯s mental induction again. Even though the mages of the Mage¡¯s College didn¡¯t know what it was, Ann was quite familiar with the weapons of the Guardian civilization as she had apanied Duanmu Huai through the war against Cabal. Trading the Eye of Magnus with a hand cannon¡­ In Ann¡¯s view, it was akin to exchanging an apple for a castle. ¡°For them, researching this thing is just perfect.¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t lie about it. If the Mage¡¯s College manages to decipher the material, structure, and principle of the hand cannon, it could at least raise thebat power on this continent a notch. Well, just a notch. Given that Duanmu Huai¡¯s base is in Manaria, he certainly wouldn¡¯t want to enhance thebat power of potentialpetitors, right? And he didn¡¯t have to worry about the upgrade in Manaria¡¯s civilization level. During the upgrade quest for her hidden profession, Ann had already scavenged almost an entire set of STEM works and research books from the Human Star¡¯s library. Now, these books had been shipped to the Manaria Great Library, jointly studied and interpreted by schrs from the Holy City and the Kingdom of Manaria. Simply giving a hand cannon to the Mage¡¯s College seemed more like showing them aplete building and having them figure out how to replicate it. How well theyprehend is entirely up to their own fate. This was why Ann thought Duanmu Huai was stingy. ¡°So, Sir Knight, where are we going next?¡± Cradling Bambi in her arms, Greiya asked. Duanmu Huai began to contemte. ¡°Hmm¡­ for now, we don¡¯t have anything urgent, so¡­ ¡± ¡°Beep, beep, beep¨C!!!¡± But before Duanmu Huai could finish, a series of urgent rms resounded. Almost at the same time, Duanmu Huai reflexively grabbed the joystick, pushing it down hard. The normally smooth-flying Night Raven ck Star abruptly rolled to the side, avoiding a massive fireball descending from the sky. ¡°Boom¨C!!!¡± The dazzling light was almost like a second sun appearing in the sky, and the ensuing shockwave made the Night Raven ck Star stagger like a ship in a violent storm. ¡°Ya¨C!!!¡± Feeling the violent shaking of the airship, both Greiya and Bambi screamed out. All the while, Duanmu Huai gripped the joystick, staring ahead¨Conly to see a vast ck dragon pping its wings and blocking his way in the sky ahead. Chapter 222 - 175 Unexpected Encounter_2 Chapter 222: Chapter 175 Unexpected Encounter_2 ¡°How interesting¡­¡­..¡± A deep voice emerged in the minds of everyone, clearly, it was the dragon speaking. ¡°Mere mortals, yet you can soar in the sky with such toys, extremely interesting, but¡­¡­. the sky is the realm of the giant dragons!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your call to make!¡± Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste words with the other party, in the blink of an eye, the firepower of Night Raven ck Star was fully unleashed, countless bullets and missiles whistling out, flying towards the locked enemy! ¡°Hmph!!!¡± Seeing the opponent dare to counterattack, the ck giant dragon also snorted coldly, then it swung its wings violently, speeding up again, attempted to dodge by spinning, but the missile that had tightly locked onto it clearly wouldn¡¯t let go so easily, as the ck giant dragon moved to dodge, the iing missile also turned a bend, directly hitting the dragon¡¯s body. ¡°Boom!!!¡± A series of smoky clouds suddenly burst open in the air, like dense clouds. However, the very next moment, apanied by the howling air currents, the smoke dissipated instantly, and then the ck dragon emerged unharmed.
¡°Such an attack is meaningless to me¡­¡­. Dir kul dar!¡± Apanied by the roar of the ck dragon, the surrounding air currents instantly turned into something tangible and surged towards Night Raven ck Star. An ear-piercing rm sounded, and at the same time, the entire shell of Night Raven ck Star began to gradually contort and deform. ¡°Damn! Let¡¯s go!!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was startled, hurriedly opened the hatch, and jumped down with Greiya and Bambi. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The next moment, Night Raven ck Star exploded behind the three of them, turning into a fireball in the sky. ¡°Damn, my airship!!!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes turned red, he immediately gripped his war hammer, activated the jet pack, and once again faced the ck dragon. At the same time, Greiya and Bambi unfolded their wings and hovered in the air. ¡°You damn crawler, you¡¯re asking for it!!¡± ¡°Arrogant mortals, the sky is not your territory!¡± The ck dragon held its head high, disdainfully looking at the three before it. ¡°You lowly insects, fit only to grovel on the ground and look up at the sky, not to dare to trespass on the territory of the giant dragons! Remember my name, I am Akatosh¡¯s eldest son ¡ª¡ª Oduin! I will devour your souls, let you know the end of defying dragons! Your doom is here!¡± ¡°Oduin¡­¡­.?¡±@@novelbin@@ Hearing the opponent announcing his name, Duanmu Huai and Greiya both went stiff, then weirdly nced at each other. They had been searching for Oduin all along, but found no clues. Little did they expect that without trouble, the BOSS should straightforwardly present himself to them? Tsk tsk, he hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a considerate BOSS, if every BOSS would be as proactive as this giant crawler, how nice that would be! ¡°Attack!!¡± The next moment, Duanmu Huai issued an order without any hesitation, gripping his war hammer tightly and charged straight towards Oduin! ¡°Humans, your struggle is meaningless ¡ª Fru ¨C os¡ª¡ª!¡± Duanmu Huai elerated sharply as he saw Oduin going to unleash the dragon roar again, after the previous fights, Duanmu Huai had already realized that the so-called dragon roar was like a rule of power, simr to a word spirit, simply speaking, as long as it was spoken, the effect would be triggered. However, there was a way to deal with the dragon roar¡­ Just make sure the opponent couldn¡¯t utter a word! I don¡¯t believe you can do ventriloquism, can you!? So, just as Oduin opened his mouth, intending to let out a Dragon Roar, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes also brightened. He then gripped his War Hammer tightly and slung it towards Oduin. Soon, the Thundering Hammer, trailing a lingering afterimage, tore through the sky and plunged directly into Oduin¡¯s mouth, firmly lodging itself in his throat!! ¡°Frul¡­¡­ rus¡­.. ahhh¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Because of this, Oduin¡¯s final dragonnguage was unable to be uttered, instead bing a choked wail. No wonder. Imagine the feeling of having a thick, big carrot suddenly stuffed into your throat while you¡¯re roaring. It¡¯s absolutely ufortable. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± At this moment, Oduin was suddenly enraged. Fast, mes sprayed from its mouth. Apparently, it was trying to use this method to melt the Thunder Warhammer stuck in its throat. However, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Thunder Warhammer was not ordinary and wasn¡¯t so easily melted. ¡°Greiya, restrain it! Bambi, do your best to stop it from spitting fire! Block its line of sight!¡± Landing a hit, Duanmu Huai naturally wouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. He swiftly drew the Chainsaw Sword from behind him and quickly gavemands to Greiya and Bambi. ¡°Okay, Sir Knight!¡± ¡°Got it, master!¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯smands, Greiya and Bambi also set into action. Greiya turned her right hand into the Dragon w Form again, charged to the front of the ck Giant Dragon, and forcefully mmed a punch onto its head. At the same time, Bambi lifted both hands, and with her movements, a swarm of bats appeared out of thin air. Under Bambi¡¯s control, they turned into a ck surge, heading straight towards the dragon¡¯s mouth. For Oduin, this was definitely not a pleasant experience. Right now, it felt as if its throat was blocked by a steel carrot that also carried electricity, rendering it unable to move. And on top of that, there was a swarm of mosquitoes drilling into its blocked throat! That thrill¡­ Just thinking about it is invigorating! ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª! Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Though it couldn¡¯t urately let out a Dragon Roar, Oduin in this moment was still angrily spewing mes, wiping out all the bats that Bambi had summoned. But with Bambi¡¯s cover, Duanmu Huai, gripping his Chainsaw Sword, had already reached Oduin¡¯s side. Stupid fool! Oduin naturally sensed Duanmu Huai¡¯s movements, but it snorted at this. Did a mere human think he could harm it? It was the eldest son of the Time Dragon God Akatosh, the strongest World Eater Oduin. Apart from Dragonborn, no human could cause it the slightest harm! It should know that hundreds of years ago, human heroes had challenged it. Those heroes were exceptionally powerful, easily able to kill the lesser members of the Dragon Race under itsmand. However, even their swords couldn¡¯t harm Oduin at all. In the end, they could only rely on the power of the Ancient Scroll, banishing Oduin till the moment of doomsday¡­¡­¡­ Huh? At this moment, Oduin suddenly looked towards Bambi who was in the distance. More specifically, it was at the thing she was carrying on her back¡­¡­¡­ An Ancient Scroll!? Are you kidding me? Again?! Once is more than enough! Do these damn humans think I would fall into the same trap twice?! Seeing this, Oduin¡¯s eyes were burning with rage. It obviously wouldn¡¯t underestimate the power of the Ancient Scroll, but it was banished previously because it had been caught in the Dragon Roar that those humans created and had no way to escape. However, this time it was different. It was in the sky. Did these damn people think they could use the Ancient Scroll to banish it again, under such circumstances?! This thought shed across Oduin¡¯s mind. As a result, in that instant, it neglected Duanmu Huai who had leapt up and rushed to its back. Or perhaps, Oduin didn¡¯t care about this human at all. After all, he wasn¡¯t Dragonborn and couldn¡¯t harm it. Instead, it was more concerned about that Ancient Scroll¡­¡­¡­ However, before Oduin could devise a strategy, all of a sudden, a sharp sting came rushing through it. The skin was cut open, bones were cut through, muscles were torn apart, and blood sprayed out. A kind of unprecedented and almost forgotten pain originated from Oduin¡¯s side,pletely interrupting its train of thought. ¡°Ahhh!!!¡± The next moment, apanied by a shriek, the ck giant dragon lost its bnce and plummeted towards the ground. Chapter 223 - 176: Defeat (Time to change the computer...)_1 Chapter 223: Chapter 176: Defeat (Time to change theputer¡­)_1 The giant dragon descended from the sky, crashing to the ground. ¡°Bang!!!¡± If this were amon dragon, such a crash would prove fatal. However, Oduin was no ordinary dragon. Even a plummet from the sky could not kill him. But what¡­ What was going on? Why was this happening? Oduin strained to lift his head and gazed at his right wing, which was nowpletely severed at its base, ripped open into a gaping wound. Impossible! Why? That man wasn¡¯t a dragonborn!! Every world has its own rules. Just like the power of the Dragon Roar¡ªa power that could alter the world by merenguage, a dragon was an entity beyond mortal reach, especially Oduin. As the eldest son of the Time Dragon God, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary beings. By all means, no matter how formidable a human could be, they were incapable of harming Oduin.
Because they were mere mortals. But, what was this power!! The wound hadn¡¯t healed but instead, Oduin could feel the surge of a destructive power reminiscent of ming fire spreading within him. This power was obliterating everything, making even his mighty dragon power seem feeble. This was not a dragonborn¡¯s power! Although legend dictated that only a dragonborn could defeat Oduin, fundamentally, the identity of a dragonborn enabled them to stand on the same level as Oduin, transcending the boundary between mortals and dragons. If the dragonborn was inherently weak, defeating Oduin wouldn¡¯t be possible. Yet, this power was terrifyingly intense. The searing feeling, as if it meant to destroy everything within him, was quickly spreading, rendering his vaunted healing ability as a dragon useless in the face of its onught! ¡°Huff¡­haa¡­ ¡± Oduin opened his mouth to try to heal himself with a Dragon Roar. However, all that emerged was a weak whimper. The War Hammer was lodged deeper within his throat, causing him to struggle to remove it. Damnit!!! Feeling the foreign object in his throat, Oduin grew even more enraged. He had never expected someone to use such a method against him. Throwing caution to the wind, Oduin stretched out his forepaw to pry the damn hammer out of his mouth. After all, the hammer was still emitting sparks, trembling incessantly, and numbing his throat. If this kept on, he feared he wouldn¡¯t be able to speak again! However, it was clear that Duanmu Huai and hispanions were not about to give him the chance. ¡°Ha¡ªwhoosh¡ª!!¡± mes descended from the sky, engulfing Oduin¡¯s body. Clenching her right hand, aze in fire, Greiya drove a powerful punch towards Oduin¡¯s head! ¡°Bang!!!¡± Oduin¡¯s head was instantly smashed to the ground by Greiya¡¯s strike, but he was far from surrendering. He let out a roar and sprayed out a dragon¡¯s breath from his mouth, forcing Greiya to retreat. However, just as Oduin was preparing to counter-attack, countless bats appeared once again, forming a circle and blocking his view. Stupid vampires!! Oduin, already fuming with rage, knew that the vampire girl was at fault. Just as he nned topletely incinerate everything before him with a Dragon Breath, he suddenly felt an rming shock from within. Instinctively, he turned his body sideways and moved aside just in time to see a figure appear behind him, swinging a Chainsaw Sword towards his hind leg!! ¡°Buzzzz¡ª!!!¡± The wildly rotating Chainsaw Sword sliced through Oduin¡¯s scales and skin, diving deep into his flesh. Feeling the intense pain, Oduin roared andshed his tail violently, sending Duanmu Huai flying. In midair, Duanmu reached out his hand and Oduin saw several ghosts appear before him, charging at him. But these ghostssted only for a moment under his tail before they were instantly obliterated. ¡°Foolish mortals, such tricks are pointless against me!¡± ¡°Tsk, as expected, it¡¯s useless.¡± Upon witnessing this scene, Duanmu Huai, who had managed to get up from the ground, clicked his tongue. He wasn¡¯t surprised; almost all boss monsters were immune to instant death. Of course, in video games, this was set up to discourage yers from relying too much on the Necrosis System. But in reality, the bosses¡¯ power was simply too strong, merely brushing off an Undead¡¯s instant kill attack. But that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t be defeated. In fact, Duanmu Huai was now sure of his victory! At the same time, Oduin detected danger. He could feel his right leg gradually losing strength, simr to his previously shed wing. At this moment, Oduin finally understood Duanmu Huai¡¯s n¡ªhe wasn¡¯t like the other ignorant Dragon yers who merely aimed to kill dragons. Instead, he intended to cut off all of his escape routes! Unable to fly with his wings and incapable of escaping with only three legs, under these circumstances, Duanmu Huai could slowly wear him down to death! And it has no escape! At this moment, fear rises from the deepest part of Oduin¡¯s heart. It stares at Duanmu Huai not far away. The malicious and smug grin on his helmet makes him seem like a ruthless predator hunting a dragon. If it stops moving, this beast would pounce, tearing its flesh and soul into shreds! Die!!!!! At this instant, Oduin finally felt an uncontroble fear. It roared forcefully and opened its mouth. Soon, violent dragon breath spewed out, sting forward. In an instant, it swallowed Duanmu Huai. Be reduced to ashes!! Unable to use Dragon Roar, Oduin can only vent all its rage into the spewing mes. It¡¯s certain that that damned human cannot escape unscathed. After all, its mes can even melt steel. How could a mere human possibly¡­ ¡°Huu¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The stream of fire disperses to both sides, Duanmu Huai lifts the Chainsaw Sword high, like slicing apart a flood, it split the iing dragon breath in two. Then he lifted his head, the pair of crimson eyes on his helmet now emitted a cold hue ¨C like a hunter poised to assault its prey. Subsequently, Duanmu Huai stepped into the dragon breath, advancing towards Oduin. You¡­ damned¡­ On witnessing this scene, Oduin¡¯s body involuntarily began to tremble, out of either anger or fear. Yet when it attempted to make a move, suddenly, the bats once again flew around, obstructing its line of sight. For a moment, all Oduin could see were countless bats circling around its face, to the extent that it couldn¡¯t see anything else. This was precisely Duanmu Huai¡¯s n: Bambi was responsible for manipting the bats to disrupt Oduin¡¯s vision, and Greiya would use her Dragonborn status tounch a fake attack on Oduin to divert its attention. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai would seize the opportunity to attack when Oduin exposed a gap ¡ª after all, this big lizard now couldn¡¯t run nor fly, it could only obediently take the beating!! At this moment, Oduin felt extremely furious as well. If it weren¡¯t for Duanmu Huai¡¯s disabling its Dragon Roar beforehand, it¡¯d have countless methods to deal with these stupid and arrogant humans. However, now its Dragon Roar ispletely sealed and can¡¯te out. Its wing and hind leg had incurable injuries. Under these circumstances, Oduin doesn¡¯t have many choices. Just like right now, Oduin could feel two forces attacking it from both sides. However, due to the bats obstructing its vision, it had no way of determining where the fatal attack wasing from. Out of desperation, Oduin could only powerfully swipe its tail to fend off the left side, while its right paw reached out towards the right side. Immediately thereafter¡­ ¡°Ahhhhhhh!!!!!¡± A sharp pain came from its right w. As Oduin¡¯s w fell, Duanmu Huai quickly clenched the Chainsaw Sword and forcefully stabbed upwards, puncturing Oduin¡¯s right forepaw entirely. As the saying goes, ¡®an injury to one is an injury to all¡¯. Oduin, whose right paw was pierced through by Duanmu Huai, let out an angry scream of pain. It instinctively lifted its right paw, but at that moment, it saw the bats in front of it suddenly disperse. Subsequently, Duanmu Huai, who held the chainsaw sword, jumped down from its right paw and heavily chopped down towards Oduin¡¯s forehead!@@novelbin@@ ¡°No¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± At this moment, Oduin finally burst out in unwilling rage, but it was toote. The violently rotating Chainsaw Sword directly pierced Oduin¡¯s head, mixing its brain into a pulp. In this moment, Oduinpletely lost its life force. Its neck, raised high, swayed in the air, then fell onto the ground. Then, Oduin¡¯s entire body began to burn as it turned into a powerful force entwined around Duanmu Huai and Greiya. Simultaneously, a series of system prompts emerged in front of Duanmu Huai. [You have killed the World Eater ¡ª¡ª Oduin] [Destruction Warrior Ability Activated ¡ª¡ª Gain +3 Strength, +2 Physical Attribute, +1 Intelligence] [You¡¯ve obtained the soul card ¡ª¡ª Power of Dragonization] [Power of Dragonization (Gold)] [Cost: 6] [When this card is in y, you can discard a hand card and choose a servant with a cost less than 3 to transform into a Rising Dragon] [Rising Dragon (Bronze)] [Cost: 5] [Attack: 5] [Defense: 5] Perfect! Seeing this card, Duanmu Huai excitedly clenched his fist. This is a sure win! Chapter 224 - 177: Kill Them All_1 Chapter 224: Chapter 177: Kill Them All_1 Truth be told, it was quite a fruitful outing for Duanmu Huai. Firstly, the special effect of the Destroyer Warrior activated for the first time, which was pleasantly satisfying. 3 points in strength, 2 in physical attributes, and 1 in intelligence, a total increase of 6 attribute points. Considering that you only gain 1 attribute point every two levels, this was quite a substantial reward. However, it¡¯s evident that the Destroyer Warrior seems to be a job specifically designed to deal with powerful BOSSes. To maximize the benefits of this job, it would be clear to take on powerful adversaries. Conversely, no matter how many ordinary small fry you kill, it¡¯s hard to reap any real benefits. Additionally, the Power of Dragonization card was extremely useful. Frankly speaking, with the increase in Duanmu Huai¡¯s level and the rising level of his foes, the Puppet Army was losing some of its effectiveness. Nowadays, Duanmu Huai rarely summons the Puppet Army in battle, at most using them as material to transform into the undead or Sacred Knights. But even the Sacred Knights and the undead are only useful in certain situations. Against opponents like Oduin, they aren¡¯t very significant. However, being able to transform into a flying dragon is a whole new ball game! Duanmu Huai experimented a bit, and found that the flying dragons transformed from the puppets were pretty much the same as the ones he and Greiya had previously encountered outside Snow City. They could fly, breathe fire, and didn¡¯t have any other special abilities nor could they use Dragon Roar. However, for most enemies, it¡¯s scary enough to just see an army of giant dragons breathing fire on the battlefield. Apart from all this, Greiya also benefited quite a bit.
The best reward was¡ªshe learned all the Dragon Roars! Yes, as a Dragonborn, Greiya, in absorbing Oduin¡¯s dragon soul, acquired all the knowledge he possessed, thereby learning how to use all the Dragon Roars. And only after Greiya demonstrated all the Dragon Roars did Duanmu Huai realize how terrifying these powers could be. These Dragon Roars covered almost everything, incorporating all manner of effects. For example, controlling animals, sensing life, even altering grim weather to clear skies, summoning violent tornadoes, freezing everything in sight, and as they had seen in Hailgen, summoning a meteor shower, forcibly disarming enemies, even slowing down time and resurrecting dead giant dragons¡­. Okay, looking at it now, most of Oduin¡¯s strength seems to have been in the Dragon Roars. If Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t silenced his roars in advance, this guy would have been even harder to deal with. That being said, the Dragon Roar that Greiya liked the most was ¡°Dragon Soul Awakening¡±. This was a Dragon Roar that could awaken the giant dragon¡¯s soul within her, granting her the strength of a giant dragon. However, perhaps because Greiya was a Dragonkin, after using this Dragon Roar, she actually transformed into a shiny ck giant dragon! It must be admitted, this gave Duanmu Huai quite a start. But upon careful examination, the group discovered that Greiya hadn¡¯t actually turned into a giant dragon. It was more akin to what Felin was doing, projecting magic power externally to temporarily form the silhouette of a giant dragon while keeping her real body a Dragonkin. Likewise, Felin would summon condensed ice to form a huge ice dragon around herself forbat. Greiya¡¯s ¡°Dragon Soul Awakening¡± worked in much the same way. Despite being able to sustain it only for a short duration, Greiya was extremely delighted. After all, she was the princess of the Dragon Kingdom, a nation full of giant dragons, whereas she was a Dragonkin, which made her feel a bit out of ce. Of course, to Duanmu Huai, this seemed safer than fully transforming into a giant dragon. In this way, even if the dragon¡¯s eyes were blinded by an opponent or it sustained injuries, it would not affect the person inside. After all, the bigger the size, therger the target. Greiya, who had obtained the power of Dragon Soul, was very excited. She experimented with ¡°Dragon Soul Awakening¡± several times in session. She found that, under nonbat conditions, she could sustain the form of a giant dragon for about two to three hours. But once she started fighting, the duration would drastically reduce. This seemed to be due to the consumption of magic power inbat, making it difficult to sustain the form of a giant dragon. Not only that, after killing Oduin, Greiya also learned of Fafner¡¯s whereabouts. Just as Duanmu Huai had suspected, after that incident, Fafner¡¯s soul had fled to this continent. Then it found Oduin, and they both reached an agreement. After devouring the entire continent, Oduin would head for Manaria. However, Oduin clearly had no fondness for Fafner, imprisoning its spirit in the Divine Artifact crystal of the Dragon Worship Sect. Then, it goes without saying, now that Duanmu Huai was aware of the location of the Dragon Worship Sect, he immediately notified Ann and Lorena, asking them to gather. Fortunately, their of the Dragon Worship Sect wasn¡¯t too far away. Moreover, Lorena revealed that she had been investigating the sect and was on its trail, in the vicinity, in fact. So it didn¡¯t take long for everyone to agree to rendezvous outside their of the Dragon Worship Sect. They nned to storm in and deal with Fafner, the treacherous scum who had betrayed his homnd. Lorena and Ann were both quite fast. By the time Duanmu Huai arrived, they were already waiting for him. ¡°Ah, Sir Knight!¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Mr. Knight!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai appear, the girls enthusiastically waved at him, but they soon became puzzled by the scenery before their eyes. ¡°Where did this dragone from?¡± Indeed, because Night Raven ck Star had been destroyed by Oduin, Duanmu Huai and Bambi had arrived on the back of Greiya, who had transformed into a giant dragon. No, rather, Greiya had insisted that they ride on her. It seemed she was truly excited about her ability to transform into a giant dragon. ¡°Heh, you guys know this dragon too.¡± ¡°Eh? We know it too?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Duanmu Huai leaped from the giant dragon, made a gesture, and then to the girls¡¯ surprise, the giant dragon¡¯s body quickly vapourized, and Greiya appeared. ¡°Wow! Greiya!¡± Seeing this, Ann excitedly jumped up and ran over to hug Greiya. ¡°That¡¯s amazing, when did you learn to change into a giant dragon!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Sir Knight, it taken me awhile to learn some skills ¡­¡± Greiya also smiled at Ann, apparently eager to show off her new ability. ¡°Is this child Bambi? Hello¡­¡± Then Lorena came over to Bambi and greeted her with a smile. They knew of Bambi¡¯s existence, but it was their first meeting. Girls always have lively chats. After a while, things calmed down and Duanmu Huai finally began to inquire about their situations. There was not much to say about Ann, aside from studying magic and going on asional adventures, most of her time was spent reading with Ogis in the library of Winterhold Academy. As for Lorena, it seemed normal. Although they encountered bandits and wild beasts during their journey, under Saharir¡¯s protection, everyone was safe. They did encounter the Nine Spirits. ording to Lorena, most of them were kind. Sometimes they posed difficult tasks for them toplete, but they didn¡¯t make things difficult intentionally. At least for the Nine Spirits, they were merely protecting the Empire. As long as the Cathedral Church Group didn¡¯t pose a threat to the Empire, the Nine Spirits wouldn¡¯t hold any hostility towards them. Regarding the situation of the Dragon Worship Sect, Lorena also exined it to Duanmu Huai. ording to her research, the Dragon Worship Sect worshiped the World Eater, Oduin. They thought that the world would eventually be destroyed, so they worshiped Oduin, who would destroy the world. Honestly, Duanmu Huai could not understand these morons, whether in films, TV shows or games. If you believe in God like the Catholics, you could have a ce in the end of days. This could be considered coercion. But what¡¯s the logic in eagerly desiring the world and oneself to be destroyed? It could be understood if there are one or two of these anti-human and anti-social individuals. Every race has some oddballs. But now there are so many idiots, that¡¯s beyondprehension. In short, ording to Lorena¡¯s investigation results, these guys were just ordinary bandit thieves. Well¡­ there¡¯s no need to be polite then. ¡°Greiya, it¡¯s up to you!¡± After making the decision, Duanmu Huai turned to Greiya and spoke. She nodded and then looked at the mountain before them ¨C the abode of the Dragon Worship sect. From the foot of the mountain to halfway up, everywhere was upied by their buildings and altars. If one disregards the backdrop, Duanmu Huai felt it¡¯s no different from those demonic sects in martial arts world which rule over mountains. ¡°Alright, Sir Knight.¡± Perhaps because she was so excited about her Dragon Soul Awakening, Greiya didn¡¯t refuse. She stared at the Dragon Worship camp halfway up the mountain, opened her mouth, and took a deep breath. ¡°Fus¡­ Woda!¡± With the thunderous dragon roar from Greiya, the next moment the clear sky clouded over, with dark clouds swirling into a gigantic vortex. Then, countless meteors fell from the sky,nding in the Dragon Worship Sect¡¯s camp, causing arge fire and screams of panic. ¡°Wow, so awesome! Greiya is so amazing!!!¡± Seeing this, Ann pped her hands vigorously, she was so excited that she nearly jumped up. While Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the war hammer, looking forward. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± He then decisively issued the order. Chapter 225 - 178: Invasion Plan_1 Chapter 225: Chapter 178: Invasion n_1 Defeating Fafner didn¡¯t take up much effort from everyone. The followers of the Dragon Worship Sect were basically pushovers and as for Fafner, who was sealed in the crystal, he was powerless, unable to get any response from heaven or earth. Even though it couldn¡¯t be absorbed by Greiya (if she could, they would have done it earlier when Duanmu Huai killed it), Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯tpletely helpless against it. All they had to do was ask the Clear Sky Angel for a hand. Saharir didn¡¯t refuse, after all, she came exactly for this reason. With a shriek, Fafnerpletely dissipated under the Clear Sky Angel¡¯s starlight attack. It signified theplete disappearance of this evil dragon, who would no longer cause any more trouble. With theplete disappearance of Fafner, the girls finally let out a sigh of relief. After entirely exterminating the Dragon Worship Sect, they returned to their inn in the city, nning to take a good rest. Taking advantage of this moment, Ann went over to Greiya and hugged her arm tightly. ¡°Greiya, how was it?¡± ¡°How was what?¡± Upon hearing Ann¡¯s puzzling question, Greiya was surprised. Ann then pursed her lips and nced at Duanmu Huai, who was chatting with Ogis.
¡°I mean, about Sir Knight, you¡¯ve been together for so many days, do you have any thoughts?¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s implication, Greiya¡¯s pretty face blushed immediately, and she turned to ask Ann in response. ¡°What about you, Ann?¡± ¡°Me? I think Sir Knight is great. Although he looks a bit fierce, he does provide a lot of security. No matter what happens, he is always at the forefront and never forgets to care for us. I think Sir Knight is very good¡­ of course, his armor is quite adorable right now!¡± In the end, Ann couldn¡¯t help but giggle. As for Ann¡¯s evaluation, Greiya agreed internally. During her time with Duanmu Huai, Greiya found that Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t the type to treat others with extreme tenderness and sweetness. Simply put, he had practically nothing to do with the gentle and handsome Prince Charming girls dream of. However, it wouldn¡¯t be right to say Duanmu Huai was careless. He indeed cared for her a lot, he just didn¡¯t express it verbally. If an analogy had to be made, it would be that if she felt thirsty, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t ask her if she wanted water, he would simply put a cup of water in front of her as if it was amon thing to do. She had also seen how he took care of Bambi. She could imagine that if she had children in the future, Sir Knight would surely take good care of them¡­ What was she thinking about! Thinking about this, Greiya abruptly blushed and forcibly shook her head. Although Duanmu Huai was indeed quite good, but¡­ ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m a bit scared¡­¡± ¡°Scared?¡± ¡°Yeah, Sir Knight he¡­¡± At this point, Greiya hesitated, casting a timid nce at Duanmu Huai and then quietly continued to speak to Ann. ¡°He seems to care more about humans¡­ that makes me a bit scared¡­¡± Yes, if asked whether Greiya had any insecurities, she had them indeed. She had seen with her own eyes how Duanmu Huai attacked the Thalmer Elves. Frankly speaking, this incident might have been the fault of the Thalmer Elves, but Duanmu Huai¡¯s iron-blooded ruthlessness towards alien races made Greiya very uneasy. Ann was a princess of the Human Empire, so she might not think there was anything wrong with Duanmu Huai¡¯s attitude. But it was different for Greiya. As a dragonkin, her identity was sensitive, and she was more keen on the surprises regarding race. Therefore, she wasn¡¯t quite ustomed to Duanmu Huai¡¯s way of putting humans first, yet dealing blows to other races. ¡°Is that so? But the races that Sir Knight deals with are all those not very friendly towards humans, right?¡± ¡°True, but¡­¡± Hearing Ann¡¯s reply, Greiya sighed quietly. Just as Ann said, Duanmu Huai¡¯s targets were basically races that were unfriendly to humans. But if put another way, if any race posed a threat to humans, would he deal with them all? What about the giant dragons of Regnes? Thinking about this, Greiya was reminded of the time when Duanmu Huai had a chat with her. He straightforwardly told her that he would never allow Regnes to threaten humans. But¡­ Greiya also knew that even she and her father couldn¡¯t constrain all the dragons of Regnes, let alone those conservatives. They might try something at any time to attempt to regain the dominance of the Dragon Race. In that case, all she could do is¡­ ¡°I understand, Ann.¡± Greiya made up her mind and looked at her best friend. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to marry Sir Knight and be his wife. I¡¯m going to be a great wife.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Um¡­ What¡­?¡± Faced with Greiya¡¯s response, Ann is taken aback. At first, she was only trying to ask about her friend¡¯s rtionship with Duanmu Huai, and now within a few sentences, Greiya had already made up her mind to marry Duanmu Huai. From her expression, she didn¡¯t seem to be shy or particrly happy. Why was that? Looking at Greiya, Ann is filled with question marks,pletely clueless about what was going on in her friend¡¯s head. On the contrary, at this moment, Greiya had already made up her mind. The reason for her decision was not out of any girlish feelings. On the contrary, Greiya was hoping that if she married Duanmu Huai, andter if the dragons of Regnes ever did anything, Duanmu Huai would spare Regnes for her sake¡­ just like how he nned to deal with the Thalmer Elves. Ann, of course, had no idea what her best friend was thinking. But looking at Greiya, she felt curious. Could it be¡­ did something happen between Sir Knight and her? It couldn¡¯t be Sir Knight taking her by force¡­ No, Greiya was formidable, an ordinary person couldn¡¯t defeat her¡­ Um¡­ But after ncing at Duanmu Huai¡¯s towering height of 8 feet, Ann suddenly became unsure. An ordinary person wouldn¡¯t be able to, but whether or not Duanmu Huai could¡­ was debatable. But¡­ it couldn¡¯t be, right? ¡°Alright.¡± As Ann allowed her mind to wander, Duanmu Huai¡¯s voice suddenly rang out. He pped his hands to draw everyone¡¯s attention to him. ¡°Now, there¡¯s a very important matter I need to discuss.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai speak, everyone became curious and quickly gathered around him. They were currently staying at an inn which Duanmu Huai had reserved entirely for themselves, so they had no need to worry about any outsiders disturbing them. The original n was to simply celebrate after eliminating Fafner, but it seemed that Duanmu Huai had other matters? ¡°Our mission here is, for the most part, aplished.¡± Duanmu Huai motioned for everyone to sit and then looked earnestly at hispany before proceeding. ¡°But there are still two matters I need to handle, one of which I could use your help with, if you¡¯re willing.¡± One of the matters involved the Thalmer Elves, which Duanmu Huai could handle alone ¨C a small matter. However, the other matter¡­ ¡°I n to take down a Demon God.¡± As soon as Duanmu Huai finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Having been in this continent for quite some time, they had a fair understanding of what a Demon God was. Although a Demon God isn¡¯t a Nine Saint, strictly speaking, it isn¡¯t much different, with many sects worshipping them. Yet, Duanmu Huai¡¯s immediate statement of wanting to take down a Demon God left these girls a little overwhelmed. ¡°Th-That¡­ Why, Sir Knight?¡± Lorena, as the first to express her confusion, asked. Being a missionary priest, she naturally studied these religious entities and knew that among Demon Gods, some were benevolent while others were malicious. However¡­ Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t seem to have any vendetta against them, did he? ¡°Bambi¡­¡± Duanmu Huai beckoned, and Bambi promptly ran over and pounced like a kitten into Duanmu Huai¡¯s embrace, who then gently patted Bambi¡¯s little head. ¡°I assume you¡¯re all aware of this little one¡¯s circumstances.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Looking at Bambi, the girls nodded. Duanmu Huai had informed them about Bambi¡¯s story through Mental Induction, so they understood the little creature¡¯s past. ¡°As it turns out, the Demon God that encouraged those people to attack the Vampire Kingdom is none other than Morag Baal. And not only that, I¡¯ve discovered through my investigation that the souls of the Vampires from the Vampire Kingdom who died during that time are now imprisoned within Morag Baal¡¯s Obliteration Domain!¡± ¡°Huh?!!¡± On hearing this, Bambi looked up at Duanmu Huai in disbelief. ¡°Is this true? My lord!?¡± ¡°It ought to be. That guy admitted it himself.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded, then looked solemnly at everyone. ¡°Hence, I n to enter Morag Baal¡¯s Obliteration Domain, take that bastard down, and free the souls he has enved. I want to avenge Bambi. What do you think?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the girls also began to ponder. Soon, Lorena spoke. ¡°Morag Baal, the Soul Reaper¡­ I recall it being one of the Four Corners of Disaster¡­ It¡¯s a brutal Demon God. Fighting such an enemy¡­ is my duty too¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°The Obliteration Domain, huh¡­ I¡¯ve never been. It seems simr to Hell?¡± Ann blinked and curiously asked, to which Duanmu Huai nodded in agreement. ¡°Right. We missed outst time. How about we take a look this time?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! We MUST go!!!¡± Hearing this, Ann excitedly raised her hand. Thest time Duanmu Huai had toplete an advanced ss mission, Ann wanted to apany him to Hell. However, since the mission required Duanmu Huai to aplish it alone, she couldn¡¯t go. Now, given this opportunity, she wasn¡¯t going to miss out. ¡°But, is it going to be too dangerous to confront a Demon God in its domain with just a few of us?¡± Greiya expressed her doubts, but Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not just going to be us. I¡¯ll have all the Night Guards convene here, and in addition, I¡¯ll also recruit some Guardians.¡± Is he nning on going all out?! Hearing this, everyone was stunned. They had expected Duanmu Huai to pull another small Adventure Squad and attempt a beheading strategy, not a head-on war! Duanmu Huai had his reasons, of course. This time his chosen adversary was a Demon God, in part to avenge Bambi, and in part to train his troops. After all, as a Judge, he would soon have to challenge the Subspace Chaos Evil God on its home turf, and obviously, he couldn¡¯t do this alone. Now that there was a Demon God avable, he might as well use it for practise, to let his troops get used to these sort of battles. ¡°I see.¡± However, much to Duanmu Huai¡¯s surprise, Saharir, who had been silent and reticent, spoke. ¡°I will also return to Heaven, gather a group of warriors, and join the fight.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes lit up. This¡­ is even better! Chapter 226 - 179: Simple and Brutal_1 Chapter 226: Chapter 179: Simple and Brutal_1 On this continent, the creation myth goes something like this. ording to the records, this universe was born from a dream had by a thing called the ¡°Head of God¡±. As for what the hell the Head of God is, only heaven knows. Maybe it¡¯s a gamepany. Then, the eternal deity Anu and the changeable deity Padome were differentiated from the world. Then Anu and Padome each split into a bunch of gods. Basically, the gods on Anu¡¯s side are now the beautiful gods like the Nine Saints that everyone worships, while the ones split from Padome are those evil and crazy Demon Gods. In fact, the religious beliefs on the Novice are simr. For example, the Imperial legal gods worshiped in that world represent unchanging eternity, while the Chaos Evil Gods represent change. Of course, for yers, they disdain this kind of mentally retarded dualism. Eternity is not necessarily good, and change is not necessarily bad.
If it¡¯s about which side to stand on, that¡¯s bullshit. Just like all creation myths, ording to the mythology of this world, the gods of this world created the world, created humans, and created everything. But honestly, if we go by the viewpoint of the yers who haunt the Main Universe, this chicken-or-egg question is worth pondering. Like the Chaos Evil God, there is no concept of time in subspace, so when the Chaos Evil God appears, it exists in the past, present, and future of subspace. But ording to the timeline of the Main Universe, the birth of the Chaos Evil God actually has a point in time, and before this point in time, they did not exist. So if we go by the yers¡¯ perspective, almost all gods actuallye from human beliefs. Humans first created beliefs, and then gods were born. But because this logic fits within the mythology, gods seem to always exist in the eyes of humans ¨C but in fact, that is obviously not the case. Actually, if you think about it, all creation myths have a paradox. This is just like ghost stories. You tell a ghost story, saying that your friend got onto a haunted bus and never got off, only to discover that everyone on the bus was a ghost, and then they were taken to Hell. The story is vivid and well-told. Then the problem arises. If your friend died, how did you know this story? Did you make it up? Or did your friende back to life to tell you the story? Creation myths are the same. If God created the world and the story is detailed, then who wrote this myth in such detail in the first ce? ording to the myth, the gods created the sun and the moon, created the stars, created life, and finally created humans. So how did humanse to know so much? Could it be that the gods intentionally stayed behind to bullshit and tell stories? Are they so idle? So, from the perspective of the yers in the Main Universe, all gods, good or bad, are born from the beliefs of sentient beings. Then, like the Chaos Evil God, once they are born, they upy all the existence in the past, present, and future in subspace. That is to say, gods did not exist in the past, but there might have been some kind of power in the world. And to exin this existence, people created a god for this power, so the god became associated with this power. For example, when it rained after a dry spell and everyone prayed for rain, then the downpour came. Where did that downpoure from? After some thought, people would decide it was definitely the Dragon King showing mercy and bringing rain, so they began to thank the Dragon King, and thus the belief that Dragon King equals Water God came into existence. Under this belief, the Dragon King, who¡¯s in charge of dispensing rain, really gets created. It perfectlyplies with the logic of human belief, hence humans naturally deduce that the past downpours were also the doings of the Dragon King. Therefore, a cycle of beliefs is born. Some phenomenon is born = People create a belief to exin this phenomenon = The belief creates a god who controls this phenomenon = The God who controls this phenomenon validates the correctness of the belief. Self-validation, a perfect cycle, without any ws. So for religious people like Lorena, the Demon God may seem terrifying, but for Judges like Duanmu Huai who know the rules of the universe, no matter how grandiose and badass the Demon God seems or how Dragon Proud Sky-like its book is, in the end it¡¯s still a thing created by belief. For Duanmu Huai, the Demon Gods of this world are equivalent to weakened versions of the Chaos Evil God. After all, these Demon Gods have more restricted domains, unlike the Chaos Evil God who epasses almost every aspect of intelligent life. They¡¯re also easier to deal with, so Duanmu Huai chose to use these Demon Gods to train his forces. ¡°But¡­ Sir Knight, how do you n to enter the Obliteration Domain?¡± That¡¯s right, from Lorena¡¯s point of view, this is the most important question. ¡°ording to the historical records I¡¯ve read, there was once a Demon God named Daguan who sought to open the Gate of Obliteration to invade this world, but this is not an easy thing to do¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not difficult.¡± Duanmu Huai was well prepared in advance. ¡°I have a divine statue of Morag in my possession, if imbued with enough spiritual energy, it can open the gateway to his domain.¡± Indeed, as a judge, Duanmu Huai was, of course, familiar with various ways to open the doors to the subspace. In essence, no matter the method, be it ceremonies, sacrifices, or other ways, the means to open the gate to the subspace is simple¨C it¡¯s just about using strong enough spiritual energy to blur and distort the boundary between the real world and subspace, and then you can travel to subspace. It¡¯s that simple. However, because the subspace is infinite, finding the right path to the ce one wants to go is the most difficult part. But as long as there is a divine statue, this problem can be solved. In this world, the divine statues do give blessings to their believers, meaning, the divine statues of the spirits and demon gods in this world are essentially their windows to the main universe. And since they are windows, these statues naturally lead to the Obliteration Domain where these demon gods reside. Put it this way, these statues are more like the selling windows for the demon gods. Believers offer rewards, then receive some rewards from the other side. So what does Duanmu Huai n to do? It¡¯s rather simple, crudely brutal, just smash it. Just like a burr invading a house, without the tactics of a thief, demolish the security, smash its window, directly knock down the wall, and then rush in. I¡¯m here for robbery, who¡¯s ying by the rules with you? ¡°Alright, are you ready?¡± Duanmu Huai returned to his senses and looked at the people standing behind him. Beside Duanmu Huai, naturally stood Ogis, then Bambi, Ann, Greiya, Lorena, and Audrey. Not far away, there was the Angelic Army led by Saharir.@@novelbin@@ It must be said that this Angelic Army looked rather impressive. In the forefront, naturally, was Saharir, the Clear Sky Angel and behind her mainly three lines, one being the Aurora Angels with white wings, holding a magic wand, having long golden hair, and looking like beautiful young girls. And the Shining Angels with pink long hair, carrying a poleaxe and shield, wearing white armor. And also the scantily d Healing Angels. These three types of angels were the main forces in battle. Besides these, in the first row of the team were cute and petite Dingdong Angels holding two golden bells, the Promation Angels holding mid-size bells, and the Chorister Angels responsible for singing hymns. Of course, Duanmu Huai had also investigated these angels¡¯ information. It should be said that these angels¡¯ attacks were not very high, excluding the leading angels like Saharir, the basic attributes of the other angel warriors were 4 for both attack and defense, they were not particrly formidable if high attributes were to be considered. However, although the number of this Angelic Army was notrge, only a bit more than three hundred people, but they emphasized defense and support, they were perfect for guarding the army. For example, the Aurora Angels could gain +3/+3 attribute and the ability to ignore opponents¡¯ defenses and prate attacks through the[Angel¡¯s Blessing]. The Shining Angels could grant all servants +1 attack through[Battle Maiden¡¯s Spear]. Besides, Dingdong Angels, Promation Angels, and Chorister Angels could also trigger[Melody of the Celestial Realm]giving allbat units +3 defense. And Healing Angels could heal and restore injured units through[Angel¡¯s Grace]. Although these angels¡¯bat abilities were not very strong, their support abilities were formidable, and they all provided team support¨C this was exactly what Duanmu Huai was currentlycking. Originally, Duanmu Huai wondered if there would be a deity from heaven responsible for overseeing the army, but Saharir stated that considering this was after all an operation against the Demon God of another continent, if heaven sends a deity over, it would be equivalent to formally starting a war with the demon Gods here. So, it¡¯s better to keep a low profile. And this Angelic Army is a gift to Duanmu Huai. Yes, a gift! From this one could see, heaven was quite generous. For Duanmu Huai, this was also a good thing. At the very least going out with angels¡­.he would not be mistaken for a necromancer, right? ¡°No problem, I can¡¯t wait! Sir Knight!¡± Ann was excited and jumping around. She had been itching to go when she couldn¡¯t go with Duanmu Huai to Hellst time, and now that she finally gets to go to the Obliteration Domain, naturally, she couldn¡¯t wait. Of course, the others wouldn¡¯t say anything more, Bambi had been looking forward to meeting her people for some time and as for Audrey¨C she was just a maid now, wherever Duanmu Huai went, she had no say in the matter, she just followed along. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Duanmu Huai picked up Morag¡¯s divine statue and took a few steps forward. He griped the statue tightly and rapidly infused spiritual energy into it. Soon, under the infusion of Duanmu Huai¡¯s spiritual energy, the divine statue of Morag in his hand began to tremble, emitting a dark red glow. At the same time, the surroundings became dim and were even swept by a chilling gust of wind. Simultaneously, the howling of the undead echoed around. ¡°Bang!!!¡± The divine statue in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand suddenly shattered in the next moment. Then, a dark red oval-shaped spatial portal appeared before him out of thin air. At the same time, apanied by a roar, a tall monster covered in scales rushed out from inside, opened its wide mouth to bite Duanmu Huai¨C then was promptly shoved back in by Duanmu Huai pressing on its head. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡± Chapter 227 - 180 Attack!_1 Chapter 227: Chapter 180 Attack!_1 As soon as Duanmu Huai crossed the portal, the first thing he saw was a wastnd. The ground was covered with yellow sand, and the entire world seemed to have decayed entirely. Looking up, one could see a ck sun high in the sky. The red light from the borders of the ck sun illuminated the world in a dark red glow. The fire will die out, but the king¡¯s shadow is nowhere to be seen ¡ª Damn, it¡¯s a cross-scene! At this moment, numerous monsters had already gathered in front of Duanmu Huai. After all, it wasn¡¯t like Duanmu Huai had sneakily slipped in, he had practically busted through the window and walls. If there hadn¡¯t been a reaction, it would mean the ce was deserted. Clearly, that was impossible. In front of Duanmu Huai were demon soldiers d in pitch-ck armor and sinister monsters that looked like they had alligator heads. Obviously, they had detected Duanmu Huai¡¯s presence, and they were ready to tear the intruder who dared to invade the Obliteration Domain to shreds! ¡°Roar¡ª!!¡± Apanied by the roar, the monster that Duanmu Huai had previously sent back to the Obliteration Domain once again opened its bloody mouth wide to bite down on Duanmu Huai. This time, Duanmu Huai did not give it a chance. He reached out his hand, grabbed the monster¡¯s mouth and ripped apart the top half of its head. Following that, Duanmu Huai waved his arms, tossed the monster¡¯s body forward, grabbed the War Hammer, and leapt up to bombard the demon soldiers! ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± With the thundering hammernding, raging thunder scattered, causing the demon soldiers to retreat. At the same time, others followed Duanmu Huai into the fray. Ann raised both hands, and a howling blizzard surged forward, blowing away the enemy in front of them. Simultaneously, Greiya opened her mouth and let out an angry dragon¡¯s roar.
¡°Fus¡ª¡ª Woda!!¡± Apanied by a deafening dragon¡¯s roar that almost echoed through the sky, a meteor shower rained down from the sky,nding in the troops, causing the caught-off-guard demon soldiers to be blown away. Meanwhile, Ogis also returned to Duanmu Huai¡¯s side again. She expertly leapt up and sat on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder. Following that, the puppet girl raised her hands, pointing forward, and the invisible threads under her control whirled and howled, tearing any enemy who dared to attack into pieces. On the other side of Duanmu Huai, Bambi also charged over. Her hands were filled with crimson magic power, which struck forward like a storm. Countless bats emerged from behind her and headed towards the enemy army, blocking their sight. Audrey was not idling either. Standing behind Duanmu Huai and the others, she raised her hands. As Audrey moved, countless ck feathers materialized out of thin air and shot towards the enemy like arrows. Although the damage caused by Audrey was not severe, it caused a little trouble for the Demon Army. On the other side, the Angelic Army was notgging either. Apanied by the sound of ringing bells and trumpets, a hymn of praise surfaced, transforming into pure and holy energy that covered all those present. The Aurora Angel raised the Magic Wand in her hands high up and enveloped the Demon Army in the released Holy Light, instantly slowing the terrifying demons as if they were burdened with a heavy load. Meanwhile, the Shining Angel raised his shield and clenched his spear, charging towards the battlefield. But they were obviously just a drop in the ocean. After all, this was the Obliteration Domain, the territory of the Demon God. Soon, countless shadowy figures gathered from all sides, as an army of thousands of demons and monsters appeared from within. They charged towards Duanmu Huai and the others like a raging tide. However, Duanmu Huai had anticipated this. ¡°Coordinates locked, start transportation!!¡± Apanied by Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, several azure circr teleportation gates appeared out of thin air behind him. Following that, thousands of Night Guards wearing ck power armors and holding power swords and Burst Arrow Guns stepped out from them, while a golden gigantic warship appeared above in the sky.@@novelbin@@ Obviously, it was not Duanmu Huai¡¯s Queen Glory ss gship ¨C since the gship was anchored to the World Fragment, it naturally couldn¡¯t enter. But fortunately, the first Moon ss cruiser delivered to the Guardians from the Void Dockyard had beenpleted. Just as Duanmu Huai nned to deal with Morag Baal, he approached the High Tower Council, hoping that the Guardians could join the battle and make use of the Moon ss warship¡¯sbat power. The High Tower Council did not object ¨C nothing could test a weapon¡¯sbat power better than real battle. Unlike the Imperial Battleships, since the Guardians themselves possessed a kind of ¡°teleport¡± ability that allowed them to teleport directly into enemy warships, the High Tower Council¡¯s requirement was fulfilled ¨C this Moon ss cruiser had all of its torpedo tubes removed and was reequipped with numerous Macro Cannons, making it perfect for ground attack. Meanwhile, as rays of light shed, the Guardians materialized out of thin air, holding weapons and joining the fight. ¡°Prepare for attack, ¡®Voice of Truth¡¯! Bombard the path straight to the ck Fortress ahead! I want to st that turtle in the jar out!!¡± Chapter 228 - 180: Attack!_2 Chapter 228: Chapter 180: Attack!_2 Duanmu Huai, while stirring the battlefield, toppled all the enemies standing in his path. At the same time, he quickly issued orders. Very soon, in response to Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the Moon ss Cruiser Truth Voice, which was hovering in the air, slowly adjusted its angle and aimed its macro cannon at the battlefield below. Then, the cannons roared in unison. In the blink of an eye, the rear of the Demon Army waspletely covered in a billowing cloud of smoke. The intense cannon fire tore their fragile bodies into shards, and the macro cannon continued to bombard forward. Everything in its path waspletely destroyed, even the seemingly indestructible ck Fortress turned into a battered wreck after this round of bombardment. ¡°Wow!¡± Just then, with a strange yell, Duanmu Huai saw a robot wearing a cloak and holding a ck hand cannon arrive at his side. It was the Hunter Mentor Cade No. Six from the High Tower Council. Although they couldn¡¯t all be here this time, they still dispatched representatives. ¡°This ce is really rocking, where are we exactly?¡± ¡°You can consider this ce hell. It¡¯s not far from the truth, and our enemy here is a Demon God.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is really interesting. I never thought that one day I woulde to hell.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, Cade No. Six clicked his tongue and shook his head. Then he raised his right hand. The next moment, mes erupted from his body. He wielded a me Revolver and aimed at a towering Demon King, firing several times. Under the intense mes, the towering demon king was instantly knocked to the ground, bing a charred corpse.
¡°These guys don¡¯t seem to be that tough.¡± Cade No. Six spun his revolver and blew a breath of air. ¡°For the Guardians, indeed, they are not that difficult,¡± Duanmu Huai echoed, scanning the battlefield not far away. Unlike the group attacks of the Angelic Army and the Night Guard, the Guardians were typically grouped in threes, flexibly sweeping across the battlefield. Although Guardians only functioned in groups of three, their strength was by no means to be underestimated. On a nearby battlefield, facing hundreds of Demon Soldiers, a Guardian wrapped in thunder leaped down, plunging straight into the crowd and sending the demon soldiers flying. Another Guardian reached out and grabbed a Bow of Void, firing an arrow straight ahead. Quickly, the arrow formed a gigantic ck vortex, sucking in all the scattered demon soldiers. Then, the third Guardian suddenly burst into mes. He raised his right hand, summoning a me de which he swung at the gathered demon soldiers. Apanied by streaks of ming sword beams, the scattered, bound Demon Soldiers didn¡¯t even have time to defend themselves before they were turned into ashes in the mes. It had to be said that the Guardians, with their light energy, were indeed impressive. The Night Guard and the Angelic Army were good too, but their abilities were not on the same level as the Guardians. Most importantly, Guardians were not afraid to die. ¡°Push forward! Break the ck Fortress, charge into the pce!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s goal was singr ¡ª the huge ck pce in front. It was clear that, if he wasn¡¯t wrong, that should be where the Demon God resides. If he could destroy its nest, he didn¡¯t believe it would keep hiding. ¡°Aim at the pce. Blow it up!¡± Soon, under Duanmu Huai¡¯smanding voice, the macro cannon turned again, aiming at the towering, near skyscraper-tall pce. Following this, a series of cannon fires broke out again, pounding the target. Although the pitch-ck pce was incredibly majestic and sphemous, it was still unable to withstand the wrath of the Tribunal. Amidst the almost sky-shattering explosion, the massive pce began to copse. At the same time, an angry roar resounded. Well, anyone would be angry if they found out their house was being demolished. ¡°Foolish¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C!¡± Under this angry roar, it seemed as if the whole world shook. Even the battling sides were startled by the roar. However, right after, they saw the eroded remnants of the giant castle rise under an impossibly powerful force and directly smash into the Truth Voice hovering in the sky!! ¡°Void Shield power up, turn the ship!¡± Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai quickly issued an order. The engines on the side of the ¡®Truth Voice¡¯ began to spray, forcibly turning the warship which was originally tilted towards the battlefield to face forward. At the same time, the blue Void Shield also rose. Then, everyone saw the enormous pce debris hit the ¡®Truth Voice¡¯ directly, instantly engulfing it. Huge rocks fell from the sky, scattering everywhere. Naturally, it was no exception on the battlefield below. Everyone hurriedly scattered to avoid being crushed into pulp by these gigantic and heavy rocks. However, after the debris and smoke disappeared, the ¡®Truth Voice¡¯ was still intact, hovering in the air. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai also breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Report the situation!¡± ¡°The Void Shield has exceeded its limit by 130%! It¡¯s cooling down!¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, a giant of several tens of meters stood up from the ruins of a pce on the other side. It was tall, had curved horns, was all ck with sharp teeth, and its two eyes glowed with a dark blue light. ¡°Foolish mortals! Did you think this little trick would hit me? I am the God of Oblivion!¡± Hehe, you¡¯re exactly who I was aiming for. Looking at the Demon God before his eyes, Duanmu Huai¡¯s heart was undisturbed. He nced at the top of its head. ¡°Morag Baal (Epic) LV55¡±@@novelbin@@ Well, he¡¯s roughly at the level of a Great Demon, as expected. He should be beatable. Seeing the system disy above, the corner of Duanmu Huai¡¯s mouth rose slightly, revealing a hint of a smile. The reason he chose to storm in directly wasn¡¯t because he was hot-headed, but the result of cool calction. As mentioned before, all deities in this universe, no matter how awesome their scriptures say they are, ultimately, it all depends on their faith and influence. Why is the Chaos Evil God so formidable? It gathers the emotions and souls of all intelligent beings in the Milky Way! How powerful is that? Leaving anything else aside, the volume alone is terrifying. But what about this Morag Baal? At most, he¡¯s just an indigenous god of a world. Even if his holy canon says he can destroy heaven and earth, in the end, only the people of a single continent believe in him. How many people are on this continent? ording to Duanmu Huai¡¯s experience, the power of the indigenous god of a world is basically equal to a weakened Great Demon. It turns out he was right. Staring coldly at the boastful idiot, Duanmu Huai sneered and then issued another order. ¡°Lock the main cannon, attack.¡± Chapter 229 - 181: Showdown_1 Chapter 229: Chapter 181: Showdown_1 Duanmu Huai never doubted whether Morag could be defeated. The reason is simple. Can the Sword Saint block a nuclear bomb? Of course not. No matter how extraordinary your swordsmanship, a nuclear bomb will still reduce you to ashes. The reason is simple. All fear stems from ack of firepower. Simrly, as long as there is sufficient firepower, any problem ceases to be a problem. The reverence humans have for deities stems from this.
It¡¯s not about deities creating or protecting humans. inly speaking, deities possess power and forces beyond human imagination, which is why humans possess fear and respect for them. That¡¯s all. Like Morag¡¯s attack, indeed, as a Demon God, he could fling a pce asrge as a city, which was unimaginably powerful in the world¡¯s eyes. His towering figure tens of meters high was untouchable to mere mortals. But¡­ that¡¯s it. Can he st a hole into Mars? Well, probably not. Unfortunately for him, Duanmu Huai can. ¡°BFG10000 activation, target locked! Attack!!!¡± At Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the main cannon on the front of the ¡°Voice of Truth¡± warship opened. Then, a sequence of brilliant green lights emerged, targeting the colossal Demon God standing on the ground. Morag seemed to sense the impending danger and raised his hand, attempting to do something. But it was toote. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-!!!¡± The roaring sma energy torrent gushed from the cannon, piercing the sky and directly hitting the giant Demon God. Morag roared and raised his arms to block the attack, but his efforts were in vain. The energy torrent effortlessly shattered Morag¡¯s arms, pierced through his chest, and thennded on the ground. Then the earth shook. ¡°Boom!!!!!¡± Severe tremors spread throughout the Obliteration Domain, causing the ground to undte like waves. Thebatants could not stay on their feet and nearly fell to the ground. A howling wind and hot airwave rushed towards them. Even the angels dared not confront it head-on and hastily descended to the ground, hiding behind the ruins and wreckage. After what seemed like an eternity, peace returned. When everyone lifted their heads and looked forward, they were left wide-eyed at the sight before them. In front of them, the ck Fortress and the pce that previously stood was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was an enormous crater extending hundreds of meters deep, almost to the horizon. Hot air vented from the pit, distorting the surrounding air. Everything that had been there was demolished, leaving nothing behind. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!¡± Seeing this, Cade No. Six took a sharp breath. As the ¡°buyer,¡± he of course knew the specific data of the warship provided by Duanmu Huai. When the BFG10000, the main cannon of the warship, was introduced, Cade No. Six remembered Duanmu Huai had indeed said that it could st a hole into a. He had not thought much about it then, but now ¡­. Cade is certain he won¡¯t forget this scene anymore. Duanmu Huai, on the other hand, seemed calm. To him, the BFG given to the Guardians was just a neutered version. For one, being a Moon ss cruiser, it was inferior to his Queen Glory ss. And, what¡¯s wrong with exporting military equipment in a neutered form? If it were the Queen Glory ss, one shot would have sted through the entire Obliteration Domain. The current Moon ss only made a hole, which was barely passable. However, it was sufficient to handle Morag.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Master, is it dead?¡± Sitting on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, Ogis asked the question everyone was concerned with. Duanmu Huai shook his head and then stood up, clenching the War Hammer. ¡°Everyone be on guard! The Demon God is getting serious!!¡± ¡°Foolish mortals!¡± Just as Duanmu Huai finished speaking, a bolt of lightning struck the battlefield in front of them. Subsequently, a Demon God, roughly the same size as Duanmu Huai, walked out withrge strides. He was exceedingly wrathful, and the glow in his eyes was even more blinding. From the outside, it looked like he hadn¡¯t been injured at all. ¡°Do you really think, with theseughable toys, you can obliterate my Obliteration Domain? Obliterate the God of Oblivion? This is Cold Port! This is my world! I am immortal here! I will never be destroyed!¡± Oh, it¡¯s upset. Duanmu Huai, with War Hammer in hand, calmly watched Morag rant in anger. Indeed, as Morag imed, this was its domain and here it was immortal. But its performance didn¡¯t seem as rxed as Morag imed. After all, in theory, a Demon God can change sizes freely in its domain. If it wanted to be a giant hundreds of meters high, there would be no problem. But it had shrunk to such a small size ¡ª¡ª obviously, it was afraid of being hit by the BFG10000 again. That¡¯s also why it chose to enter the battlefield, as only here could it avoid being targeted by the main cannon. After all, Duanmu Huai and his allies were also here, and considering Morag¡¯s immortality, even if they sacrificed themselves for another shot, Morag could still resurrect. Chapter 230 - 181: Duel_2 Chapter 230: Chapter 181: Duel_2 Therefore, in Morag¡¯s view, it didn¡¯t fear death¡ª¡ªbecause it was immortal. Yes, Duanmu Huai came here precisely because he knew that. Otherwise, why would he go to so much trouble to be the Destroyer Warrior? ¡°Charge! Take it down!!¡± But of course, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t foolishly announce his threat like the Boss during the final battle, it was better for his adversary to remain arrogant. Doesn¡¯t that just make it easier for him to win? So Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t waste any more words and directly gave the order. ¡°Foolish mortals, your struggles are pointless!!¡± At the same time, Morag roared angrily, apanied by its shout, countless Demon Soldiers emerged from behind it and charged to the front again. And at the same time, Duanmu Huai also began his move.
First, summon twenty Puppets! Activate [the Puppeteer¡¯s Cloak effect], gain forty Puppet cards! Activate [Power of Dragonization], discard twenty Puppet cards, and transform all the Puppets on the field into Flying Dragons! ¡°Boom!!!!!¡± In an instant, twenty enormous Flying Dragons appeared out of nowhere, they opened their mouths, let out an angry roar, then sprayed the oing Demon Army with mes, reducing them to ashes. But that¡¯s not all! At the same time, as twenty puppet cards were destroyed, activate [Mobile Armor] special effect, summon it instantly on the field! ¡°Whooooo¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± A dark shadow shed, then a giant armor, gleaming with a rainbow light, appeared around Duanmu Huai, enveloping him entirely. Next¡­.activate [Armed Enhancement]! Then¡­! ¡°Lorena!¡± ¡°Yes! Sir Knight!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s call, Lorena nodded, and then turned to the angels by her side. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you all!¡± Quickly, Saharir spread her wings, pure white feathers fell from the sky,nding on Duanmu Huai, transforming into the protection of angels. At the same time, the other angels jingled their bells, yed their instruments, and in the clear, pleasing singing, the holy power began to emerge in Duanmu Huai. At this moment, his offensive and defensive capabilities had already surpassed the limit of ten-point energy! He was now a match for Morag! ¡°Haaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!¡± Duanmu Huai rushed forward in one stride, directly charging through the Demon Soldiers in front of him, lifted up his War Hammer andunched towards Morag. Thetter was also holding a single-handed hammer, advancing forward under the protection of the Demon Soldiers. Seeing Duanmu Huai charging towards him, Morag sneered, tightened his grip on his weapon, and swung it directly at Duanmu Huai. At the same time, Duanmu Huai also swung his War Hammer, aiming for Morag¡¯s head! Morag had no doubts about his ability to defeat his opponent. This was his Obliteration Domain, his power was infinite within it. The other party was just a mortal, and even though he admired the man¡¯s audacity to lead an army into the Obliteration Domain fearlessly to ughter, unfortunately, all that he had done was just to provide himself with another trophy of war! I will imprison your soul within the Eternal Ruins, let your soul wail in perpetual mes of anger. Go to hell, mortal!! So thought Morag, and so did he act. He firmly believed that, in front of his power, the mortal had no choice but to submit ¡ª until the moment he had face-to-face encounter with him. The blood stained white bunny armor appeared ridiculous andughable. Its crimson eyes and the wide open mouth, revealingrge incisors in aughing gesture seemed so grotesque that even Morag ¡ª this Demon God who was fond of struggle and chaos, felt a sudden tightening in his heart at this moment, an inexplicable palpitation surfaced from the depths of his soul, it was like he was not facing a mere human, but something strange he had never encountered or existed in this world. This strange sense of palpitation only shed across the depths of Morag¡¯s heart, temporarily slowing his actions, but that was enough. ¡°Boom!!¡± The Hammer of Baal in Morag¡¯s hand and the Thunder Warhammer shed heavily. At this moment, Morag should have unleashed his full power and obliterated the mortal before him. However, due to a flicker of inexplicable fear, he missed this opportunity. By the time Morag came to himself, the power of his opponent had already exploded. ¡°Bang!!!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s Thunder Warhammer deflected the Hammer of Baal. The huge impact force even snapped Morag¡¯s right hand holding the Hammer of Baal, and then it directly pounded on Morag¡¯s body. The Demon God only got the chance to groan before he was sent flying into the crowd. The battle even paused for a moment at this point. The Demon Soldiers turned around in surprise, looking at the Demon God who was knocked to the ground ¡ª he was their ruler and the undisputed ruler of this field. But now, he has been knocked to flight under the eyes of everyone? However, Duanmu Huai obviously would not give the opponent a chance. He lifted his war hammer again and charged at Morag, mming it down at his head. ¡°Roll away!!¡± This turn, anger overcame the fear and surprise and Morag¡¯s strength as a Demon Godpletely exploded, he suddenly raised his left hand and punched toward Duanmu Huai¡¯s descending Thunder Warhammer. The next moment saw Duanmu Huai¡¯s war hammer in his hand shattering apart, even Duanmu Huai himself was also knocked back a step. However, he didn¡¯t give up, after he tossed aside the remnant of the war hammer, Duanmu rushed forward again, with his arms outstretched like shackles, trying to subdue Morag, but Morag again grabbed his arms and twisted abruptly! ¡°Crack!!¡± Duanmu Huai¡¯s robust arm was instantly fractured, but at the same time, Morag grabbed him by his broken arm, pulling him up to his face, then lifted him high up. ¡°Stupid mortal, you have sessfully enraged me! Now it¡¯s your time to die!!¡± While screaming furiously, Morag raised his right hand, grasping directly at Duanmu Huai¡¯s chest, he was going to publicly pluck the man¡¯s heart out to show these mortal beings their foolishness and despair! ¡°Mr. Knight!!¡± ¡°Master!?¡± At this moment, Ogis and Ann shouted in shock, but they were blocked by the Demon Soldiers and could not reach Duanmu Huai¡¯s side. They could only watch helplessly as Morag¡¯s right hand passed through Duanmu Huai¡¯s chest, but in his hand ¡ª there was nothing. What¡¯s going on? Feeling that his right hand was empty, Morag could not help but pause, but for Duanmu Huai, this was the moment he was waiting for! ¡°Die! Scum!!¡± The same moment when Morag¡¯s hand went through Duanmu Huai¡¯s chest, Duanmu Huai drew out the Chainsaw Sword from behind. Roaring with rage, he aimed a strike at Morag. At this moment, Morag had no way to avoid it, so he could only watch in horror as the madly whirlring chainsaw swooped down and cut through his head!@@novelbin@@ Chapter 231 - 182: Slaying God_1 Chapter 231: Chapter 182: ying God_1 The chainsaw sword spun downwards, splitting Morag¡¯s head directly open. At this moment, Morag let out a terrified roar, and at the same time, his body suddenly burst open, and countless powers scattered! ¡°What¡­ what is this!?¡± Morag¡¯s eyes widened. He had been unconcerned with Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack. As Morag had said, he was an immortal Demon God, and it was impossible for him to be killed. But this time, Morag¡¯s feeling waspletely different. At the moment when Duanmu Huai¡¯s chainsaw sword split Morag¡¯s head, he felt an unprecedented, unimaginable pain. The agony felt like his body was being torn in half, his power was dissipating quickly, and he himself was gradually losing strength. What is this? What on earth is this?! Moragpletely failed to understand what was happening to him. By rights, even if he was defeated, killed, his power would still exist in the Obliteration Domain and be reborn. However, this time his power did not return as Morag expected. On the contrary, they disappeared like a flood.
¡°No no no no no no!!!!!¡± Morag raised his hands in despair, his brain was nk, he didn¡¯t even know what to do. Because at this moment, what Morag was facing was a realmpletely unfamiliar to him. Death and destruction. The earth began to tremble, the sky began to roar, and red thunders inclined downward, striking the ground, as if representing the pain that the Demon God had experienced. He copsed on the ground, watching in despair as his power and life slipped away, experiencing the arrival of some inevitable end. His body began to harden, turning into a broken, statue-like substance, silently crumbling. Is this¡­ death? Yes, this is death. Standing on the ground, watching Morag¡¯s pitiful state, Duanmu Huai revealed a cold smile. He had guessed what Morag would do. In fact, almost all monsters with immortality enjoyed courting death. After all, for them, death was not destruction, just a part of it. But what the Destroyer Warrior brought to them was absolute destruction and death. It was precisely because Duanmu Huai was very sure that Morag would not guess this, that he would take the initiative to provoke hatred. As long as Morag gave him a chance to kill himself, he would truly die. The only downside was that this could only be used once. After all, it is not easy to find these idiots like Morag.@@novelbin@@ Duanmu Huai could feel the various gazes projected from the Obliteration Domain towards this ce. Surprised, terrified, shocked, excited, annoyed ¡ª after all, for the Demon Gods, they were witnessing for the first time an existence that couldpletely kill them. Regardless of Duanmu Huai¡¯s identity, it was clear that these Demon Gods had developed a strong fear of him. At least until they figured out his abilities, these Demon Gods should not dare to bother him. But now, what Duanmu Huai cares about is the system prompt that appears in front of him. [Morag Baal is dead!] [Activating the Destroyer Warrior Ability ¨C Gain Strength +10, Physical Attribute +10, Perception +10, Charm -30¡­ Charm Value is locked, cannot be modified] What the hell is Charm -30? Although this thing is indeed ugly. Duanmu Huai spat at the sight of Morag, who had fallen to the ground and hadpletely turned into a broken stone statue. Thanks to his locked charm value, he might not even know what he would have turned into. [Obtained Demon God¡¯s Heart] [yer has obtained Divine Power ¨C Weak Divine Power] Weak Divine Power¡­Well, it¡¯s not surprising. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes twitched slightly. In Star Ocean Online, divine powers are divided into strong divine power, medium divine power, weak divine power, and faint divine power. The representative of strong divine power is the Chaos Evil God, the boss of the whole Milky Way. Medium divine power is already able to spread beliefs across the universe. Weak divine power is basically an indigenous god of a. Faint divine power¡­ it¡¯s basically just some indigenous people who became gods. Morag, as an indigenous god, is just at this level. [Random Deific Domain ¨C Locked Domain of Fear] [Believer Effect ¨C All believers will receive an Intimidation +1 reward] Ah, this is good. ¡°If we¡¯re going to die, let¡¯s die together.¡± Despite his many grievances towards the Deific Domain of fear, Duanmu Huai was in high spirits. Indeed, everyone dying together is moreforting than dying alone. Next up is¡­¡­. Thinking about this, Duanmu Huai opened his eyes, looking at the Demon God¡¯s Heart in his hand. ¡°Sir Knight, what is this?¡± By that time, everyone had gathered around Duanmu Huai, curious as to what he was holding. After Morag Baal¡¯s death, the demons scattered and vanished without any trace. Therefore, everyone ended uping over to Duanmu Huai. ¡°This is a Demon God¡¯s Heart. By employing it, we can remake this Obliteration Domain and thereby turn me into a Demon God.¡± ¡°Eh? Sir Knight, you intend to be a Demon God?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai, Ann was slightly surprised, to which Duanmu Huai simply shrugged. ¡°Although it sounds like a Demon God, it¡¯s not as grand as it sounds. Just think of it as bing a more powerful mage with his own simr world domain.¡± ¡°Like that¡­¡­how do we do it?¡± ¡°Watch carefully.¡± Duanmu Huai was well-versed in remaking Divine Realms, having plenty of experience from the game where any yer above the mid-level had their Divine Realms. Duanmu Huai was no exception. New yers might be hesitant, but for Duanmu Huai, he just had to copy the blueprint from the game. Of course, due to the scope of the deity, some adjustments had to be made. Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai started to recall the Divine Realm he had created before. Then, he clenched his fist and squeezed forcefully. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The next moment, everyone saw that everything around them seemed to copsepletely. Sands were shifting, the ground was cracking, and the sky was shattering. For a moment, all seemed to vanishpletely¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªhowever, at the next moment, the former raging sands disappeared instantly, reced by an impressively magical scene unfolding before everyone¡¯s eyes. Gazing around, the original barrennd and sky had vanished, reced by a boundless Milky Way gxy. A huge star was slowly burning not far away, and the floor beneath their feet had turned into steel flooring and framework. A majestic Gothic Cathedral Space Station floated in the universe, with three long corridors leading to three smaller space stations in three different directions. Each space station was still the size of a city, and standing there, simply witnessing this spectacle was enough to send chills down one¡¯s spine. ¡°Well, for now, this should be good.¡± Duanmu Huai brushed his hands together and nodded in satisfaction. His nning for the Divine Realm was simple. It started with a main temple and was divided into Alien, Heretic, and Demon, constituting the three Tribunals. Unlike other Demon Gods¡¯ Divine Realms, Duanmu Huai¡¯s was not big. On one hand, his strength was not sufficient to upy such arge area, and on the other hand, Duanmu Huai did not necessarily need a big Divine Realm. For Duanmu Huai, the Divine Realm was just a transit point. With this transit point, he had a ce for souls to rest. After training here, they could join Duanmu Huai¡¯s Tribunal Legion, wandering and fighting in the Star Ocean. Simply put, that¡¯s the process. First, Duanmu Huai would establish a Tribunal faith centered on himself on this continent, then recruit arge number of believers. After the believers died, their souls would go to this ¡°Tribunal Pce¡± for tempering. Only after their faith was strong enough would they be able to fuse with the Power Armor in spirit form, bing a member of Duanmu Huai¡¯s Tribunal Legion. In this way, he won¡¯t have to beg other Demon Gods for cooperation like before, he can handle everything himself! Yes, Stendar, I¡¯m talking about you! You look down on me, I don¡¯t have to waste my time on you anymore! Obviously, matters are far from settled. Even though Morag is dead, as a deity of control and very of mortals, his domain naturally has many souls. For now, Duanmu Huai was summoning these enved souls that were previously under Morag¡¯s control in batches, asking them about their future ns. The Tribunal needed stalwart, pure believers, not these wretches that Duanmu Huai had no intention of keeping. So those who wished to leave were directly sent through a portal to other Demon gods or deities. Those whomitted heinous acts were thrown into the constant-burning star. Most of the enved souls were overjoyed to find their own deities to worship. Of course, some souls recognized Duanmu Huai¡¯s Tribunal idea and system and actively stayed to serve him. Among them were, of course, the vampires. That¡¯s right! After killing Morag, Duanmu Huai naturally got hold of the souls of the enved vampires. He had them meet Bambi. The Vampire Queen was naturally shocked and excited to see Bambi. After learning about what had happened from Bambi, the Queen expressed her willingness to stay here and serve the Tribunal on behalf of her n. After all, vampires originally had no faith. Even if they leave here, they have nowhere else to go. They could only be wandering spirits. As for Duanmu Huai, he already had a Divine Realm, the next step was to make a name for it, and then recruit believers and staff. Fittingly, he already had a target in mind. Chapter 232 - 183: The Final Ultimatum_1 Chapter 232: Chapter 183: The Final Ultimatum_1 The death of a Demon God didn¡¯t just affect the Obliteration Domain. At the moment of Morag¡¯s death, it was supposed to be midday, but the sky had turned pitch dark, countless meteors fell from the sky, and even two moons hung high in the air, as if making some kind of promation. Moreover, nearly all devout believers of gods received revtions from the gods they worshiped and believed in at this moment. Morag Baal was dead. Only the devotees of this God of very didn¡¯t receive the news, or rather, they couldn¡¯t receive any messages at all. At the moment of Morag Baal¡¯s death, all his followers felt a sudden explosion in their minds. The final roar of the deity just before his deathpletely destroyed the sanity and spirit of his followers; all of Morag Baal¡¯s followers either became insane or mad. The divine statues that Morag Baal had built all over the continent also shattered andpletely annihted. This caused panic across the continent, and countless priests prayed to their gods, eager to know the truth behind this. However, what they received was only an unusual silence from the gods. But for the elves, they had more than just that to worry about. The Elven fortress in Sky Province was scrubbed clean, the Thalmer Elves were furious, they demanded an exnation from the empire, which, in response, imedplete ignorance of the situation. At this moment, the elven race had already amassed a great army and warned the empire that it must exin the attack on the Elven fortress, otherwise they wouldunch a war against the empire again. At this time, a surprise visitor came to the royal city of the elven sovereignty.
Summer Ind. It was the home of the High Elves, with mountains,kes, flowing rivers, bay areas and lush forests. Not only it was the academic center of the High Elves, but also their art hall. A vineyard full of fragrance stretched over a vast in, and the purple grapes glittered like pearls. And the pure white city with towering spires was the royal city of the elves, Elinor. It is the homnd of the elves, their sacred city in their hearts. It was covered by the most secure magic barrier, where griffin knights patrolled tirelessly through the mountains twenty-four hours a day. This was the most heavily guarded holynd in the entire Elf Kingdom. So you can imagine how surprised the elves were when a man who was as tall as a giant, wearing white battle armor, casually walked into the Elf King Court and stood before the Elf Queen. ¡°Who are you? An unwee guest?¡± The Queen of Elinor sitting on the throne looked at the man standing in front of her and stopped the elves guards¡¯ attempt to apprehend him, asking in a soft voice. ¡°What¡¯s the important matter that made you appear in the Elf King Court in this manner?¡± ¡°Hello, Your Majesty the Queen.¡± Duanmu Huai looked up, staring at the Elf Queen in front of him. She was slim, beautiful, and full of majesty. But to Duanmu Huai, none of this mattered. ¡°I am a judge from the Tribunal. I am here to deliver a gift and a notice to you.¡± As he said this, Duanmu Huai pulled out a scroll, opened it, and began to loudly read its content. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the elves couldn¡¯t believe their ears. The notice he was reading was not a mere notice, but an order from the Tribunal ¡ª this organization called the Tribunal believes that the elves have severely threatened human existence. Therefore, the Tribunal required the Elven Sovereignty to fulfill several points. First, the elven sovereignty must return allnds outside of Summer Ind to humans and abolish the tinum Treaty. Second, the elven sovereignty must provide ample wealth topensate the families of those humans who died in the Elven War. Third, the elven sovereignty must¡­¡­ ¡°Nonsense!¡± Before Duanmu Huai could finish reading, the furious elves interrupted him. The audacity of this order was unbelievable to the elves, they couldn¡¯t understand why a human would dare to speak such reckless words in the royal city of the Elven Sovereignty! ¡°Silence! Alien!!¡± However, the elves¡¯ rage had just erupted, only to be shattered by the judge¡¯s furious roar. ¡°This is an order from the Tribunal, you must obey! Inferior alien race! This is the price you pay for daring tounch an attack on humans. If you don¡¯t want to ept these conditions, then the fury of the Tribunal willpletely destroy the entire Summer Ind and annihte all of you long-eared creatures!¡± As he said this, Duanmu Huai threw the scroll to the ground. At the same time, he lifted his head, coldly staring at Queen Airen. ¡°In front of the Tribunal, you and the gods you believe in are no match. This is my final ultimatum for you. Oh, that¡¯s right, I also have a gift for you.¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, he stretched out his hand and conjured arge box, which fell onto the ground with a crash. The box split open, revealing hundreds of elf heads soaked in blood, tumbling across the floor of the Elf King Court. The surrounding elves were aghast at the sight. ¡°That¡¯s General Brifis! How could he¡­¡± ¡°Your army gathered outside the Imperial borders has beenpletely annihted. Take this as a small gift.¡± Duanmu Huai raised his head, disdainful eyes fixed upon the elves before him. ¡°Listen well, you long-eared Mongrels, the Tribunal¡¯s mercy has its limits. This is the first andst time I offer surrender. If you refuse, then the entirety of Summer Ind will be destroyed, submerged in the sea. Your souls will be utterly obliterated in the Tribunal¡¯s Star Furnace. No one will rescue you. Even your god will not lend you a hand. So, you¡¯d better make your decisions wisely.¡± Having said this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes sparkled with a crimson light- savage, filled with brutal and murderous intent. ¡°You may cower in your rat hole, trembling as you await your extinction, or you may wish to survive like a dog. The choice is yours.¡± ¡°Hold your tongue! sphemer!!¡± At this moment, a figure suddenly bolted from the crowd, charging at Duanmu Huai. It was a high elf maiden, her agile figure reminiscent of a leopardess hunting its prey. The two daggers in her hands shimmered with magical light. ¡°I will slice your tongue and sever your head, let¡¯s see if you dare spout nonsense then!!¡± The elf maiden was incredibly fast, almost reaching Duanmu Huai¡¯s face in the blink of an eye. It seemed that in the next instant, her daggers would sh his throat¡­ But then, a steel gauntlet materialized before her eyes,pletely obstructing her vision. The enormous hand of steel gripped the delicate head of the elf maiden and smashed it into the ground. Under the mighty force, her pretty face twisted in pain. But before she could utter another word, Duanmu Huai twisted and turned his hand, brutally ripping her head and spine from her neck. The head of the elf maiden, tightly sped in the hand of steel, opened its mouth wide, tongue hanging out, herrge green eyescking any luster, shrouded in ayer of gloom like a dead fish¡¯s. Duanmu Huai casually tossed the head and headless corpse onto the ground, then stepped on and crushed the maiden¡¯s head with his foot. ¡°Compassion is reserved for humans; aliens deserve only our contempt.¡± He muttered, then raised his head again to look at Queen Airen¡¯s pale and bloodless face. ¡°I will give you only one opportunity, Queen of the Aliens. There won¡¯t be a second time.¡± Having said this, Duanmu Huai turned and left. The others could only watch his receding back in stunned silence. For a while, it was as if time had paused in the entire court. After who knows how long, Queen Airen stood up from her throne and walked over to where the headless body of the elf maideny, picking up the blood-stained final ultimatum. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°¡­Immediately dispatch men, find out exactly what happened! The expeditionary force¡­ what happened¡­!¡± News of the urrence at the Elf King Court soon spread throughout the continent. Everyone was discussing this event: a mysterious group called the Tribunal had stormed the Elf King Court alone, demanding that the elf sovereignty retreat to Summer Ind, or else faceplete destruction. This news immediately set the whole continent aze.@@novelbin@@ The citizens of the Empire cheered. They certainly hadn¡¯t forgotten the elves¡¯ previous invasion of the Empire and even their capture of the Royal City, followed by the ensuing pige and burning. The Imperial citizens harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Thalmer Elves, wishing that they would be wiped out. Meanwhile, the elves were outraged at this tant challenge to elf sovereignty. Many of them voluntarily returned to Summer Ind, vowing to fight to the death for their homnd! As for the Tribunal, their actions spoke for themselves. After an investigation by the elves and the empire, it was indeed found that the 70,000-strong elf army stationed outside Imperial territory for pressure had been annihted. The demolishing force left thendscape charred, not a single intact body was found- only ckened remains. The only clue came from the eyewitness ounts of nearby residents. They mentioned witnessing an attack by a city in the clouds¡ª the starlit cityunched a meteor shower-like fury of light that wiped out the entire elf legion. Now, the power of the Tribunal was clear. So, would the elves surrender? No one knew the answer. All they knew was that elf sovereignty had withdrawn all its elite troops to Summer Ind. Still, no one could tell whether this move indicated surrender or the decision to fight to the bloody end. But as far as Duanmu Huai was concerned, regardless of the path the Thalmer Elves chose, their fate was already sealed. Chapter 233 - 184 Formation_1 Chapter 233: Chapter 184 Formation_1 Despite the external tumult, Duanmu Huai paid it no heed. Taking advantage of the widespread fame of the Tribunal, he began to establish simr organizations all over the continent. Duanmu Huai¡¯s first Tribunal organization was not built in the Sky Province, it was instead erected in Locrux. The reason is straightforward; when the Imperial and the Elves first signed the tinum Treaty, it involved ceding Locrux territoryrgely to Elf sovereignty. Naturally, the residents of Locrux Province wouldn¡¯t ept this. The roots of this matter trace back to the war between Elves and the Imperial city. ording to historical records, the Elves had always held the upper hand in the war against the Imperial, they even upied the Imperial Capital, carrying out ughter and looting. After this, the Elves sought the king of the Imperial City intending to negotiate with him. The king misled the Elves into believing his willingness to surrender, while covertly gathering his forces and attacking the Imperial Capital on three fronts. In the end, the humans sessfully reimed the Imperial Capital. However, the war took a significant toll on the Imperial, resulting in the total annihtion of three of their legions, leaving behind only exhausted survivors. Leveraging this victory, the king signed the tinum Treaty with the Elves, thus ending the war between humans and Elves.@@novelbin@@
Of course, such an action could beprehended; although the Imperial Capital was recovered, the Imperial had suffered greatly and was unable to continue the war against the Elves. Politically speaking, securing a peace treaty with the Elves utilizing the victory was understandable. However, the residents of Locrux Province were not supportive. They felt the Imperial should not have surrendered after recapturing the Imperial City. Instead, they should have pressed their advantage and driven the elves into the sea. It¡¯s worth noting, the residents of Locrux Province felt their sacrifices were not for ceding their homnd to the mixed-blood Elves! Truly, due to this circumstance, even though the Imperial and Elves signed the tinum Treaty, anti-Elf conflicts in Locrux Province were just as fiery. Regarding the Imperial¡¯s orders to cease war with the Elves, Locrux Province turned a deaf ear. They were determined, even if everyone were to perish, they would reim theirnd from the Elves! Therefore, the current Locrux Province was practically semi-detached from the Imperial. Under such circumstances, the appearance of the Tribunal naturally lifted the spirits of the people in Locrux Province. Considering the hatred Locrux Province held against the Elves, Duanmu Huai decided to set up the first Tribunal base in a mountain range in Locrux Province. The operations of such a base werepletely handed over to the Night Guard by Duanmu Huai. After all, the Night Guard was originally doing simr work for archen society. Training warriors was their expertise. Duanmu Huai also established the Holy Canon of the Tribunal. In Star Ocean Online, there exists a contradictory setting.
ording to the original set-up, the Tribunal represented the Imperial and the Emperor, every Judge fought in the name of the Emperor. However, in reality, Judges who are yers are indifferent to the Emperor. There were even many Judges who regarded him as a heretic and a traitor within human society. They believed that the Emperor was not the savior of humanity, but merely manipting humans in a grand scheme. These yers also have their own thoughts and basis. Firstly, the Emperor strictly forbade any superstitious activity among humans. At first nce, it appears that this was to prevent humans from discovering the Chaos Evil God, thereby reducing its strength. But looking at human history, it bes evident that humans will form a belief system regardless of the existence of deities. Furthermore, it is widely epted that in their world, deities and demons existed. This dual denial made by the Emperor was meaningless in the eyes of the yers. This behaves simrly to the prohibition era in the United States. When the prohibition was first enacted, the US Congress believed that alcohol was the root cause of crime. It contributed to a significant amount of domestic violence, and it was also associated with sin on a religious level. Capitalists believed that workers drinking would affect their work discipline and productivity, hence the prohibition was issued. The result was rampant illegal brewing and alcohol smuggling. The prohibition did not y any effective role and indeed did not limit the urrence of criminal behavior. On the contrary, due to smuggling and illegal brewing, even more criminal problems arose. The Imperial Truth issued by the Emperor at the beginning was no different from prohibition. Denying the existence of objective facts and attempting to stop them through subjective will leads to the ultimate copse of the Imperial Truth. yers, in the forum, also criticized the Imperial Truth. Many yers consider that viewing the Imperial Truth as materialism is a misunderstanding. Because, ording to the dialectical materialism paradigm in reality, the unifying feature of the world is its materiality, and consciousness is a product of the material world developing to a certain stage, a reaction to what objectively exists. In short, materialism does not represent atheism, but because there is no objective existence of facts to prove the existence of God currently, materialism dismisses it as non-existent. If there existed deity(s) that could be objectively acknowledged in this world, then materialism would acknowledge its existence too. Therefore, from our materialistic viewpoint, the Imperial Truth in Star Ocean Online is clearly not materialistic but idealistic ¡ª Though Gods and demons exist in the world, they are all rejected. The attempt to negate the existence of objective facts with subjective will is itself a huge lie, on a path to short-lived existence. Just look at the result. Prohibition was enacted in 1919 and repealed in 1933. The Imperial Truth existed before the death of the Emperor, who else bothered with it after his death? Otherwise, how did the Imperial National Religion arise? In conclusion, materialism always triumphs over idealism, any attempt at influencing or even denying the existence of objective reality through personal, subjective will is meaningless. You say the deity doesn¡¯t exist; then stop blessing people when they pray. Your actions of offering protection while stating the deities do not exist cause a dilemma, it¡¯s absurdly ironic. Therefore, many yers think that issuing the Imperial Truth was the Emperor¡¯s big mistake at the beginning. The Emperor could have used some method to teach humans to objectively realize these existences, instead of outright denying them. Reality has proven, denying the existence of objective reality solves no problems. Frankly speaking, distorting this cognitive truth that ¡°the supposed deity is merely arger and stronger existence¡± is even better than outright denying the reality of the existence of this deity. Furthermore, the actions of the Emperor appear to be contradictory to many yers. Take the matter of repairing thework path for instance, why didn¡¯t the Emperor repair it before initiating the great expedition, insisting on waiting until after? Doesn¡¯t he understand the principle of ensuring supplies before deploying the troops? Moreover, it has been proven that the Emperor knew about the existence of thework path long before. Couldn¡¯t he have repaired it beforeunching the great expedition? Of course, the Emperor is also human and humans make mistakes. However, the Imperial records depict the Emperor as wise and bravely, like he has five thousand years of foresight and hindsight. Well¡­¡­for the yers, it raises doubts. Either the Emperor is not as intelligent as the Imperial records portray, meaning he can be foolish and it has happened more than once. Or the Emperor has ulterior motives, contemting some unknown conspiracy. All these could be just a part of a grand scheme. For these reasons, even though the Judge, as a yer, carries the responsibility of guarding and saving the human race, they are not likely topletely ept the Emperor¡¯s actions. They may even entirely deny them. In the heyday of the Empire, Duanmu Huai¡¯s behaviour would have been condemned as heresy. But now, with the Empire in ruins and no one paying him, Duanmu Huai is free to do as he pleases. The canon of the Tribunal is quite simple, to guard mankind is the utmost priority. Any threat to human existence must be crushed. Whether the threat should be obliterated or spared to see what happens next, is left to the Judge to decide. Of course, there is also a statue representing the Tribunal here. A War Hammer. After receiving a blessing, you might gain a 10% damage bonus against non-human races. The people of Locrux Province are robust, and the Red Guard Soldiers excel inbat. Many of them joined the Tribunal to resist the Elves, bing a part of it. Everyone is waiting for the final moment toe. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai is meeting with an old man. That old man is the Imperial Emperor ¨C Titus Med II. ¡°You hope the Tribunal will stop attacking the sovereignty of the Elves?¡± Duanmu Huai stared at the old man before him, his eyes cold. ¡°Yes, great warrior.¡± The old Emperor nodded. Although he wasn¡¯t as tall as Duanmu Huai, sitting in front of him, he still disyed his mettle. ¡°Now is not the time to break with the Thalmer Elves, the Empire ¡­¡­¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve misunderstood something, Your Majesty.¡± Duanmu Huai raised his hand, interrupting the old Emperor. ¡°The Tribunal is not a friend of the Empire. As I¡¯ve said before, the Tribunal¡¯s duty is to eliminate all threats to humankind. Politicking within the human race is not a concern of the Tribunal. That is to say¡­ the survival of the Empire is meaningless and worthless to the Tribunal. Even if the Empire is annihted, as long as humans are still ruled by a new nation, we won¡¯t care.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, the old Emperor¡¯s eyes revealed a trace of unease. ¡°Is this¡­ the attitude of the Tribunal?¡± ¡°Exactly, this is the attitude of the Tribunal.¡± Duanmu Huai stood up and looked at the old man before him. ¡°For the Tribunal, any existence that threatens humans must be crushed or destroyed. The Elf sovereignty has proved their threat and hostility to humans with their actions. Therefore, for the Tribunal, they are enemies that must be eliminated.¡± While saying this, Duanmu Huai looked out of the window. ¡°It¡¯s about time. It appears that the Elves have made their choice.¡± Then, he spoke coldly. Chapter 234 - 185: Judgment Descends_1 Chapter 234: Chapter 185: Judgment Descends_1 Time ticked away. Queen Airen stood on the high tform, her gaze on the fully armed elf guards below, silent. There was only one hour left for the countdown to the Tribunal; over these past days, the elves across Summer Ind had been engaged in tireless debate. Some were frightened by the horror of the Tribunal and suggested further discussions with them. However, most of the elves vehemently refused. Elves were a proud race; the High Elves believed they were the inheritors of the gods and were entitled to rule over this continent. And now, mere humans had the audacity to utter outrageous words before them? Never surrender! The pride of the elves would not allow them to yield, they would rather stand here and be annihted along with the Summer Ind, rather than bow their haughty heads to humans!
They¡¯d rather die standing than live kneeling! They would show these humans that an elf¡¯s pride and dignity could not be trampled upon! No matter how powerful the opponent, they would show the humans the determination of the elves! The situation had reached this point, and there was no turning back. For Queen Airen, she had no other choice. Soon, a beam of light descended from the sky,nding before the queen. Then, that massive figure appeared again. He paid no mind to the armed elves soldiers surrounding him, his gaze fixed on the elf queen. ¡°It seems that you have made your decision.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Queen Airen took a deep breath, forcefully nodded her head, her resolute gaze fixed on the man before her, and she shouted.
¡°The elves will never ept your humiliating conditions! If you want to destroy Summer Ind, we will use every ounce of our strength to defend the Ancestral God Province!¡± Queen Airen¡¯s voice was firm, without any hesitation, filled with the dignity and determination appropriate for a queen. Listening to her, the elves also raised their weapons, roaring loudly. For a moment, the whole Summer Ind echoed with the elves¡¯ bellows, expressing their resolution and battle intent in this manner to the enemy before their eyes. However¡­ ¡°Oh.¡± The other party did not say much, not caring about the performance of the elves or the queen¡¯s answer. He just nodded and then disappeared again. Seeing this, Queen Airen clenched her fists and from the high tform, she issued an order. ¡°Activate the magic barrier! Everyone prepare for battle! We will never surrender! We will show our pride and glory as High Elves here!¡± Let the Tribunal see the will of the elves¡¯ sovereignty!! For Duanmu Huai, the elves¡¯ will, determination, and thoughts meant nothing. In fact, after he returned to the Voice of Truth, he gave only one order. ¡°Three rounds from the Macro-cannon, one Light Spear, then all cannons fire together.¡± That briefmand, given in less than five seconds, determined the fate of the elves. The first to notice something amiss was an elf sentry. He pulled his gaze from the distant sea level, only casually sweeping the sky above, then his eyes widened incredulously as he looked up at the night sky ¡ª¡ª shining against the inky ckness were countless stars as usual. But soon, he realized something was off with the starry sky. The originally serene starry sky seemed to be shaking, as if it was falling from the sky. No, it was not the night sky that was falling, but the stars. Hundreds of huge macro-cannon shells pierced the atmosphere, hurtling towards Summer Ind like a meteor shower, bringing a destructive glow while mercilessly plummeting under the eleration of gravity. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± In the blink of an eye, the sky above Summer Ind was covered with a dazzling, scorching, and intense light. The magic barrier, which the elves had thought so long over and put all their effort into, shattered like a fragile spider¡¯s web in the face of the 140-meter-long, massive shells ¡ª not even able to withstand it for a second. Subsequently, the meteor shower from the sky covered the whole of Summer Ind. mes surged into the sky, fire and air gushed everywhere. The entire ind looked like a chain of erupting volcanoes. Countless clouds of fire mushroomed into the sky, enveloping the whole ind. All resistance was meaningless in the face of this dire onught. The high towers, cities, and fortresses the elves had built crumbled like brittle structures, and the elves within were torn into pieces before they could scream. The violent tremors caused the earth to undte like waves, even stirring up tremendous waves in the sea. Mountains were eroded, the elven forests were destroyed, and vineyards spanning across the ins were utterly ruined. The earth, forests, grasnds, cities, ports ¡ª nothing could survive this terrifying attack that was on the verge of annihtion. Just as the elves believed that this terrifying attack wouldst forever, suddenly, everything ended without warning. The surviving elves looked up in dumbfounded surprise. They saw destruction all around them. It was as if the world was plunged into deathly silence, so silent that they could not hear each other¡¯s voices ¡ª it was as though all sounds had disappeared. At that moment, the elves saw a radiance in the sky that rivaled the dazzling sunlight. Several high-temperature energy beams descended from the sky, illuminating the entire Summer Ind. Unlike the previous violent attack, this time mes and heat swept across the ind, submerging the remaining cities, forests, and mountains in intense fire. The bright light was so brilliant that it even reflected off the horizon. It was as if a burning sun was slowly rising from the sea. ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!!¡± An elven guard screamed as they dashed forward. Their ss light armor hadpletely melted, fusing with the elf guard¡¯s flesh. They shrieked in pain and reached out to their queen in despair. However, in the next moment, both the elf¡¯s body and ss light armor werepletely melted into a pool of thick fluid, their bones sinking into the consuming mes. ¡°Your Majesty, please get out of here immediately!!¡± The court mage held up both hands. Their fingers had turned ck, but even so, they grit their teeth, trying to maintain the protective barrier. Their clothes were on fire, and their hair had beenpletely burned off. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ toote.¡± Queen Airen shook her head and looked up at the night sky, seemingly unable to bear the sight of the elven royal city which was fully engulfed in mes. Even though Queen Airen had known it would be an unimaginable battle when she made her decision, she had not expected the disparity to be this vast¡­ Was this possible for mere mortals? Shouldn¡¯t this be the work of gods? But even gods probably could not aplish this. Without any interaction, let alone hand-to-handbat, the entire Summer Ind was demolished merely upon confrontation. Is this power¡­ the power we are opposing? With this thought, the queen opened her eyes, and thest thing she saw was a bright, dazzling light. A sma flood roared downwards, heavily bombarding Summer Ind. Under this blow, the already devastated Summer Ind was directly shattered. Numerous cracks appeared in the earth, and the sea rushed in with raging roars. The shatterednd disintegrated, and the sea water surged in, evaporating on the scorching ground and pooling into clusters of white smoke that rose to the sky.@@novelbin@@ When all was over, the elves¡¯ holynd ¡ª Summer Ind, the home of the High Elves, where the Royal City was located, hadpletely disintegrated and was inundated by the sea. The remnants sank to the seafloor under thest devastating blow. As for the tens of thousands of elven inhabitants, they unceremoniously stepped into death. Their determination, their will, their dignity had been utterly obliterated without even a spark to mark their passing. Duanmu Huai, with his hands sped behind his back, stood on the bridge of the ship. The elves¡¯ resistance, struggle, and agony were meaningless to him. He could sense the souls of the elves writhing in pain, but this was not enough. The Tribunal¡¯s wrath was not so easily quelled. The extermination of the aliens was not easy. Their souls would bepletely destroyed in the Tribunal¡¯s Obliteration Domain by the Star Furnace and turned into energy, serving as the source of existence for the judges. No matter how horrific the events on Summer Ind were, all Duanmu Huai saw was a fleeting spark. But it was not over yet. ¡°Order the Night Guards to prepare. We are going topletely finish those aliens. From tonight, the Ancestral God Province will be utterly eradicated!¡± For the inhabitants of this continent, this night was a heart-stopping one. The fire on Summer Ind drew all eyes, but it wasn¡¯t enough. In addition to Summer Ind, two other territories of the Ancestral God Province ¡ª Valen Forest and Aelsville ¡ª also came under attack. The Night Guards, d in ck armor, broke through the elves¡¯ defense, ruthlessly ughtered the two territories¡¯ main city armies, and hung the lords¡¯ bodies on the city gates to announce theplete destruction of the Ancestral God Province. With the demise of the High Elves¡¯ army in these two territories and the death of the lords, the situation grew increasingly turbulent. In Valen Forest, the Wood Elves regained power due to the destruction of the Ancestral God Province and reestablished a federal government favorable to the Empire. In Aelsville, the tiger people began to contest power again and established a new government. In just one night, the Ancestral God Province, the sovereignty of the elves, was totally annihted. This night was known as the ¡°Night of Destruction.¡± After this night, no race dared to question or confront the Tribunal. This unknown force, following the ¡°Night of Destruction,¡± became the most horrifying entity on this continent. What would happen to the continent afterwards, whether the Empire would seize this opportunity to defuse internal conflicts, was not of Duanmu Huai¡¯s concern. As he had told the emperor, the Tribunal only cared about external threats to humans. As for the conflicts among humans, the Tribunal did not care, let alone mind. Even if another regime overthrew the Empire and established a new country, it would have¡­nothing to do with the Tribunal. After this incident, except for hundreds of Night Guards left behind to manage the Tribunal¡¯s influence on the continent, Duanmu Huai took the others back to Manaria. Chapter 235 - 186 Preparation_1 Chapter 235: Chapter 186 Preparation_1 After returning from the Sky Province, Duanmu Huai could finally rx for a while.@@novelbin@@ The Tribunal, which was built within the Imperial Territory, has been gradually expanding. For Duanmu Huai, this continent has be an excellent recruitment world. On the other hand, after witnessing the power of cosmic warships, the Guardian civilization has also ced orders with Duanmu Huai. It¡¯s clear that the High Tower Council has decided to at least build a Guardian Fleet to protect the civilization and safety of their gxy. Fortunately, the previous Cabal Tribe did not have such a warship like Duanmu Huai¡¯s, otherwise all of Holy City would have been wiped out by one shot. What fight could they have put up then? ¡°Very well, everything is going smoothly.¡± Sitting behind the desk and looking at the report in his hand, Duanmu Huai nodded with satisfaction. The trade with the Guardian civilization did not involve money. Because the empire has copsed, there isn¡¯t unified currency in the Milky Way now. Hence, Duanmu Huai took the barter trade mode; he can use the Void Dockyard to manufacture warships needed by the Guardian civilization, while the Guardian civilization needs to pay the resources required for building warships multiplied by XN times. After all, Duanmu Huai was also nning to build a fleet himself. However, the Guardian civilization is indeed poor. Although they have begun to restart mining facilities on others, considering their strained resources, they only ced an order for one Sword-ss Frigate, one Viper-ss Missile Destroyer, and one Moon ss cruiser. There was no other choice. After all, imperial battleships were originally driven by the Mecha Spirit. After obtaining the A-jin technology, Duanmu Huai made major changes to the Imperial warship, redesigned a series of automated processes to minimize manpower requirements. But even so, a warship still requires half the original manpower to be operational. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t have to worry, as he has enough puppets to operate them. However, the Guardian civilization couldn¡¯t find so many people to drive the warships in a short time and required retraining¡­ The key point is that the Guardian civilization doesn¡¯t have a lot of people. Under Duanmu Huai¡¯smand, the Tribunal Fleet, in addition to the Queen Glory ss gship, now has two Moon ss cruisers under construction, plus the Wan Yi battleship, which was capable of destroying an entire gxy, captured from Cabal. Duanmu Huai¡¯s Tribunal Fleet is now taking shape. By the way, Duanmu Huai alsopletely changed the appearance of Cabal¡¯s Wan Yi battleship. Besides keeping the main cannon which could be used to trigger a star explosion, he dismantled all other parts, recing them with Macro Cannons and Light Spears, plus close-range anti-aircraft batteries. The current Wan Yi battleship is more like a cosmic fortress than a warship. Furthermore, in exchange, Duanmu Huai obtained a core technology from the Guardians ¨C rbination. To rify a point, the ¡°instant teleportation¡± used by the Guardians is not instant teleportation at all. For example, in battle, you can often see a Guardian piloting a small shuttle, arriving in front of an enemy warship, then disappearing from the cockpit in an instant, followed by appearing on an enemy warship. Initially, Duanmu Huai thought it was some kind of instantaneous space teleportation technology. But after conversing with a Guardian¡¯s Ingenuity, he was surprised to find that it wasn¡¯t some sort of space teleportation, but rbination! That¡¯s right, the entire process is like this ¨C when the Guardian arrives at the destination in the shuttle, the Guardian is disassembled by the Ingenuity, in other words, strictly speaking, the Guardian no longer exists in this world from that moment. You could say he¡¯s dead, that wouldn¡¯t be wrong. Then, the Ingenuity would rbine the entire data of the Guardian, project it onto a new coordinate, and resurrect him. So, the entire process is not a teleportation process, but a dposition ¨C rbination process. In fact, the summoning of their vehicles by the Guardians also uses a simr technology. Otherwise, how could they tear around the streets with such arge motorcycle? Of course, this technology has its limitations. The Guardians can resurrect indefinitely because they are linked with the Ingenuity by light energy, so they can y like this. Ordinary people would inevitably die if disassembled, don¡¯t hope for resurrection. However, for Duanmu Huai, this technology opened a window of opportunity! Light energy is also a way of using spiritual energy, which means, as long as there is sufficient spiritual energy, Duanmu Huai can also use this trick. It has been mentioned that as a Soul Walker, they can anchor World Fragments in the real world, thereby stabilizing the subspace order and avoiding overheating and distortion. Now, Duanmu Huai have anchored the fused body of World Fragments of Manaria Continent and the continent where the Empire is located, Nain Continent, on the gship. This means that within the spatial range of these two continents centered on the gship, whether in real universe or in subspace, the order is stable and peaceful. This also means that within this area, Duanmu Huai can use spiritual energy freely without fearing overheating and spatial distortion! Further, with this, Duanmu Huai can also use this technology to disassemble and rbine warships within the range countless times! Don¡¯t underestimate this ability, the Guardians resurrect in this way, which means that even if Duanmu Huai¡¯s warships were destroyed in this area, they can be resurrected with full health just like the Guardians! Chapter 236 - 186 Preparation_2 Chapter 236: Chapter 186 Preparation_2 Of course, it would be impossible for ordinary warships, as they require humans to operate, and while this disassembly and reassembly technology can reassemble inorganic matter, it cannot reassemble living entities. Fortunately, the warships under Duanmu Huai¡¯smand are controlled by puppets with zero consumption, and puppets themselves are not ssified as living entities, so they are naturally unaffected. Although the Queen Glory ss, as the gship, is not included, for Duanmu Huai, being able to apply this technology to warships is quite impressive. It¡¯s not that no yer in the game has thought of doing this, but unfortunately theyck the conditions. After all, warships need to be operated, and the Judge cannot create an intelligent AI, and it isn¡¯t worth disassembling and reassembling warships with humans aboard¡­ But now, Duanmu Huai does not need to worry about this problem. Of course, this technology is not without defects, just like Guardians who are said to be able to resurrect indefinitely also have weaknesses. That is, if the Guardian¡¯s Ingenuity is crushed, the Guardian cannot resurrect when they die again, and they will be irrevocably dead. Simrly, if the Queen Glory ss, which is the projection core, is destroyed, then other warships will not be able to reassemble either. Simply put, Duanmu Huai¡¯s gship is responsible for serving as arge-scale Ingenuity. After these two Moon ss cruisers are built, they can prepare to set off back to Novices¡¯ Vige. Looking at the time, it should still be ample ¡ª¡ª Hmm, I hope that when I return, I won¡¯t see Novices¡¯ Vige exploding in ce. Currently, Duanmu Huai has over ten thousand Night Guards under hismand, plus three thousand warrior souls recruited from the Obliteration Domain, as well as two thousand Guardians¡­ This should be enough to counter the attack of Chaos. ¡°Click¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± Just as Duanmu Huai was pondering his next journey, suddenly the cabin door opened, and Audrey walked in with a pot of tea. ¡°Master, please have some tea.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Hearing Audrey speak, Duanmu Huai lifted his head and nodded at her. Audrey then came to Duanmu Huai¡¯s table, poured him and Ogis a cup of tea, then ced the tea tray she was holding down, quietly standing to one side. ¡°¡­I say, don¡¯t you have anything else to do?¡± Duanmu Huai lifted his teacup to sip the tea and then looked at Audrey questioningly. After returning to Manaria, Ann and Greiya both went to report to their respective fathers. Audrey, as Duanmu Huai¡¯s personal maid, stayed behind. But honestly¡­ Audrey as a personal maid¡­ Really serves no purpose. There are dedicated maid puppets aboard the warship responsible for cleaning and cooking, there¡¯s nothing else that needs Audrey¡¯s attention. Consequently, she essentially wakes Duanmu Huai up every day, brings him meals, brews a pot of tea, and then just stands by, motionless. Honestly, after a while, Duanmu Huai started to suspect if she was actually a puppet. ¡°Serving Master is what I should do.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hearing Audrey¡¯s t response, Duanmu Huai shook his head helplessly. He hasn¡¯t spent a long time with Audrey, but he feels he can understand why that Duke¡¯s son lost interest in Audrey. Frankly speaking, Audrey is said to be very beautiful, with a slender figure, white skin, shiny sleek ck hair like silk, and powerfulbat abilities. Any ordinary man would definitely be attracted to her at first sight. But as time passes¡­ they¡¯d realize that this youngdycks¡­ character. There are quite a few girls around Duanmu Huai; all are charming in their ways. Ann is lively and cheerful. Just being around her brings a sense of rxation and joy. Although Greiya is silent and introverted, she has a gentle and considerate side. Lorena is always full of energy. It¡¯smon to see her running along the hallways, tens of kilometers long, while energetically greeting others. Bambi is adorable, sticking close to others like a kitten. Even Felin always carries those travel guides and scenic ases, wandering around in a daydream, looking quite interesting. Ogis goes without saying. As for Miss Audrey¡­ Duanmu Huai feels that she¡¯s like an unimportant NPC in a game. When yers chat with her, they can only get a few set responses. ¡°Hello, Traveler.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to admire the garden.¡± ¡°Thank you for your care, Traveler.¡± And that¡¯s the end of the conversation. If Duanmu Huai had to say, all other girls have their charm, but Audrey seems as nd as a piece of dried up bonito, totally without vor. Honestly speaking, even Mia, that Artificial Angel, feels more interesting to Duanmu Huai than Audrey, at least the former always speaks in a sweet andzy tone regardless of the situation, seemingly not caring about anything, which is quite amusing. If Duanmu Huai had a choice, he certainly wouldn¡¯t choose to marry a woman like Audrey. In addition to her looks, she brings nothing else to the table, which is utterly boring. Thinking about the idea of marrying such a woman and then living this kind of life every day¡­¡­¡­. Well, I have to admit, the subus is indeed stronger than her. ¡°I have some things to do, you can go rest first.¡± Duanmu Huai collected his thoughts and said. The other person didn¡¯t say anything but just silently lowered their head, then turned around and left. ¡°Click.¡± With the cabin door closing again, Duanmu Huai let out a sigh, then he looked at Ogis. ¡°Honestly, thisdy is quite a handful, what do you think?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Ogis silently turned a page of the book. ¡°Being too afraid andcking self-confidence is cowardice.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ogis?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up? Master?¡± ¡°Read less of these feel-good and philosophy books, they do no good for people.¡± ¡°But, isn¡¯t this a book written by humans?¡± Ogis held up the book in her hand. The cover read ¡®How to Make You a Better Person¡¯. ¡°80% of these kinds of books written by humans are delusions.¡± Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. ¡°Like the nonsense in this book, hardly anyone can do it.¡± ¡°But, isn¡¯t it true that humans call them philosophers and even publish their sayings?¡± ¡°Most philosophers don¡¯t die well, it is fine if you see it as a collection of the ravings of a mentally ill person beforemitting suicide.¡± ¡°But it seems to make a lot of sense?¡± ¡°It just seems convincing.¡± Duanmu Huai smirked. ¡°Alright, enough of this nonsense, what¡¯s your opinion about thisdy.¡± ¡°In my opinion¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I think, if master didn¡¯t look so intimidating, it might be easier tomunicate.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Thank you for your sincere opinion.¡± Duanmu Huai was ustomed to being stabbed in the back by his most trusted puppet. It wasn¡¯t the first time. ¡°Apart from that?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ This time, Ogis did not answer immediately but thought for a moment. ¡°¡­¡­Make her your woman?¡± ¡°Puff¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai spit out a mouthful of tea. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s written in the book. Originally arrogantdies, after being forcefully imed by the male protagonist, not only did they not hold any hatred, they even fell for the man¡ª¡ª¡ªHumans really areplex and strange creatures.¡± ¡°Hold on, what book are you reading? Where did ite from?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of Miss Lorena¡¯s readings, found in the library.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A missionary priest, is it suitable for you to be reading this stuff? It seems that in the future, I need to properly ssify the collected books. Chapter 237 - 187 Audreys Melancholy_1 Chapter 237: Chapter 187 Audrey¡¯s Mncholy_1 ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Upon returning to her room, Audrey let out a long sigh as she sat in the chair. There was no concealing the exhaustion etched in her face. To Audrey, her life had be a tangled mess ever since her public breakup. As an aristocraticdy, Audrey went through a rigorous upbringing. She knew that she would inevitably marry into a Duke¡¯s family. For this reason, she devoted herself to learning the decorum, intellect, and dignities that the role of a Duchess demanded. In truth, she did not harbor any feelings towards the Duke¡¯s son. They first met when they were very young, with subsequent encounters roughly once a year. Yet, Audrey felt that the Duke¡¯s son was rather indifferent towards her. The sentiments were reciprocal; to Audrey, the Duke¡¯s son was a man she was bound to marry out of obligation rather than affection. Audrey wasn¡¯t surprised. It wasmon for nobilities to marry for political reasons. She was aware that both her parents had their respected lovers outside of the marriage. It was more a coboration of political motives than a bond of love. Nevertheless, when the Duke¡¯s son publicly voided their engagement, she was left feeling lost and anxious. She wasn¡¯t upset out of jealousy or having been forsaken, but rather a fear of an uncertain future. After all, for as long as she could remember, she had been carefully groomed to be a Duchess. It was her sole purpose in life.@@novelbin@@ Now, with the annulment announced by the Duke¡¯s son, her position as the future Duchess vanished, making all her years of preparation purposeless. What would her future hold? Audrey was uncertain of her path forward. Despite the shocking reasons behind her shattered engagement, the fact remained she had been abandoned. No matter the justification, it was unlikely she would be able to marry another nobleman. Would she end up as a pawn in her parents¡¯ political game, shipped off to marry some wealthy merchant? There were instances where noble families arranged for their daughters to marry wealthy businessmen to gain capital. Audrey knew it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for her to be a businessman¡¯s wife¡ªnow that she had lost her status within the nobility. However, when she learned her future from her father, she was taken aback. ¡°You will be the personal maid of the Dragon ying Knight.¡± Dragon ying Knight. The name wasn¡¯t foreign to Audrey, considering the uproar caused by the Evil Dragon Fafner¡¯s attack on the royal city. She was deeply impressed by the mighty knight who defeated the giant dragon, a beast even the princess couldn¡¯t stand against. Moreover, she heard from social circles that both King Regnes and King Manaria were considering offering their daughters¡¯ hands to him in marriage. But that was all Audrey knew. The respected knight seemed to have no interest in attending banquets or mingling within the nobility¡ªyet nobodyined. Frankly, she was somewhat surprised to see the Dragon ying Knight appear at her engagement banquet. In all honesty, her first impression of Duanmu Huai matched her preconceived image of the Dragon ying Knight. He was tall, imposing, and emanated an aura of power.An intimidating face was eptable, considering he had defeated the Evil Dragon King. The imposing image would be contradictory if he were to have delicate and pretty features. What followed was the transformation of Audrey from an aristocraticdy into Duanmu Huai¡¯s personal maid. It had been a while now, but it still bewildered her. However¡­ ¡°What exactly should I be doing?¡± Gazing at her own hands, she murmured to herself. Indeed, that was the problem concerning her the most. She didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to do. The Princess was correct; being a personal maid wasn¡¯t just about attending to her master. It was more multifaceted; including managing household chores and interpersonal rtionships. In essence, a personal maid was akin to a personal housekeeper, fulfilling the client¡¯s demand within their abilities. The dilemma was that Duanmu Huai never requested any services from her! It wasn¡¯t that he was ignoring her, but more like he simply didn¡¯t require her assistance with anything! In all honesty, she wished he would show interest in her the way other men did. At least then, Audrey would have an idea of her role. But that could not be further from reality. Audrey could tell that Duanmu Huai held no special feelings for her. She understood, of course, given that he already had two princesses awaiting marriage, Ann and Greiya¡ªnot to mention other beautiful women around him. Moreover¡­ they were all more exciting than she was. That was right; Audrey knew she was a tedious woman. If asked about her hobbies, she couldn¡¯te up with anything that interested her. Because of the need to maintain her figure, she hardly indulged in sweets. Despite having learned the arts, she wasn¡¯t passionate about any specific fields. From a young age, she worked hard to make herself suitable for the position of ¡°Duchess¡±, which is Audrey¡¯s only purpose in life. Not only that¡­ Audrey lifted her head and looked out the window, where she could see a giant fireball burning fiercely and a metal warship illuminated by the brightness of it ¨C she remembered Duanmu Huai mentioning that it was a star, also known as the sun. The ce they are in is called a gxy, with a sun in each gxy¡­ Yes, this is Audrey¡¯s biggest problem. Following Duanmu Huai, she has experienced many things that she had never imagined before, she even followed Duanmu Huai to visit hell and confront the Demon God. It made Audrey realize clearly that the stature of the master she follows is far beyond that of amon noble. Because of this, Audrey is very anxious. She simply does not know what she, as such a person, can possibly do here. It was like a poor man who had always lived in poverty in rural areas,ing to the luxurious royal city, everywhere was something Audrey could not understand, could not imagine, could not rte to. What are these things? What should I do? The knowledge she had learned has almost no use in this world. The only thing she can do now is to do trivial things like serving meals and tea to Duanmu Huai. But this is obviously far from enough. Actually, Audrey is envious of Ogis and Felin who can freely do their own things, but she is different, it was not Audrey being constrained by her identity, rather even if someone told her ¡°you can do what you want¡±, Audrey would not know what she wanted to do. In short, let¡¯s start by reading books. Audrey thought about this and reached out for the book at the edge of the table, which she borrowed from the library, titled ¡°Astronomy¡±, ording to the princess, it described knowledge about this world called the ¡°Universe¡±, maybe after learning these, she would be closer to where her master is? Perhaps¡­ it might be. While Audrey was concentrating on her studies, Duanmu Huai was contacting the Guardian civilization. ¡°The prison was invaded?¡± Duanmu Huai sat in the chair looking at Cade No. Six in front of him, and thetter nodded. ¡°We just received the report that the Elder Prison holding the Fallen Baron has just been invaded. It is certain that they areing for the imprisoned Fallen Baron. We must go there immediately, but due to ack of manpower from the Guardians¡­ I wonder if the Tribunal could lend a hand?¡± ¡°Fallen Ones¡­ That¡¯s the group of wandering pirates.¡± Duanmu Huai recalled the Guardians¡¯ records of the Fallen Ones, ording to the records of the Guardians¡¯ civilization, the Fallen Ones were once one of the alien races inspired by the Travelers. Later, the Guardians neglected them and they turned into a group of alien pirates, looting and plundering everywhere¡­ However, on a second thought¡­ ¡°You actually locked up these damn aliens, If you ask me, just kill them directly and there would be no problems at all. I suggest sending the Voice of Truth directly there, fire at the prison, I guarantee all troubles will be solved.¡± Duanmu Huai clearly did not understand the idea of the Guardian civilization. To him, the Fallen Barons¡¯ were a nuisance, wouldn¡¯t it be better to eliminate them directly? In games, there are often such stupid things, obviously able to kill, nonchntly locking them up, then once they escaped, they had to chase after them, once they found them, they had to be killed. If they are to die sooner orter, why not just kill them directly, why do they have to wait for them to escape and then kill them, isn¡¯t this redundant? ¡°Although I personally really want to do that, unfortunately, I don¡¯t have the say.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯sints, Cade No. Six helplessly shrugged. ¡°All right then.¡± Duanmu Huai stood up. ¡°I am not busy anyway, I¡¯ll go with you, by the way, you understand the Tribunal¡¯s style, I won¡¯t hold back.¡± ¡°Of course, otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be asking for your help¡­ But I thought you were very busy?¡± ¡°I have been idle and bored recently, I am almost anxious.¡± As Duanmu Huai said this, he stretched out a yawn. He didn¡¯t lie, recently except for handling some paperwork, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t really had anything to do, he was quite bored, and wanted to find some ce to exercise. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 238 - 188: The Lost Clan_1 Chapter 238: Chapter 188: The Lost n_1 Elder Prison. This is the guardian civilization¡¯s prison, specifically for imprisoning interster criminals. Of course, if you ask Duanmu Huai to evaluate it¡­he¡¯d say it¡¯s simply a waste of time and money. But there¡¯s no point talking about that now. By the time Duanmu Huai, Ogis, and Cade arrived at the Elder Prison, it had already beenpletely sealed off, with a woman standing outside the gate, waiting for their arrival. ¡°Hey, Petra Wanji, thanks for the invitation.¡± Cade No. Six greeted the woman in front of him and then asked. ¡°What have you organised for this soiree?¡± In response to Cade No. Six¡¯s question, Petra drew a dagger from her waist. ¡°Hmm, same as always.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± Seeing Petra draw her dagger, Cade No. Six immediately raised his hands in excitement, making a gesture at her. ¡°Go ahead, show our good friend the Judge.¡± Upon hearing Cade No. Six, Petra held out her hand and then Duanmu Huai and Ogis watched as the dagger spontaneously flew up, hovered in the air for a couple of spins before falling back into her hand. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrow. ¡°Awakener?¡± Duanmu Huai knew a little about the Awakeners, one of the three races of Holy City. Of course, while they¡¯re referred to as three races, they¡¯re all actually humans. EXO were originally humans, but their consciousness was transferred to mechanical bodies over time, turning them into a mechanical race that resembles space skeletons. Cade No. Six is one of them. The history of the Awakeners is equally intriguing. As mentioned before, the humans of this gxy faced an invasion from the darkness. The once-glorious human civilization dwindled to a mere fraction residing within the Holy City. However, not all the humans stayed to await death. A segment of humanity boarded immigration ships before the darkness arrived, leaving the gxy in search of new colonies. Whether by fortune or misfortune, they entered another dimension and established a settlement there. After a long period of living there, they found a way back to their original world. These returnees, dubbed the Awakeners, partly set up a new kingdom in the asteroid belt under the leadership of their queen, while others returned to Holy City. Their queen¡­reportedly perished long ago in a battle against a race called the Demon n, effectively rendering the Awakener¡¯s kingdom void. Well, that¡¯s not important. Duanmu Huai was interested in this race because they mutated while living in that dimension, gaining supernatural-like abilities and blue skin. Strangely enough, this reminded Duanmu Huai of a simr group of beings within the Imperial Navy. During the Imperial Navy¡¯s long voyages, many crew members married and had children on the warships. As these pregnancies were influenced by Subspace, the children born exhibited mutations and powerful spiritual abilities, giving them the name Children of the Void¡­ Yeah, they seemed simr to the Awakeners before him, or one could say that the world the Awakeners spoke about was actually a part of Subspace. If it weren¡¯t for the weakening of the Chaos Evil God due to the ck hole project, these people probably wouldn¡¯t have made it back so easily from there. ¡°So? Isn¡¯t it cool? But don¡¯t make a fuss about it.¡± Cade No. Six seemed really happy and pointed at Petra again. ¡°Come, another one!¡± ¡°Maybeter.¡± Petra withdrew her dagger, then her smile vanished, reced by a serious expression. ¡°The released prisoners are currently wreaking havoc within the prison. Thankfully, the main arena and lower floors are still locked. If the core security system goes offline¡­¡± ¡°We retreat, then blow this damn ce off the map.¡± Duanmu Huai always advocated the simple solution of blowing away troubles. If one shot doesn¡¯t work, then fire two. Multiple gun turrets are the way to go. ¡°Of course that¡¯s not an option. In any case, we have to ensure the stability of the core security system and capture those escaped convicts.¡± ¡°Well, alright then.¡± Cade No. Six drew forth his hand cannon while talking. ¡°How about we make apetition out of it?¡± ¡°Is there a prize?¡± ¡°The one with the least captures buys the winner a drink.¡± Cade No. Six, while talking, pointed at Duanmu Huai and Petra. ¡°Two drinks.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the fugitives with Ogis.¡± Duanmu Huai took out the War Hammer from behind him, swinging it with force. ¡°Leave the security system to you guys, as I have no knack for such things.¡± ¡°Two on two, quite fair.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Cade No. Six nodded. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get moving partners. This is Cade Cool No. Six, keep up with our pace.¡± While speaking, Cade No. Six retreated backwards, until he reached the bridge edge, and then he leaped off. ¡°I¡¯ll go first! Whoa!!!!¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes, then tightly grasped the War hammer and charged forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ogis!¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± By the time Duanmu Huai and Ogis stormed into the prison, it was already in total chaos. The prisoners who had broken out of their cells waved their weapons around, venting their anger ¨C understandably, as most of them were not happy about being imprisoned. The entrance of Duanmu Huai immediately made him the target of these prisoners¡¯ anger. ¡°Kill them!!¡± With their screams, the prisoners raised their guns at Duanmu Huai and Ogis and pulled the trigger. In no time, countless bullets whistled out from the muzzles, forming a storm of bullets that engulfed the two of them. Despite the onught, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t even bother to hide, but simply rushed towards the prisoners under their fire. The bullets striking his power armor didn¡¯t even scratch the outer coating before they ricocheted off. He then got up close to the prisoners and swung down his war hammer. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The next moment, the prisoners before him turned into a pile of battered chunks of flesh and were sent flying. Meanwhile, as Duanmu Huai sprung into action, Ogis did not stop either. She reached out her right hand and invisible threads interwoven to form a gigantic shield, blocking the attacks of the prisoners. Then, with a gentle flick of her left hand, puppet-like figures emerged silently from the darkness. They swung their des and plunged straight towards the enemies, stabbing their sharp des into their bodies. It was clear that Ogis had also grown during this time. The proof was that she could nowmand puppets other than the Guardian Puppet. ording to Ogis, these puppets were the result of her insights gained from reading books, and like the ughter Puppet, they also had the ability to ¡°sneak.¡± This made them quite outstanding assistants for Ogis. ¡°Oh, these guys really want to fight.¡± However, even in the midst of battle, Cade No. Six seemed to never shut his chatterbox mouth. Even though they weren¡¯t fighting together, his voice still managed to reach Duanmu Huai¡¯s ears throughmunication devices. Duanmu Huai truly doubted whether the High Tower Council sent Cade No. Six out to work because they were fed up with his incessant talking and wanted peace for their ears. ¡°This riot must end here. If these maniacs get out, they will wreak havoc in the reefs.¡± Petra was evidently very worried about the current situation, but as for Duanmu Huai¡­ ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll just kill them all.¡± Once again, he swung his war hammer, smashing a blind Cabal Commander into a pile of minced meat while casually responding. ¡°You knew perfectly well that these guys are maniacs, yet you still kept them here. Are you running a charity?¡± However, no one answered Duanmu Huai¡¯s question. Just then, a huge explosion sound erupted, making the entire prison shake. ¡°Heh heh!¡± Soon, Cade¡¯s voice came through again. ¡°If I¡¯m not there, who¡¯s the one ying with bombs?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go check¡­ damn it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hearing Petra¡¯s voice, Duanmu Huai asked. ¡°The explosion just now caused the security system on the lower levels to go offline! The high-risk prisoners are held down there! I have to go check¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°So it¡¯s full of people who won¡¯t be missed, huh? Leave it to me.¡± Duanmu Huai deftly switched the phrase he¡¯d just heard and motioned to Ogis. ¡°Ogis, over here, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Hold on, how will you get down there? You don¡¯t have the security clearance to ess to lower decks¡­¡± ¡°Do you really need to ask?¡± In response to Petra¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll just jump straight down.¡± At the same time, Ogis once again joined Duanmu Huai, nimbly hopping onto his shoulder as light as a cat. Duanmu Huai grabbed Ogis with one hand, and then leaped off the bridge. The howling wind whizzed past Duanmu Huai¡¯s ears, and in a short moment, he fell like a giant rock and heavilynded on the tform of the lowest deck of the prison. Following that, Duanmu Huai slowly lifted his head and looked forward. ¡°Hey, damn alien rascals, nice to see you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± In the gloomy depths of the lower level cells, there was silence. Hundreds of Fallen Ones silently appeared from the darkness, quietly surrounding Duanmu Huai and Ogis. In front of him, some enormous figures appeared, and standing among them was a man shrouded in a cloak. Clearly, judging by where he was standing, he was the instigator of this riot. Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai lifted his war hammer. Looks like the stakes are in my favor this time. The moment the Fallen Ones from all around lunged at Duanmu Huai, he also leapt forward, charging at the enemies before him. Chapter 239 - 189 Victory or Defeat_1 Chapter 239: Chapter 189 Victory or Defeat_1 For an ordinary person, being surrounded by these Fallen Ones with their three pairs of arms would be extremely dangerous. Though they were weaponless, having only just escaped from the prison, their sheer numbers alone could cause unease. But for Duanmu Huai, such a level of encirclement waspletely meaningless! Facing the Fallen Ones charging from all sides, Duanmu Huai roared and suddenly took a step forward. In the next moment, the me of Soul suddenly burst out from his body, sending all of the surrounding Fallen Ones flying away. At the same time, he raised his Thunder Warhammer and smashed it down onto arge figure in front of him, covered in heavy armor like himself, looking every bit like a BOSS. It was evident that these guys were the high-ranking prisoners that Petra had mentioned, the Fallen Barons. When faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack, the opponent didn¡¯t back down either. He roared angrily, raising his three pairs of hands high, the topmost pair meeting Duanmu Huai¡¯s warhammer while the remaining two aimed for Duanmu¡¯s body and head ¨C proving that having a few extra arms indeed had its benefits. Although it didn¡¯t serve any purpose. The Fallen One¡¯s attack didn¡¯t cause Duanmu Huai any damage. The warhammer in his hand directly broke the opponent¡¯s arm and continued downward, there was a dull ¡®thud¡¯, and the Fallen One¡¯s head suddenly found itself smashed into his chest cavity by Duanmu Huai, unable to be extracted. ¡°Oh, quite the hard head?¡± Duanmu Huai casuallymented, then immediately threw the headless corpse aside and continued to charge forward. Around this time, others had also reacted and quickly spread out to both sides. This was, in fact, a weakness of Duanmu Huai. His towering figure meant his speed was somewhatcking. Although his long legs could somewhatpensate for the distance, when it came to attack speed and reaction times, Duanmu Huai was a bit¡­inadequate. Understandably, as hisrge figure demanded extra attention, Duanmu Huai, not being the versatile individual, rarely took off his Power Armor. As long as he wore the Power Armor, even if he was ambushed, he could at least endure the first strike. This was primarily why Duanmu Huai always preferred to strike first. He wasn¡¯t one to react and counter swiftly so once a fight started, he would either work out his opponent¡¯s location while taking a hit, or he would make the first move¡­ In any case, once he makes a move, he can be sure of an iing attack. Hence, he didn¡¯t need to worry about any of the trivial matters. Duanmu Huai knew that some Judges would abandon their Power Armor and engage in battle using elerated speed. He had seen a few of them, wearing wide-brimmed hats, ck trench coats, and carrying Holy Canons and weapons. They looked exceptionally cool while their speed was ghost-like, seamlessly hidden in the darkness. If any of those Judges were here, these Fallen Ones would probably be corpses before they could even react. Unfortunately, Duanmu Huai just couldn¡¯t do the same. His speed was entirely attributed to his jetpack. Therefore, when he took down the enemy standing in front of him, the other boss-like figures took this opportunity to dodge and rapidlyunched another round of attacks against Duanmu Huai. At the same time, Duanmu Huai quickly surveyed the battlefield, pinpointing his enemies. Apart from the grunts, the remaining bosses had begun their actions. One of thempletely disappeared in midair, another peculiar-looking one aimed a gun at Duanmu Huai, and the third boss took out arge pile of grenades. But soon, a figure holding a massive ming meteor hammer blocked Duanmu Huai¡¯s vision. Such a hassle! Time to kill them one by one! Duanmu Huai made the decision without hesitation. He roared and smashed his hammer towards the Fallen One wielding the ming meteor hammer. Thetter snorted coldly, swung his meteor hammer with force, and smashed it straight onto Duanmu Huai¡¯s helmet. However¡­ it had no effect. ¡°Thud!¡± The meteor hammer smacked heavily onto Duanmu Huai¡¯s helmet, making a dull sound. At the same time, Duanmu Huai¡¯s warhammer mmed into the Fallen One¡¯s chest. Thetter seemed entirely unprepared as Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t even dodge its attack, causing it to momentarily lose itsposure. But when it tried to withdraw and avoid the blow, Duanmu Huai, who had withstood the blow from the meteor hammer, wielded his warhammer. The massive impact force punctured the Fallen One¡¯s chest. At this moment, the barrage of gunfire and flying grenades from the front had already enveloped Duanmu Huai. ¡°Boom Boom Boom!¡± A series of explosions rang out, engulfing Duanmu Huai within. However, before the Fallen Ones could even breathe a sigh of relief, they saw the terrifying demon emerge from the smoky scene,pletely unscathed. What on earth is this thing?! Seeing this, the Fallen Barons couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. They had been imprisoned in the Elder Prison for so long that they had no idea what was happening outside. At first nce, they believed Duanmu Huai was just another Titan Guardian. But¡­ this guy was nothing like a Guardian! Although it¡¯s true that Titans are robust, they obtain this strength through light energy, and when faced with attacks exceeding their limits, they would still get injured or even die. But Duanmu Huai waspletely different. He withstood their attacks with a weird suit of armor! Neither closebat nor grenades and guns seemed to cause any damage to the suit! And what is up with this paint job on the armor?! Seeing the terrifying rabbit face painted on the armor, illuminated by the flickering mes, rushing towards him, the third Fallen Baron¡¯s hair stood on end. Almost reflexively, he leaped up and threw all the grenades on his body towards Duanmu Huai, in an attempt to get even further away. He had discovered that while this terrifying creature was powerful, it was not fast. If he could dodge¡­ However, as the Fallen Baron tried to escape, he saw the terrible rabbit reaching out its hand towards him. Immediately, the Fallen Baron felt an enormous suction force. The next moment, he was flying straight towards the terrifying armored rabbit! ¡°No no no no no!!!!!¡± Noticing this, the Fallen Baron let out a terrified yell. It wasn¡¯t because he was about to be grabbed by the terrifying creature, but because he had thrown all his grenades at the creature a moment ago to slow it down ¨C that area was now essentially a giant powder keg! ¡°Boom!¡± The moment the Fallen Baron fell into Duanmu Huai¡¯s hands, the grenades also detonated simultaneously, again obscuring Duanmu Huai¡¯s figure. When Duanmu Huai emerged from the mes carrying the battered corpse of the Guardian Baron, the other Fallen Ones finally halted their approach. What kind of monster was he exactly? ¡°No, keep away!¡± Seemingly terrified by the dreadful ¡®rabbit¡¯, another Fallen Baron suddenly appeared from the thin air, charging toward Ogis while shouting. ¡°If you dare move, this woman¡­¡­¡­¡± But his words were cut short there. Observing the remains of a fellow being that was sliced into pieces scattered on the ground, the Fallen Ones¡¯ expressions were filled with horror. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this. Is this the power of the Judge?¡± At this moment, the cloaked man reappeared. His eyes hidden within the cloak were staring at Duanmu Huai, a trace of unbearable smirk had formed at the corner of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve indeed heard about you guys, but never did I expect that your lot would be a more troublesome bunchpared to the Guardians¡­¡­ But¡­¡­ it¡¯s still way too crude!¡± The moment his voice fell, he suddenly raised his hand and an invisible force rushed toward Duanmu Huai¡ª¡ª¡ª this was the power of Spiritual Energy! But¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Seeking death!!¡± Along with Duanmu Huai¡¯s roar, the next moment the man felt as if his projected force hit an unmovable wall, rebounding instantly knocking him to the ground. He could even feel an enormous power surging into his body, almost as if his organs were going to shatter. ¡°How, how is this possible¡­¡­!¡± Now sprawled on the ground, the man had lost all his earlier aloof demeanor; instead, his golden eyes were staring at Duanmu Huai in terror. As an Awakener, the power that he has, which surpasses ordinary humans, was what he was most proud of. It was indeed a different powerpared to the Light Energy utilized by the Guardians¡ª¡ª¡ª even the Guardians could barely defend against him! The man thought so, but reality dealt him a heavy blow! ¡°Why, why can you also use this power?¡± He was dumbfounded as he kept his gaze on Duanmu Huai. It should be a power only awakeners could possess, why did this man also have the same, even more incredible strength? ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Looking at the man before him, Duanmu Huai uttered softly, then he tightened his grip on the War Hammer. But at this moment¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Whoa¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!! I¡¯ming down! Move!¡± Apanied by a shrill scream echoing from themunication channel, arge silhouette appeared. Duanmu Huai looked up and saw a huge stone tform plummeting down towards them! ¡°Crap!¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai also cried out in surprise, hastily pulling Ogis back to dodge. At the same time, he extended his hand and threw out a Soul Card¡ª¡ª¡ª the next moment, the card transformed into a cold blizzard, which quickly gathered around the Fallen Ones, stopping their escape attempts. ¡°Noooooo!!¡± The man sprawled on the ground was, of course, no exception. He stared desperately at the giant tform crashing down at him, screamed hopelessly, and raised his hands vainly to protect himself. The next moment, the colossal tform crashed down, pounding heavily onto the deck below. Until the dust settled, Duanmu Huai, holding Ogis, stepped forward. Then he saw a tiny Ingenuity pop up in mid-air. Following a sh of brilliance, Cade No. Six flipped the stone b and jumped out from below, revitalized¡ª¡ª¡ª well, it was evident, the guy just revived. Well, that¡¯s what you get when you don¡¯t fear death. ¡°Hey, I am here, hope I am notte? Where are the others?¡± ¡°Not muchpany left anyway.¡± Duanmu Huai silently observed the scattered tform debris. The remaining Fallen Ones had already been squashed into a paste by the plummeting tform. The same fate befell that man¡­¡­ well, that¡¯s not his problem anyway.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Oh? It¡¯s over? Who won then?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­You won.¡± Looking at Cade No. Six before him, Duanmu Huai let out a quiet sigh. He would have been better off if he had blown this ce up right away. Chapter 240 - 190: Return _1 Chapter 240: Chapter 190: Return _1 For Duanmu Huai, this prison rebellion journey was just a small warm-up. Although the oue was a bit unexpected, all things considered, it was concluded perfectly. Of course, the matter did not end there. ording to Petra¡¯s investigation, it seemed the Awakener was their queen¡¯s brother, who likely underwent some mishap to turn out like this. So, Petra was very anxious and nned to have the Guardians investigate¡­ yes, this can be imagined as another side quest. But now Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t have time to handle this. At this moment, he was leading his Tribunal Fleet back to the Novice. ¡°Phew, it seems we got back just in time.¡± Seeing the rtively calm state of the before him, Duanmu Huai heaved a sigh of relief. He then opened the screen, looked at the scenery before him, and started to search for his target. First was Bartoni¡¯s capital, Calcas. Adjusting the screen, Duanmu Huai stared at this city of the Kingdom of Knights. In the peaceful streets, a girl in ordinary clothes was watering the streets in front of a small jewelry shop. By the look of it, she had be quite proficient at this job. Next, Duanmu Huai saw an old man driving a cart loaded with goods arrive in front of the shop. The old man greeted the girl. She happily waved back, turned around and said something to the shop, and then Duanmu Huai saw an Elf Scouting out to help the old man unload the goods. ¡°She seems to be doing well.¡± Watching this scene, Duanmu Huai¡¯s mouth curved up slightly, revealing a faint smile. For Duanmu Huai, who had experienced so much and been in this world for quite some time, he would never forget the things that happened when he first arrived here. Although Elisa was a good girl, the world she lived in was too different from his own. He had no ns to pull such an ordinary girl into his fight against the Evil God. In his view, living a simple and ordinary life like this was more suitable for her. After all, returning to the Empire with her status would only make things more awkward. With that thought, Duanmu Huai again switched the view to another location. Modheim. This once cursed city seemed to have regained some vitality. Duanmu Huai could see that the ruined city had begun to be rebuilt, and the streets were bustling. However, he also noticed that the city seemed to be heavily guarded and the atmosphere was tense, although he didn¡¯t know what had happened, it surely wasn¡¯t good news. As for the Imperial Capital Aldorf¡­ huh? Contrary to Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectation, not only did he see the g of the Empire in Aldorf, but he also saw the gs of the Elves and Bartoni. It was really unusual to see these forces gathered together. What could have happened? Well, no matter what, he would know once he went and saw for himself. Soon, Duanmu Huai, with Ogis, arrived at Aldorf Royal Castle again. Despite his bizarre outfit, the guards let him into the castle and sent someone to notify His Majesty the King. After all, Duanmu Huai was also a hero who saved Aldorf from the hands of the Cultists. His distinctive appearance made it impossible for him to disguise himself, and the king had also granted him privileges. So Duanmu Huai entered the castle without any hindrance. More than that, he saw a familiar face. ¡°Ah? Isn¡¯t this Sir Knight? Long time no see!¡± ¡°You are¡­¡± Looking at the man in front of him, Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment. ¡°General Pastte?¡± ¡°Hahaha, I didn¡¯t expect that you would remember me¡­¡± ¡°Almost didn¡¯t recognize you, you¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, he curiously examined General Pastte. Of course, he hadn¡¯t forgotten the man whomanded in Modheim, even intended to add himself to his ranks. However, the General Pastte standing before him looked different from the thin figure back then. Now he had a rosyplexion and appeared more energetic. Even his physique had grown heavier ¨C his protruding stomach was even visible. ¡°Hahahaha, I¡¯ve beencking in exercisetely¡­¡± Detecting Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze, General Pastteughed awkwardly. Duanmu Huai, of course, didn¡¯t care about such minor details and started chatting with General Pastte. ording to General Pastte, he had been doing quite well after that event. Although his abilities weren¡¯t impressive, he had demonstrated his loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor that night. Consequently, his position and title were promoted. Of course, General Pastte didn¡¯t fail His Majesty¡¯s trust and had been diligently working ever since. Duanmu Huai also inquired about the events in the Empire after that. Basically, everything went as the Emperor had told him. On that night, the Emperor¡¯s three sons were sentenced for colluding with the Evil God. The nobles who conspired with the princes were implicated, arge number of nobles were dealt with, and new people were promoted. Of course, the Emperor¡¯s strong measures naturally caused unrest among the local lords. However, when the Emperor proposed the Electoral system, the stirrings among these lords were quickly curtailed. Unless one was a fool, it was obvious that this system was not limited to the royal family, and all lords were eligible to be the Imperial Emperor. Although they, given their age, would likely have to retire with the old Emperor. But their heirs still had a chance! So, these lords calmed down quickly and obediently followed the Emperor¡¯s instructions. A potential political crisis within the country was thus resolved. ¡°Thanks to Sir Knight and your team, the Empire is stable¡­¡± At this point, General Pastte expressed his gratitude to Duanmu Huai. When he thought of the fate of Aldorf if the princes who colluded with the Evil God had ascended to the throne, or if Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t stopped them that night, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder. The reason the Empire was so peaceful was all due to Duanmu Huai. He not only wiped out the followers of the Evil God but also eradicated the vampires in the Empire¡¯s territory. If not for this, who knows what the Empire would have be. ¡°There¡¯s no need for such formalities.¡± Duanmu Huai waved it off and changed the topic. ¡°By the way, is there a festivaltely? I even saw the gs of Bartoni and other countries ¡­ Could there be an event?¡± ¡°Huh? Sir Knight, you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Oh, I just got back from out of town and am not aware of the situation here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a secret¡­¡± General Pastte didn¡¯t mind Duanmu Huai¡¯s pretext and quickly exined the current situation. After Duanmu Huai had left, due to the penalty on the powers colluding with Evil God, and the extermination of the vampires who entrenched in the imperial territory, the whole empire had a peaceful period. However, this peace didn¡¯tst long. After just a year, various crises began to emerge around us. The first is the invasion from the Chaos Army in the north. If it were the previous troubled empire, I¡¯m afraid it would have been done. Fortunately, this time the empire was stable internally, so they blocked the Chaos Army¡¯s attack. But another country, Kislyov, on the north border of the empire, was not so lucky. Under the attack of the Chaos Army, they barely held on for a while beforepletely copsing. Finally, they led the remnants to withdraw with the rescue of the empire. Moreover, at the same time, Bartoni, which was separated from the empire by a mountain, also broke out in a civil war. Although the civil war ended, Bartoni was also greatly wounded. Not only that, in the south of the empire, Skaven Ratman began to cause trouble,unching attacks on the southern territories. Even the Elves were not exempt, with reports of the Dark Elves in the north, who were in a standoff with the High Elves, also being attacked by the Chaos Army. It can be said that this wave was like the Chaos Army collectively moving south, beginning to attack the border of civilization. Because of the urgency of the situation, representatives from Bartoni and Kislyov, in addition to the Elves, came to the empire to discuss forming a Union Army forbat. As expected, it has started. Having heard what General Pastte said, Duanmu Huai also frowned. He didn¡¯t participate in the war of the End Times, but he learned from the yers¡¯ posts on the forum that the symbol of the start of the End Times was demons dancing wildly, with various monsters running out to show their presence. Looking at it now, the development of the situation is just as the forum posts said, so it seems he returned at the right time. ¡°Sorry to disturb you.¡± Just then, a guard ran over, panting for breath, and saluted Duanmu Huai respectfully. ¡°You are Sir Knight who saved the country, right? His Majesty wishes to see you, please follow me.¡± Speaking of which, this title is a bit too exaggerated. Hearing the other party¡¯s title, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help butin inwardly, but he nodded, followed by Ogis, and they entered the castle under the guard¡¯s guidance, ending up in the king¡¯s study. ¡°Yo, long time no see.¡± Sitting behind the desk was Kevin, or he should be referred to as Emperor Carl Franz of the Empire. He put down his quill, smiled at Duanmu Huai, and greeted him. ¡°Speaking of which, why has your armor be like this?¡± ¡°Cute, isn¡¯t it? I quite like it.¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Ha ha ha ha, just like you.¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, the Emperorughed heartily, unconcerned. After all, it wasn¡¯t strange for a man who named his battle group ¡°Pink Bunny¡± to paint his armor in this color. ¡°So, where did you go? I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± ¡°I went on an overseas adventure and just came back.¡± ¡°Oh? Is it fun overseas?¡± ¡°Nothing much, all those boring things.¡± Duanmu Huai shrugged and then sat on the stone bench moved in by the Emperor¡¯s attendant. ¡°Since Your Majesty sent someone to find me, I guess there¡¯s something going on, right?¡± ¡°Of course, you should have some understanding of the current situation of the Empire, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard a bit, I heard that the Skaven Ratman and the Chaos Army have started wreaking havoc.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Speaking of this topic, the Emperor¡¯s face suddenly turned serious. ¡°In fact, ording to our investigation, the variation of this Chaos Army is likely rted to one person.¡± ¡°Oh? Who?¡± ¡°The Eternal Chosen One ¡ª Achane.¡± Chapter 241 - 191 Main Task_1 Chapter 241: Chapter 191 Main Task_1 ording to the Emperor, a chosen of the God of Chaos has emerged in the north. He has unified all the Chaos Armies in the north and is nning to wage war on the world. It seems that this man has also appeared in prophecies before, and as a result, the Chaos n is agitated, believing that his appearance represents the vision of prophecy. That is, the world will be destroyed, and everything will be the prey of the God of Chaos. This is the prophecy. In fact, the current invasion is not even from the direct forces of this being called Achane, but instead from some Chaos Legions that can¡¯t hold back their eagerness to strike first¡ªit seems that they are trying to attract the attention of this eternal chosen one in this way. But to Duanmu Huai¡­ ¡°What a load of nonsense, right?¡± He stared at the emperor with a surprised expression on his face. No wonder Duanmu Huai disyed such a face, because ording to the Emperor, this person named Achane has simultaneously received the blessings of the Brutal God, the God of Trickery, the God of gue, and the God of Lust, bing the chosen of four gods. This¡­ isplete nonsense, right? Put aside the God of gue and the God of Lust for a moment, but how could the Brutal God and the God of Trickery choose the same person to be their chosen one? Isn¡¯t that a joke? Duanmu Huai has never seen such a bizarre chosen one of the Evil God! If the Brutal God and the God of Trickery fight, what will this man do? Will he actually fight both of them?? ¡°I¡¯m not clear on the exact circumstances since I have never confronted him on the battlefield, but the news we got from the prisoners captured from Kislyov and the Elves, as well as the northern frontline, does not differ greatly from this. Therefore, this can at least prove that this is not just baseless rumor.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve gathered to discuss how to resist the enemy?¡± ¡°Well, you could say that¡­¡± @@novelbin@@ At this point, a bitter look appeared on the Emperor¡¯s face. ¡°But that¡¯s not entirely urate.¡± ¡°Huh? ¡°The Elves can¡¯t assist us. In fact, the visiting army of Elves was brought over by the Princess¡­ thanks to you, we now have a powerful Elf force. Although their numbers are not great, it¡¯s better than having none at all. As for the Elves, it appears that they are embroiled in a civil war.¡± ¡°What¡­ huh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. ¡°A civil war?¡± ¡°Yes, the original Phoenix King has disappeared, and the Elves are arguing over who is the next Phoenix King. Their own candidates are not happy with each other¡­ Ah, when ites to power, both Elves and Humans have the same temperament.¡± Perhaps thinking of his own brood, the Emperor sighed in resignation. ¡°The Eternal Maiden is very unhappy about the Elves being embroiled in internal strife while a great enemy is at their doorstep. So, she took the opportunity of promoting friendly exchanges to lead a mission group to Aldorf¡­¡± ¡°I never thought it would be like this¡­ So the current situation isn¡¯t very optimistic, right?¡± ¡°Pretty much. The Supreme King of the Dwarves once contacted me, nning to lead an army to help us, but the Dwarves couldn¡¯t reach a consensus internally, so they had to give up.¡± ¡°Oh? What reason did the Dwarves give?¡± ¡°They believe it is impossible to defeat the oing Chaos Army by any means. It¡¯s better to lock themselves underground and protect their homnd. Pointlessly dividing their forces would only weaken the Dwarves¡¯ ability to guard their homnd.¡± Upon saying this, the Emperor shook his head. ¡°So up until now, the reinforcements we managed to get are not that much. Kislyov only has remnants left, and the Elves have just a mission group¡­¡± ¡°What about Bartoni?¡± ¡°This is exactly what I would like to ask of you.¡± At this point, the Emperor¡¯s face became grave. ¡°Bartoni was originally ready toe and assist us¡­ but a rebellion suddenly broke out within their country.¡± ¡°A rebellion? At this time?¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyebrows rose, immediately sensing a strong scent of conspiracy. ¡°Yes, ording to the information we have obtained, the rebellion was instigated by a knight named Malobode. He dered that he wanted to change the current system of Bartoni and then initiated the rebellion. Not only that, the three Dukes of Calcasson, Leonis, and Atuwa have all publicly announced their support for Malobode¡­¡± ¡°That audacious?¡± It must be said, when Duanmu Huai learned about the situation in Bartoni from the Emperor, he was shocked. ¡°Where is the King? The Lake Goddess Fairy?¡± ¡°King Lauen disappeared during the battle with the rebels, with his whereabouts unknown. The same is of the Lake Goddess Fairy.¡± ¡°Such a thing happened¡­¡± Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows, the Lake Goddess Fairy is the spokesperson for the Lake Goddess. Logically, she would intervene when such an incident urred in Bartoni. Why did she flee instead? What does this mean? ¡°The Empire cannot meddle in Bartoni¡¯s internal affairs, but you¡¯re different ¨C you¡¯re a Holy Grail Knight, you have good reasons to get involved here. Additionally, we¡¯ve heard that the rebels contain a considerable number of undead¡­¡± Even though the Emperor didn¡¯t finish his sentence, Duanmu Huai understood his intentions. The Empire needs to concentrate its forces against the advancing northern Chaos Army, and it does not wish for a surprise attack from Bartoni. They couldn¡¯t rely on the elves and dwarves, Kislyov has only a few remaining soldiers, and the Empire neither had the resources nor the excuses to interfere in Bartoni¡¯s internal affairs. However, Duanmu Huai is different. As a Holy Grail Knight, he is actually Bartoni¡¯s guardian. Therefore, it is natural for him to handle this situation in Bartoni. Of course, the Emperor also informed Duanmu Huai about the movements of the Skaven Ratmen. ording to the intelligence reports, the Ratmen were nearing the verge of civil war. However, their deity, the Giant Horned Rat, suddenly descended amongst them. It killed the Grey Prophet who was about to start the civil war, and left behind a Lord of Disaster tomand the Ratmen, ensuring that they can unite and convert everything into ruins. No doubt, this news surprised Duanmu Huai, but he was not shocked at the descent of the Giant Horned Rat God. Rather he was astonished that a spy could hide in the council room of the Ratmen from the beginning till the end without being discovered¡­ who the hell are these people? Why doesn¡¯t the Empire direct this talent to make a move on the Eye of Fear? After this, Duanmu Huai bid farewell to the Emperor, then returned to his warship and informed everyone of his ns. ¡°So, I n to take a few people to¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you nning on directly destroying those guys with your warship?¡± Cade No. Six curiously inquired. Acting as a representative mentor, leading the other guardians to arrive here, Duanmu Huai increasingly believes that the High Tower Council dumped him here just to keep Duanmu Huai at bay. ¡°I¡¯m nning to utilize the warship for orbital bombardment at the very end. Showing our hand too early will only attract unnecessary attention.¡± Duanmu Huai has no intention of revealing the army of the Tribunal and Guardians too soon. In his ns, these two teams are set to make their appearance when the Chaos Armyunches a full-scale invasion, catching them off guard. After that, depending on the movements of the Evil God, they will take countermeasures ordingly. If Ann were here, she would have been the first to volunteer. Unfortunately, Ann is currently carrying out the ¡°Royal City Reconstruction n¡±. She has summoned arge number of personnel who have mastered architecture and seems to be nning to build argemercial area ording to the design of the city she visited earlier. Mostly it¡¯s huge department stores with facilities like bookstores and amusement parks which Ann saw on the previous. By the way, this world naturally does not possess cranes or towers, but magic is sufficient to get the job done. ording to Ann¡¯s n, thismercial area will serve as the first testing ground. From the rebuild of the energy system to sewer facilities, everything will be designed in reference to the previous world. If things go well, it will be promoted across the country ¨C Duanmu Huai, of course, won¡¯t object to this. He too, is curious to see a modernmercial city powered by Isekai magics. Greiya hasn¡¯t returned either, and it¡¯s rather fortunate since half-humans like her are not well-received in this world. ¡°Bambi wants to go, Bambi wants to go!!¡± Fortunately, someone took over Ann¡¯s work. Bambi, full of excitement, bounced around with her hand up. Now that Bambi has regained her previous vitality, her siblings might have died, but they are all working in Duanmu Huai¡¯s Obliteration Domain. So for Bambi, there¡¯s not much difference from before. She regained her old self quickly and is full of curiosity and desire to explore the outside world. ¡°Alright, no problem.¡± Although Bambi is a vampire, she doesn¡¯t look like one, so Duanmu Huai agrees. ¡°I also want to go, I want to see the situation there as well¡­¡± Lorena also volunteered. She too, had adventured this world with Duanmu Huai before, and as a Priestess, she couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch the undead run rampant. Duanmu Huai will not refuse her either, as Lorena understands this world and doesn¡¯t see her causing any problem. Bambi may be curious, but she¡¯s obedient and unlikely to cause any trouble. ¡°Alright then, Ogis, Bambi, Lorena, you guys wille with me¡­ huh?¡± However, before Duanmu Huai could finish his sentence, he felt someone¡¯s gaze. He turned to look and saw Audrey standing not far away, staring at him. ¡°Uh¡­ do you want to go too?¡± ¡°As the personal maid of the master, it¡¯s natural for me to be with the master.¡± Audrey stated this expressionlessly, leaving Duanmu Huai clueless about her thoughts. ¡°Well¡­e along then.¡± She didn¡¯t have anything else to do anyway. With this thought, Duanmu Huai redirected his gaze to the system prompt in front of him. ¡°Main Quest End Time¡± loomedrge in his vision. This time, he must not fail this main quest again. Chapter 242 - 192 Attack_1 Chapter 242: Chapter 192 Attack_1 Returning to Bartoni, Duanmu Huai sighed lightly as he looked out at the picturesquendscape before him. To be honest, the beautiful rural scene was quite deceptive. When looking at the serene grasnd, blue sky, white clouds, and distant castle, one would never imagine that a fierce war was actually happening on thisnd. Moreover, evil was on the brink of victory. As Duanmu Huai took in the view, he was also strategizing in his mind. True, the Endgame was a significant event in Star Ocean Online that impacted yers, but it was not recognized as such until after it had transpired. Due to the destruction of the entire at that point, the narrations from various yers contained many inconsistencies. This was understandable, since people would always be up to their antics, and with no way to verify, a yer¡¯s ount of having witnessed the world¡¯s destruction could hardly be disputed. After all, the whole had exploded. For instance, nobody in his previous life had ever mentioned the Eternal Chosen One. Judging by the current situation, this information should be a first-hand military intelligence from the frontline. Evidently, yers who remained on the Novice could not meet the level requirement to reach the frontline, while those who could have already left the Novice Vige. What the yers knew was only the overall state of affairs. They were obviously not privy to top-secret internal military information. In Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, the civil war in Bartoni was not the greatest threat, neither was the predictable Chaos Army. The real problem was the Skaven Ratmans ¡ª those were the creatures on the that needed to be eradicated. Compared to the mortal disease-like Chaos Army that would kill swiftly if not treated, they were more like a cancer, growing with the host and almost impossible topletely eliminate. Any attack on them would also severely harm the host. Frankly speaking, if most of the regions on the were upied by the Skaven Ratmans, Duanmu Huai would, without hesitation, issue the extinction order, and use the Whirlwind Torpedo to turn the whole into a zing fireball, incinerating those damned rats. Therefore, Duanmu Huai did not n on wasting too much time on a rebel army. When the head of a rebellion falls, the faction would crumble. Thus, he nned to dispose of this guy named Malobode quickly and then head towards the Southern Countries to counter the threat of the Ratmans. In Duanmu¡¯s view, this posed a much greater threat than a rebellion. But first, he had to find out where this guy had run off to. With that thought in mind, Duanmu quickly redirected his gaze towards the north ¡ª on the distant horizon, dark shadows loomed over everything. That was the most evil and barren territory in Bartoni, thend of the traitor. Muxilong. Duanmu Huai had heard rumors about thisnd ¡ª it was home to the vilest Duke in all of Bartoni, and rumors even suggested that he was a vampire. It was also inhabited by the most depraved witch ¡ª she forced vigers to offer up their children as ¡°tithe,¡± weaving their hair into clothing and bathing in their blood. Last but not least, it was their of the most brutal knight ¡ª it was said he would sweep in on his horse from the darkness, murdering the innocent in their beds, eating their children, and even peeling away their souls. While it might seem odd that knights hadn¡¯t visited to uphold justice in this one area of Bartoni, so famous for its chivalry, the reason was rather simple. Knights, too, adhered to the principle of loyalty to their ss, so a knight of Bartoni could not point his spear at a noblewoman ¡ª even if she was a witch who sustained herself with the blood of children. They also could not disobey the orders of their superiors, no matter how brutal the duke was. With their duty and kindness towardsdies newly interpretated in this territory, it was clear not all virtues were essentially good. Why the Lake Goddess herself did not intervene¡­. was the Lake Goddess¡¯s problem. Judging Duanmu Huai by his actions, he never adhered to the code of chivalry. Even if it meant hammering up the Lake Goddess, he would not hesitate if she stood in his way. ¡°Sir Knight, what shall we do next?¡± ¡°Go straight into theirir, get rid of the thugs, and then leave.¡± In response to Lorena¡¯s query, Duanmu Huai provided a decisive answer. ¡°That evilnd is no ce to linger¡­¡± Saying this, Duanmu Huai turned his head and nced at Bambi and Audrey. ¡°Will you stay here admiring the view, or will youe with us?¡± ¡°Bambi wants to go with his master. Bambi¡¯s not afraid of the bad guys.¡± Bambi clenched her fist tightly and swung it around, while Audrey simply nodded in silence. ¡°Alright then.¡± Without further ado, Duanmu Huai extended his hand and several puppets appeared out of thin air. Promptly, under the influence of the Power of Dragonization, their bodies shattered into frightening dark dragons. Thereafter, Duanmu Huai summoned the Metal Secret Dragon and climbed onto it, leading others. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Hope we can settle this quickly.¡± In most worlds, the dragon race was seen as ancient symbols with distinct characteristics ¨C ancient, powerful, rare, attempted to rule the world once, but eventually fell into slumber due to various inexplicably reasons. In this world, it was the same, as hardly anyone ever saw a real giant dragon. It was rumored that these giant dragons had fallen into a deep sleep and were almost impossible to awaken. Therefore, when dozens of giant dragons flew over the territory, all inhabitants were thrown into panic. Regardless of the oppressed peasants, the brutal rogues, or the fallen knights, even if they have gone so mad as to disdain the Lake Goddess and have their hands covered in blood and sin, all of these mean nothing in the face of the giant dragon army. ¡°Ding¡­¡­.ding¡­¡­.ding¡­¡­¡­.!¡± The bell tolls, and the soldiers rush to the city walls of the castle, raising their bows and arrows to aim at the giant dragon in the sky. However, the sparse arrowspletely fail to stop the giant dragon. On the contrary, a torrent of me falls from the sky, instantly engulfing the entire castle in a roaring fire. The dragons swoop past, and Muxilong¡¯s grandiose and solemn castle is immediately transformed into a burning furnace. Erupting mes spurt from the windows, causing a thick ck smoke to billow up from the castle. The soldiers on the wall attempting to resist either die screaming under the mes or throw down their weapons and flee for their lives. A clump of ck smoke flew out of the window enveloped by mes, transforming into a man dressed in regal attire. He was a mess at the moment, but he was still screaming and trying to escape ¡ª however, the next moment, a silver w pierced through the man¡¯s body, pinning him firmly to the ground and strangling any thoughts of escape. Following that, Duanmu Huai leapt off the Metal Secret Dragon and stood in front of this man. Considering the man hadn¡¯t died in all of this, it was clear he was no longer human. ¡°Alright, tell me, who are you?¡± ¡°I, I am the Lord of Muxilong¡­Orgus!!¡± ¡°Orgus?¡± Hearing this unfamiliar name, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows. ¡°Where is Malobode? Is he not here?¡± ¡°Lord Malobode is not here, he is at the front ¡­ in the North!¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s questions, the man hurriedly began to speak. He didn¡¯t know who this terrifying being before him was, but it was clear that he possessed a strength beyond his imagination. Although he didn¡¯t know why he was searching for Malobode, it was clear this was not something of his concern. ¡°He¡¯s in Monteford fighting with thest duke of Bartoni! Once he wins, he¡¯ll be the king of all Bartoni, rescuing the entire country from that evil lie¡­¡± While speaking, the man spotted the badge on Duanmu Huai¡¯s chest, and his eyes suddenly widened. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re a Holy Grail Knight?!¡± ¡°Oh? So what if I am?¡± As for the man recognizing him as a Holy Grail Knight, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t surprised. After all, in Bartoni, those who didn¡¯t recognize the Holy Grail Knight¡¯s emblem were the minority! However, what Duanmu Huai did not expect was that this man called Orgus would reach out and grab his hand after finding out his identity. ¡°Holy Grail Knight! Please listen to me, all of this is a lie! Bartoni, we, the knights, and everyone else have been deceived by the fraudulent Lake Goddess! You have also been deceived!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai looked at him with interest. ¡°Come on, tell me, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The Lake Goddess¡­ the Lake Goddess is not the deity that shelters Bartoni! She is actually the Elf God! The reason she disguises herself as the Lake Goddess is to deceive us Bartonins, to obtain our faith and souls, so that we be ves to guard the elves!! Holy Grail Knight, please listen to me, you are just being deceived by that damn elf! She has used sweet words to deceive the people and our nation, so we gathered to fight against all of this!¡± Talking about this, Orgus became increasingly agitated. ¡°Lord Malobode obtained the Holy Grail, and when he drank from it, he discovered the whole truth! About the Elves! And about the impending apocalypse! The Elves were already aware of everything! They have already abandoned this world, trying to make their way to a whole new world! And the knights of Bartoni will be the guardians of that world, protecting the Elves¡¯ new home!!¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Oh¡­interesting.¡± It must be said, hearing this fellow¡¯s revtion, Duanmu Huai did find it quite interesting; he finally understood why Malobode hadunched a rebellion. ¡°So, what¡¯s the story about the Lake Goddess Fairy disappearing?¡± ¡°After the lie was exposed, those Elves acting as spokespeople naturally lost their qualifications to stay and fled!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai nodded, then extended his hand, gentlyying it on Orgus¡¯s head. Then, he grabbed forcefully. ¡°Pfft.¡± Immediately afterwards, Orgus¡¯s head was crushed like a tomato. Duanmu Huai lifted his hand, returning to the Metal Secret Dragon. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to the North.¡± Chapter 243 - 193 Plague_1 Chapter 243: Chapter 193 gue_1 Originally, Duanmu Huai had nned to get rid of that idiot early on and then resolve the civil war in Bartoni, but to his surprise, when he arrived at the battlefield, the guy named Malobode had already been killed! And the one who killed him was none other than the ¡°love is a light, green until you are scared¡± Green Knight! Speaking of which, how did he forget him? Watching the Green Knight, holding up Malobode¡¯s head in triumph, Duanmu Huai also pped his forehead. He had heard that the Lake Goddess Fairy was gone and subconsciously thought the Green Knight had disappeared as well. He didn¡¯t expect him to show up at this moment, and even be the founding emperor of Bartoni¡­ which was indeed beyond Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectations. However, in any case, the issue in Bartoni was now resolved. The king assured Duanmu Huai that after resolving the civil war, he would lead reinforcements to the Empire to resist the attack of the Chaos Army. However, Duanmu Huai¡¯s mission was not yetplete. The Green Knight hoped that Duanmu Huai could check out the situation in the Southern territories¡ªreportedly, they were infested with rats and gued by disease. The Green Knight didn¡¯t want Bartoni to be caught off guard by a rat outbreak either. But the Southern territories were independent and not within the scope of Bartoni¡­ His reasons were the same as the Imperial Emperor¡¯s. Perhaps all emperors and kings share this trait. Fortunately, Duanmu Huai had initially considered the rat infestation to be of greater importance. If it were not for the Bartoni matter, he would have left already. Now that the Green Knight was in charge of wrapping things up, he unceremoniously handed over the task to the Green Knight and took the others to the Southern territories. However¡­ ¡°So tragic¡­¡± Standing at the city gate and looking at the city ahead, everyone looked surprised. There was no one at the stands outside the city gates. Rotten fruit was everywhere, and the entire city was silent. The dirty and muddy streets, and the sealed wooden doors and windows everywhere, all gave off a stench that made people want to vomit. ¡°It¡¯s the gue.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face darkened. ¡°The gue?¡± ¡°Yes, amon tactic used by the Ratmen, and it¡¯s the most annoying thing.¡± Saying this, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth. The Skaven Ratmen were most adept at driving rats to spread the gue and viruses to every corner of a city. Humans could perhaps exterminate Ratmen, but they were helpless against the virus. Under the influence of the gue and virus, the number of soldiers who could fight gradually decreased. Once the city¡¯s resistance waspletely broken, the Skaven Ratmen woulde flooding out, destroying the entire city. ¡°Master, why are some doors marked with crosses?¡± Sitting in Duanmu Huai¡¯s arms, Bambi curiously pointed to the side and asked. On both sides of the street, some house doors hadrge crosses painted on them with white paint, which looked strange. ¡°That represents that there are patients inside. Generally, they would only be locked inside the house and left to their own devices.¡± ¡°Why¡­ Aren¡¯t the priests supposed to treat these patients?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Lorena asked in surprise, and Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°They can¡¯t keep up. You are a priest as well. You know that the power of the clergy is limited. You may be able to heal hundreds of patients a day, but can you keep up with healing thousands or tens of thousands?¡± ¡°In that case, why not ask God for help?¡± ¡°¡­only they know that.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. The method used by the Ratmen, which is alsomonly used by devotees of the God of gue, can be simply described as piercing through the bottom limit of the healthcare system. No matter whether divine arts or science are used, the number of patients they can treat is always limited. Once this limit is exceeded, the entire healthcare system wouldpletely copse. Even in highly developed interster worlds, this can¡¯t be avoided. Not to mention a medieval-like world like this. In fact, there have been many cases where due to the inability to provide timely treatment, in order to prevent the world from falling into the hands of the God of gue, Judges issued extinction orders¡ªto spite them, I won¡¯t give you what you want, it¡¯ll be your death. As for the other issue¡­ well, Duanmu Huai said he¡¯d like to ask about it too. Honestly, Duanmu Huai really doesn¡¯t understand. Why do gods, as opposed to evil deities, always seem stingy when ites to showing miracles? In this regard, the Nine Spirits of the Sky Province seem very indifferent. The divine statues are right there, anyone can go and ask for a blessing. Although the blessing itself isn¡¯t particrly strong, it can indeed make people feel the power bestowed by the deity. This is also why despite there being only nine spirits in Sky Province, there are more believers than followers of the Demon God. After all, given a choice, people still prefer to take the right path. Yes, when there¡¯s a choice. On the contrary, the deities here, from Duanmu Huai¡¯s perspective, seem stingy. They don¡¯t reveal themselves in ordinary times, and they all y dead in an emergency. Truthfully, Duanmu Huai was quite concerned about the situation in Bartoni. After all, with the Lake Goddess Fairy missing and the Lake Goddess acting like a dead person, even if he defeated the rebels, there would surely be a second Fallen One to stand up. But now that the Green Knight is going to take the me, let it be.@@novelbin@@ In Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, believers generally fall into two categories. One type includes those who don¡¯t usually believe, but turn to religion in emergencies. The other type of believer, in Duanmu Huai¡¯s view¡­ is basically simr to buying insurance. Simply put, they pay a sum of money regrly and then, when in danger, expect the insurance toe into y. It¡¯s pretty much this kind of thinking. If not, why would people devoutly worship gods? Perhaps there are those who seek inner peace, but most people clearly are not such high monks. When you¡¯ve diligently paid insurance premiums for decades and when the timees that you need it, the insurancepany tells you that they don¡¯t cover your situation¨Cyou¡¯d probably be tempted to smash the insurancepany¡¯s office in anger. Many fallen believers harbor this kind of sentiment. That¡¯s why, most of the time, it¡¯s better not to believe in unreliable deities at all. Look at associations like the Cathedral Church Group that Lorena belongs to. It¡¯s a very reasonably organized religious institution. If something happens, the Deity steps in, and the believers will think of asking their deity for help in the first ce¨Cnot a desperate begging for a miracle to happen, but more akin to a reflexive instinct to call the police when faced with a bad guy. Inparison, this type of religious rtionship is much healthier. Well, for those unhealthy religious rtionships¡­ it¡¯s like this. ¡°Burn him!!¡± As Duanmu Huai and his party were walking along the street and reached the town square, they saw a crowd gathered around a man wearing a priest¡¯s robe. The crowd held torches and pitchforks, with some soldiers standing aside. They were throwing rocks and other things at the priest, causing his head to bleed. Although the priest tried to speak, he was constantly interrupted by the angry mob. ¡°We don¡¯t want your Sigma! Get out!!¡± ¡°Sigma is our Guardian God!¡± Hearing the roars of the mob, the priest raised his voice. ¡°He is our protector!!¡± ¡°To hell with your Sigma! To hell with your protector! If the protector was any good, my daughter wouldn¡¯t be dead!!¡± A peasant woman yelled and forcefully threw a stone, hitting the priest. And there were plenty of jeering peasant men beside her. ¡°Where was your so-called ¡®glory of your god¡¯ when we needed it? Why didn¡¯t he stop the gue? Why did so many people die? Sigma remained indifferent? He doesn¡¯t care whether we live or die!¡± ¡°You brought the gue to us!!¡± The surrounding people erupted in anger at this moment. ¡°You led this city to destruction! All this was brought by you! Seize him and burn him!!¡± ¡°Sir Knight, should we¡­ help?¡± Ann was not there. Bambi was too scared to speak by the violent mob. Ogis, as always, sat on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, not paying attention to these things. She probably wouldn¡¯t care even if the priest was burned alive in front of her. Audrey stood silently behind Duanmu Huai, it was unclear what she was thinking. Only Lorena seemed a bit uneasy. As a fellow clergy member, she naturally couldn¡¯t bear to watch a priest being burned alive. ¡°Alright, leave it to me.¡± Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t want to watch this farce any longer. He coughed, took a step forward, and then roared. ¡°Get out!!¡± The thunderous voice instantly shocked the entire square. The mob turned around, and when they saw Duanmu Huai, they instantly went pale. Screams filled the air as the mob scattered like rats, and some of them even fainted on the spot due to the shock. Well, looking on the bright side, it¡¯s no different from when a pop superstar steps on the stage. There are always fans who faint during such events. It seems that my charm is approaching the level of a superstar. With this thought in mind, Duanmu Huai approached the priest who had just wiped the blood from his forehead. The priest was startled at first when he saw Duanmu Huai, but immediately saluted when he saw the Holy Grail Emblem on Duanmu¡¯s chest. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m seeing a Holy Grail Knight here.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to find a priest of Sigma here¡­ This isn¡¯t the imperial territory.¡± The Southern territories are next to Bartoni. It makes sense for Duanmu Huai as a Holy Grail Knight to pay a visit, but it¡¯s hard to understand why a Sigma priest woulde here. ¡°I heard about the gue in the Southern territories, so I specifically came here to spread the glory of Sigma¡­ but as you can see, sir knight, they¡¯re deeply affected by the gue and they¡¯re not thinking clearly. They could find a way to survive by dedicating their faith if only¡­ ¡± Well, this highlights their ipatibility. Upon hearing the priest¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. For those who are suffering from the gue, as long as Sigma can perform miracles and eradicate the gue from this town, they would immediately be devout Sigma believers.But this priest believes that they must first demonstrate their devout faith before they can possibly receive Sigma¡¯s glory¡­ However, for those people who have already lost almost everything, this is clearly meaningless. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s find a ce to talk.¡± Duanmu Huai looked around. After all, the situation seems even moreplex than he imagined. Chapter 244 - 194: Precursor to the Plague_1 Chapter 244: Chapter 194: Precursor to the gue_1 It¡¯s really quiteughable that, despite having battled with the Ratmen, Duanmu Huai and hispanions, along with most people in this world, still believe that Ratmen don¡¯t exist. The reason is actually quite simple. Most people who have seen Ratmen are now dead. As previously mentioned, the Ratmen¡¯s method ofbat is unique. They don¡¯t immediately rush into battle, but instead, they first release a gue through masses of rats, significantly weakening the life force in a city. Then, when the city¡¯s resistance is basically shattered, the Ratmen swarm into the city through tunnels. By that time, facing the iparable quantity of Ratmen, the diseased soldiers have nothing but death to look forward to. The initial event in the City of Silver was an exception, as the Ratmen were acting in conjunction with the followers of the gue God. Yet even so, the only ones who managed to escape the City of Silver were a very select few. Considering the stagnation of civilization and the istion of information in this world, even when people spoke of Ratmen attacks, most merely dismissed them as jokes. These are the defining traits of a rat ¨C cunning, insidious, and disgustingly pernicious. ording to this Sigma Priest, when he first arrived here, the gue had not yet spread to this city. At that time, everyone was quite weing to him, as the presence of a Sigma Priest could potentially offer the city protection against the gue. However, it turned out that Sigma¡¯s help was nowhere to be found and was of no use at all. Because of this, the Priest gradually began to receive cold stares from the crowd, and when the gue broke out, he was deemed the root cause of the epidemic. ¡°Aren¡¯t the Lords of the Southern territories doing anything about this?¡± ¡°I heard the Lords of several cities in the south died suddenly overnight, and many high-ranking officials also perished as a result.¡± It must be those damn rats¡¯ trickery. The Ratmen are master assassins. Without leadership, high-level officials will fall into chaos, and with the rampant spread of the gue, they will find it even more challenging to handle the situation. However, luckily, Duanmu Huai was notpletely unprepared for this situation. He wasn¡¯t sure if what Kukulu and the others had prepared would work. But now was not the time to use it. ¡°Now is not the time to consider these issues.¡± Watching the Sigma Priestin incessantly, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows and spoke. ¡°Why are you here? Is it to preach or to help cure this gue?¡± ¡°Of course it is to cure the gue!¡± Upon saying this, the Sigma Priest raised his voice, but the next moment, he quickly became lethargic again. ¡°However¡­as you, Sir Knight, can see, the people here do not believe in Sigma¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then find another method.¡± ¡°Another method?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai thought for a moment, then tapped on the table. ¡°Are you going to Scarborough Fair¡­¡­ Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme¡­¡± ¡°Sir Knight?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, not only the Sigma Priest, but also Lorena and Bambi looked at him in surprise. Hocoughed and spoke again. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing, just a memory ¡­ hmm, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ¡­ you know them, right?¡± ¡°Yes, they are¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°If you use these four flowers, you can concoct something called ¡®Four Thieves Vinegar¡¯, which can disinfect and suppress the gue to a certain extent ¡­ If you¡¯re willing, you can try it.¡± ¡°Is that so? I see¡­ I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Hearing this, the Sigma Priest furrowed his brows and then revealed an enlightened expression, he nodded vigorously and stood up, giving a courtesy bow to Duanmu Huai before departing. ¡°Hmm, not too bad.¡±@@novelbin@@ Watching the back of the departing Sigma Priest, Duanmu Huai nodded his head. If this guy had insisted that as a member of the clergy, he wouldn¡¯t resort to such crude methods, then it would be a different matter. ¡°Sir Knight, was that a song you were singing earlier?¡± Only at this point did Lorena finally muster up the courage to ask the question that she couldn¡¯t believe. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a folk song.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded. He was singing a very famous folk song in their world called ¡°Scarborough Fair¡±. He was reminded of this song because he remembered a discussion on a yers¡¯ forum about the Ratman gue. A particrly knowledgeable yer stated that the gue was essentially a copy of the ck Death, and then shared some trivia with everyone. The trivia was that during the ck Death, something called ¡®Four Thieves Vinegar¡¯ was used by people for disinfection and prevention of the disease. The reason for its name was because during the period of the ck Death, many people died. In this process, four thieves took advantage of the situation to loot property. When they were caught, the soldiers were curious about how they managed to steal from so many houses of deceased without contracting the gue. They revealed that they had brewed a vinegar with four different flowers, soaked a cloth in it to cover their noses and mouths, and wrapped their hands and feet before each theft to prevent the gue. Soon after, this ¡°secret form¡± began to circte, and it was given the name: Four Thieves Vinegar. The boss also informed the yers that the song ¡°Scarborough Fair¡± was actually about the ck gue¡­ ¡°Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Remember me to one who lives there, For once she was a true love of mine. Have her make me a cambric shirt, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Without any seam or fine needlework, Then she¡¯ll be a true love of mine¡± As for the second verse of the song, ¡°Tell her to find me an acre ofnd, between the salt water and the sea strand, tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather, and gather it all in a bunch of heather¡±, the meaning is that the man is already infected with the ck gue. He asks the girl to find a plot ofnd for his burial, to clean the burial ground with a broom made of heather so that he can be buried¡­ Alright, it has to be said, many yers expressed that they had learned a useless trivia¡­ But honestly, this knowledge indeed left a deep impression on many yers. After all, ¡°Scarborough Fair¡± was widely popr, and everyone thought it was a love song. The repeated phrase ¡°Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme¡± was a bit strange, but everyone simply took it as an expression of love, like roses. But actually, the original intent of this song was to help the general public remember the form for the Four Thieves Vinegar, for future use¡­ Who could¡¯ve thought it actually meant that¡­ Well, knowing this backstory, it¡¯s hard not to feel a shiver down your spine when listening to the song. Although that¡¯s the case, there were indeed yers who, following this approach, brewed Four Thieves Vinegar and sold it in the city area. It was well-received and seemed to have some effect¡­but whether it was nonsense or truth, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t sure. But after all, why not try it as there were no losses, right? After all, vinegar does hold disinfection and antibacterial properties. During flu seasons when we were kids, our families would burn vinegar for disinfection and prevention. It can¡¯t be totally useless. ¡°In any case, nothing special.¡± Duanmu Huai briefly introduced the situation regarding this song, then returned to the main topic. ¡°Coming back, what do you guys think about what the priest just said?¡± Before leaving, the Sigma Priest also gave Duanmu Huai a clue, saying that when he was preaching before, he encountered people from the religious tribunal here. The religious situation of the southern territories is somewhat different from that of Sigma and Bartoni. They¡¯re a federation of independent territories, so in terms of religion, it¡¯s managed uniformly. Although they don¡¯t have a national religion like Bartni¡¯s Lake Goddess, they established a department to manage all religious sects, the religious tribunal. However, unlike the Tribunal, this department seems to act more like a coordinator solving conflicts among different sects. But not too long ago, ording to the Sigma Priest, he saw people from the religious tribunal with a group of soldiers, seemingly tracking down a brother and sister. ¡°A brother and sister?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s said that the brother carries the bloodline of the Evil God, and some say that the current gue and rat infestation originated from him.¡± When Duanmu Huai heard the Sigma Priest say this, he was taken aback. ¡°It¡¯s likely a coincidence.¡± Lorena voiced her opinion, and Audrey nodded. ¡°People always want to find a scapegoat during tough times. It helps to justify the guilt in their hearts. By ming others, they convince themselves they¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± Audrey looked rather grim as she said this, perhaps reminded of her own past experience of being jilted at the altar. Duanmu Huai, however, felt it was notpletely Audrey¡¯s fault. But clearly, this wasn¡¯t the right time to speak of it. ¡°Can the people here not be saved?¡± Bambi frowned, asking uneasily. Duanmu Huai just shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t do that¡­ even if Ann were here¡­ I doubt it would help.¡± Manaria¡¯s magic doesn¡¯t include curing gues, that¡¯s mainly the job of alchemists. But the gue spread by the ratmen is not ordinary, it carries a curse-likeponent. From that perspective, divine arts might be a better fit. Ideally, priestesses of Shya, the goddess of healing and mercy, should handle this kind of situation. Having the Sigma Priest to halt the gue is much like asking a military officer to perform surgery on a patient, it¡¯s simply a misfit. Looking at it this way, it seems that the southern territories are not idle, but whether they¡¯ve found the right direction¡­ that¡¯s unknown. ¡°In any case, there¡¯s nothing we can do here. Let¡¯s move on. We¡¯ll go to the central region and see how things are there.¡± This is only the border of the southern territories, but even so, if it¡¯s already like this here, one can only imagine how bad the situation is inside. If the rat gue were to break outpletely, there might be arge influx of refugees to Bartoni. And for Bartoni, which has just ended a civil war and hasn¡¯t recovered yet, this is clearly not good news. What exactly will happen¡­ we will only know once we get there. Chapter 245 - 195: Rat Plague_1 Chapter 245: Chapter 195: Rat gue_1 Although the situation in the town they had left was already very dire, as they continued along the road, they soon came across a sight that was even more horrifying. ¡°What¡­ What is this?¡± Staring at the piles and piles of big fat pigs on both sides of the road, Bambi asked with surprise and unease. ¡°Aren¡¯t these pigs human food? Why would they¡­ ¡± ¡°Probably because these pigs were infected with the gue, so they had to ughter them¡­ But then again, leaving them unburied and unburned like this, what is all this about?¡± Looking at hundreds of big fat pig bodies on both sides of the road, Duanmu Huai also frowned. Although it was reasonable to kill domestic animals infected by the gue in order to prevent its spread, it was equally important to properly dispose of them afterwards. Leaving them so carelessly at the side of the road was certainly a major source of infection ¡ª¡ª and it was quite possible that the gue in the town they had left was spread from these pig corpses. ¡°Sir Knight!¡± Just then, Lorena suddenly screamed, stumbled backwards, and nervously pointed ahead. ¡°That, that pig seems to be moving!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Duanmu Huai looked up in the direction Lorena was pointing. It was close to dusk and it was dark, except for some torchlight and the headlights on Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor. Under the bright white light, they saw a big fat pig not far from them, lying on the ground, beginning to slowly move its body. Its head was slightly rotating, as if it wanted to turn towards Duanmu Huai. Undead pig? There shouldn¡¯t be such a ridiculous thing in this world. However, a horrifying scene unfolded at this moment. Under the beam from the headlights, the pig¡¯s soft, bloated belly suddenly began to wriggle, as if something was squirming inside. The next moment, the pig¡¯s belly ripped open and hundreds of ck rats, screaming like a flood, rushed out towards them !! ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± All girls are afraid of rats, and the girls next to Duanmu Huai were no exception. Bambi screamed, turned around, and nestled in Duanmu Huai¡¯s arms. And Lorena and Audrey hurriedly retreated back, their faces pale with fright. Only Ogis remained sitting silently on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, her expression unchanged. ¡°Get away!!!¡± Duanmu Huai would not allow this swarm of rats to rush over. He roared and strode forward. The Soul me exploded from Duanmu Huai, igniting everything around. Very soon, hundreds of writhing rats were swallowed up by the fire and disappeared within it. The bodies of the dead pigs that were also burnt by the me started to explode one by one. More rats emerged from these corpses, screaming and scattering as if unable to withstand the fiery torment. ¡°What, what on earth is going on?¡± Looking at the mass of ck rats fleeing in all directions, Lorena was pale. Although this Missionary Priest was quite powerful, unfortunately, she did not possess wide range attack skills like a Mage did. And clearly, with thousands upon thousands of rats, the Holy Canon in her hand was useless. ¡°Tsk, this is getting more and more troublesome.¡± Duanmu Huai nced around. He could see that although the rats were keeping their distance from the burning bodies, they were still lingering not far off, making a constant ¡°squeak, squeak¡± noise. In the dark, their eyes were clearly emitting a red glow, which was quite creepy when grouped together. ¡°Use this.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai took out several grenades from his armor pocket. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Incendiary bombs, pull the pin and throw it into the horde of rats.¡± While speaking, Duanmu Huai pulled the pin, then forcefully threw the incendiary bomb. Soon, there was an explosive ¡°bang.¡± mes erupted from the middle of the horde, instantly engulfing hundreds of rats. But it wasn¡¯t over yet; it seemed like the rats themselves had ignitable properties. The fire spread throughout the horde in an instant, but the rats were not stupid. They quickly ran away from their burning mates, then regrouped. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡­¡± Watching this scene, Lorena paled even more, and Audrey covered her mouth with her hand, as if she were about to vomit. ¡°It¡¯s strange, they seem to have some kind of intelligence.¡± Ogis spoke in her usual calm tone, while Duanmu Huai nodded. ¡°Not strange, it¡¯s the hive effect¡­The more there are, the higher the intelligence, especially since these aren¡¯t ordinary rats¡­¡± As Duanmu Huai was speaking, he continued to take out more incendiary bombs and throw them into the mass of rats. Very soon, more and more rats were swallowed up by the mes. It was only when only a ring of fire was left around Duanmu Huai that the remaining rats chose to retreat. They turned around and sped into the forest, disappearing without a trace. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue our journey.¡± Only when the rats were gone did Duanmu Huai avert his gaze and spoke. Later, they continued their journey but the conditions around them remained poor. In the end, Duanmu Huai found a run-down small house by the roadside. He used the Gravity Gloves to construct a dwelling like in Minecraft ¡ª¡ª although it still looked like a coffin, it was good enough for him. He could deal with everything else the next day. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a scene like that.¡± Sitting by the bonfire, Lorena still looked a bit frightened. It was no wonder; being surrounded by thousands of ck rats that seemed to share a distinct will was indeed a terrifying experience. ¡°I remember you weren¡¯t this frightened when you were in Modheim, were you?¡± Duanmu Huai looked at Lorena with curiosity. This Priestess Girl had apanied him to Modheim once and even fought with the Ratmen. He thought Lorena wouldn¡¯t be afraid of Ratmen. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about Ratmen, but rats are too small¡­If I¡¯m not careful, they will get inside¡­¡± While speaking, Lorena seemed quite restless, continuously looking around. ¡°Sir Knight, are you sure it¡¯s safe here? What if when we¡¯re asleep¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve prepared thoroughly. Those rats can¡¯t get in.¡± Looking at Lorena behaving like a little girl, Duanmu Huai gave a chuckle. As he had told Lorena, he had fortified the house against the ratmen. Even if they could burrow, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get in. Of course, he could understand Lorena¡¯s worries. After all, waking up to find a rat on one¡¯s face would indeed be a nightmare. ¡°Please have some tea.¡± Audrey had also prepared dinner by that time. Unlike the others, she served mostly as a maid. Audrey always carried a small bag that looked norger than a handbag, yet, it held a rich assortment of items, including dinnerware¡­ Realizing what it was, Duanmu Huai could not help but wonder if this was simr to the ¡®Space Pouch¡¯ he had read about in online novels. Truth to be told, Audrey¡¯s culinary skills were quite good. Duanmu Huai, despite having a hefty build, didn¡¯t have particrly high demands for his food. He ate only slightly more than the average person. To him, food was merely a means to get nourishment. He had no issues eating dried food before. Even though dried food in this world was mostly air-dried meat, but it was not untasty when apanied with water. However¡­.. when good food was avable, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t refuse. Just like now. ¡°Sizzle¡­¡± The steak in the pan on the bonfire was releasing the savoury aroma of grease. Lured by this scent, Bambi and Lorena calmed down. Sitting quietly at her spot, Audrey skillfully sliced the cooked food with her table knives and put it on a te, firstly serving Duanmu Huai, followed by Bambi, Lorena, andstly Ogis¡ª¡ª¡ªwho, of course, declined. She didn¡¯t need to eat. ¡°It¡¯s surprising that we reach this point.¡± As Duanmu Huai forked a piece of steak into his mouth, he began to talk. ¡°About those rats¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Knight, but I¡¯d rather not talk about that during dinner.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing Lorena¡¯s expression, Duanmu Huai shook his head. He couldn¡¯t believe that a missionary priest could be afraid of rats¡­ of course, to be honest, anything, when present inrge quantities, could be scary. Even Duanmu Huai found the multitude of rats unnerving. Cockroaches would be equally disgusting. He often scared others, but that didn¡¯t mean Duanmu Huai himself fear nothing. After dinner was over, everyone rested by the fire and fell asleep. The same was for Duanmu Huai. However, when he opened his eyes again, everything before him had changed suddenly. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª !!!!!!¡± The first thing Duanmu Huai saw was a deste world. Getting up, he saw the rubbles everywhere. His cottage was gone, and there was nobody else. The entire world looked like a post-nuclear wastnd with yellow sandden wind storm covering the sky, barely letting any sunshine through. ¡°Squeak, Squeak!¡± Suddenly, a series of screeches sounded. Duanmu Huai halted and looked ahead. Then, the storm gradually subsided, and the yellow sand that had been blocking his sight retreated. A city appeared before Duanmu Huai. It was a city he had never seen before. Judging by its architectural style, it appeared to belong to this world, but wasn¡¯t a city Duanmu Huai had ever visited.@@novelbin@@ However, the city was destroyed. All the buildings had copsed, and there were corpses everywhere¡ª¡ªall were humans. They had their skin torn off and flesh being eaten, leaving only the bones exposed. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t see anything, but he could feel that countless malicious eyes beneath the wreckages of the buildings were staring at him. He took a step and walked forward. ¡°Squeak, Squeak¡­ Squeak, Squeak¡­¡± In the empty ruins of the city, the sounds echoed from underground, but Duanmu Huai paid no mind. He simply walked forward step by step until he reached the city center. At that moment, the entire city started shaking. Next, innumerable rats rushed out, rapidly merging into a giant rat, as big as a giant. It had long twisted horns like a bull¡¯s. It stared coldly at Duanmu Huai, who stared back, unblinking. The instant their gazes met, the colossal rat trembled fiercely. It let out an enraged howl, but in the next moment, the body that constituted the giant rat broke down instantly, and alongside, the world plunged into darkness once again. Duanmu Huai opened his eyes and coldly stared at the now-extinguished bonfire. Interesting, a challenge, eh? With that thought, Duanmu Huai smiled. ¡°Well then, I ept your challenge.¡± Chapter 246 - 196: Secretly Making Preparations_1 Chapter 246: Chapter 196: Secretly Making Preparations_1 Early the next morning, Duanmu Huai continued his journey with hispanions, but this time, he didn¡¯t follow his original n and head for the next city. When the girls questioned him about the reason¡­¡­.. ¡°We have been noticed by the god of the Ratmen.¡± Yes, it was only after pondering this matter in the morning that Duanmu Huai realized that under normal circumstances, perhaps the Giant Horned Rat would ignore a regr warrior. But now Duanmu Huai was an Obliteration Demon God, a Demon God-level entity who controlled the domain of judgment and fear. If you consider his status, although he is not yet on par with deities like the Lake Goddess and Sigma, he is not far behind many ordinary gods. Under these circumstances, Duanmu Huai showing up unannounced in the Giant Horned Rat¡¯s territory during a gue was asking for trouble. Only now does he recall overlooking this fact, which led to the current situation. Fortunately, it seemed that the Giant Horned Rat did not consider him a threat¡­¡­ ¡°So we have to change course.¡± Under these circumstances, going to a city is the least wise choice as cities are gathering ces for Ratmen and rats. If Duanmu Huai and hispanions proceed to a city, it would be tantamount to tantly parading right under the Giant Horned Rat¡¯s nose. Therefore, he must change direction and advance from other areas. Duanmu Huai, of course, has already thought this through. There is a ce that the Giant Horned Rat can¡¯t possibly scrutinize. That is the World Fragment. That¡¯s right, Duanmu Huai¡¯s n is to use the same method as when he epted the Lake Goddess¡¯s mission to steal Nagash¡¯s crown: open the gate to Subspace, utilize the ovep of the World Fragment and the main ne to reach their destination, and then open the gate to emerge out. With such conditions, the Giant Horned Rat can never perceive their actions. The only thing left to do now is to find an entrance. Fortunately, through the warship located in outer space, Duanmu Huai has identified a nearby entrance. However, that entrance isn¡¯t very essible. ¡°Does Bambi have to go in there?¡± Looking at the entrance before them, Bambi obviously showed a resistant expression. Well, it¡¯s understandable. This ce isn¡¯t an ordinary passage; it¡¯s filled with filth and ck stagnant water and even reeked of unpleasant smell. For the Vampire Princess, she obviously dislikes such a dirty environment. ¡°Yes, right in here, but before that¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai looked around again, then focused his sights back on the girls. ¡°First, you must take off your clothes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Eh?!¡± It has to be said that when they heard Duanmu Huai¡¯s demand, the girls were all stunned. ¡°Why¡­¡­why should we?!!¡± ¡°Because we have been noticed by the Giant Horned Rat, so there are chances that it might have sneaked a rat onto our bodies. In order to avoid this¡­¡­.¡± ¡°There are rats on our bodies?!!!¡± The girls almost screamed in fright at this moment except for Miss Ogis. Even Miss Audrey, who was always calm, looked pale. For young girls, the thought of having a rat hiding in their bodies is indeed horrifying. ¡°That¡¯s not impossible.¡± ¡°In that case¡­..¡±> ¡°Alright.¡± Duanmu Huai sighed in resignation, then stretched out his hand. Soon, under the effect of the Gravity Gloves, a dressing room-like structure formed quickly in the spot. ¡°You should go in and check.¡± This time the girls did not refuse and hurriedly rushed into the dressing room. After a while¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Eeek¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!!¡± Apanying a scream, the next moment Duanmu Huai saw the girls running out from the dressing room towards him. They had all taken off their outerwear, and were only wearing light undershirts. Under the sunlight, their fair skin and smooth curves could be seen. However, for the moment, the girls seemedpletely oblivious to this and were crowding towards Duanmu Huai ¡ª¡ª After a moment, apletely naked Miss Ogis came out, holding a tiny, struggling, vicious-looking rat in her hand. By the way, even without clothes, there was nothing appealing to see on Miss Ogis ¡ª¡ª after all, she is a puppet, and that¡¯s expected. ¡°Where did you find it?¡± Duanmu Huai, while eying the snarling rat, asked. ¡°Inside Miss Audrey¡¯s skirt.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai immediately understood. Though Miss Audrey was currently wearing in clothes, perhaps due to her upbringing as an aristocraticdy, she preferred to wearyered frilly skirts. The rat seemed to have been hidden within the frills of her skirt, and because of its small size and lightweight, it was not discovered. One can imagine what Audrey felt when she lifted her skirt and found a rat on it. ¡°You weren¡¯t bitten, were you?¡±@@novelbin@@ Duanmu Huai looked at Audrey, who was now hiding behind him, her face pale. At his query, Audrey merely shook her head. ¡°No, no, the rat tried to climb up, but thanks to Miss Ogis ¡­..¡± Audrey reached out her hand, uneasily wrapping her slender arm at the reminder of the situation. The memory alone sent shivers down her spine. Audrey didn¡¯t even notice the rat hiding in the hem of her ck skirt until Miss Ogis requested them to get undressed. That¡¯s when Audrey noticed something wrong. The rat then squeaked and suddenly scurried up, rapidly crawling toward Audrey¡¯s face. The entire incident left Audrey frightened ¡ª¡ª or rather, any youngdy would be terrified to see a rat climbing about her person. Indeed, at this moment, she looked quite the pitiful damsel in distress. Duanmu Huai red at the rat, which was squeaking and squirming. Yet, the moment it registered Duanmu¡¯s gaze, the thumb-sized creature tensed abruptly and let out a shrill shriek ¡ª¡ª then it turned into a silent piece of meat, utterly motionless. ¡°Are there any more rats on anyone? None hiding in your hair, I hope.¡± ¡°Please stop frightening us, Sir Knight!¡± Even Lorena was close to tears. She shakily extended her hand, wanting to check her hair but hesitating. Audrey and Bambi felt the same way. If they found a rat in their hair, they¡¯d be ready to die. In the end, Duanmu Huai checked each of them thoroughly, confirming that none of the girls had rats hiding anywhere. Although the touching was somewhat embarrassing, given the potential threat of rats hiding somewhere¡­ it was tolerable. ¡°Okay, that should do it.¡± Duanmu Huai withdrew his hand, pretending not to notice the girls¡¯ disgruntled expressions ¡ª¡ª After all, it was he who was at a disadvantage. Even if he had actually taken advantage of the situation to cop a feel, he wouldn¡¯t know since the Power Armor covered him entirely. His hands were also enveloped in the armor, rendering them numb to touch. As such, the girls¡¯ disapproving looks made him the one who wanted to cry. ¡°You go ahead.¡± Duanmu Huai stretched his hand, invoking ¡°Soul Resonance¡±. Soon, an illuminating brilliance emerged inside the path before them. Bambi, Audrey, and Lorena hurriedly proceeded inside. Following them was Ogis, andstly, Duanmu Huai himself after ncing around. He then tossed a disc onto the ground and entered the portal before him. Just as Duanmu Huai turned and entered the portal, another rat suddenly emerged from behind a broken stone below, following him silently before suddenly darting forward. ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The next instant, a fierce explosion left the entire tunnel copsing. The rat had barely begun to react before the explosive st swept it away, throwing it onto the ground where falling stones turned it into a pile of minced meat. An angry whistle echoed but was quickly drowned out by the thunderous impact. The scene before them shed past. Upon lifting his head, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the sight before him. ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful ¡­..¡± Lorena stupefiedly gazed ahead,menting aloud. It¡¯s no wonder she would say such a thing, for a rare spectacley before them. Currently, they were standing inside a massive underground cavern, its magnitude so vast its boundaries seemingly vanished. If one were not to look up and see the stone walls and dome, anyone might mistake this for a huge basin or a valley of sorts. But in reality, it was an underworld. In the past, Duanmu Huai had read Jules Verne¡¯s science fiction novel ¡°Journey to the Center of the Earth¡±, where the protagonist through a volcano vent ventured to the heart of the Earth. In the depths of the Earth, they discovered a vast area filled with countless unimaginable, extinct nts and animals, evenkes harboring enormous dinosaurs and fish¡­ The area where they were now gave a simr vibe. Within therge underground hollow, there was an abundance of prehistoric nts, giving it the semnce of Jurassic Park. Honestly, if a few dinosaurs emerged, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising at all. Besides that, the most eye-capturing sight was the gigantic tree in the center of the hollow ¡ª¡ª this tree was exceptionally tall, seemingly hundreds of meters high. Golden light falling from its dense leaves illuminated the entire cave. Well, such arge tree would surely look good burning. ¡°Where is this ce?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Duanmu Huai withdrew his gaze. ¡°All in all, let¡¯s move on and figure it out.¡± ¡°Squeak, squeak!!!¡± Nheless, as they were nning to proceed, a series of faint sounds arose. Immediately, several small silhouettes burst out from the bushes, blocking Duanmu Huai and the others¡¯ path. ¡°Who are you, and why are you invading our kingdom?¡± Blocking Duanmu Huai and the others were a group of rats dressed in soldier¡¯s armor, brandishing longswords and shields. Or should I say¡­ Ratmen. Chapter 247 - 197: Golden Tree_1 Chapter 247: Chapter 197: Golden Tree_1 Ratmen? Upon seeing these ratmen, everyone instantly tensed up. However, they quickly noticed that these ratmen were different from those they had encountered outside. How should I put it¡­ They looked cleaner, and they didn¡¯t seem as savage. Their fur was white all over, making them look somewhat adorable. Put simply, if the Skaven ratmen looked as filthy, ugly, and disgusting as sewer rats, then these ratmen felt more like theboratory mice. Regardless of anything else, they were very clean and pretty. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, squeak!¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°If youe any closer, we¡¯ll bite you, squeak!!¡± Their show of bravado was rather speechless to witness. ¡°Hmph!¡± Seeing these ratmen, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly and then took a step forward. At this point, these ratmen trembled with fear and looked up at Duanmu Huai ¡ª and in the next moment, they let out terrified cries, quickly scurrying off and disappearing into the jungle. ¡°So, were those the ratmen? Bambi doesn¡¯t feel they¡¯re dangerous at all?¡± Bambi was also perched on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, curiously watching the escaping ratmen. It was reasonable for Bambi to think this way since these ratmen did feel differentpared to those Duanmu Huai and Lorena had encountered in Modheim. Their sizes were smaller than the Skaven ratmen, and though they also looked like rats, they weren¡¯t as repulsive as the Skaven ratmen. Of course, this was just their appearance, and Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t be so naive to trust a pack of rats easily. And what if¡­ these rats have some connection with the Skaven ratmen? After all, there are many conflicting ounts of how the ratmen came to be, all of which are like legends, but with no concrete evidence. This World Fragment¡¯s timeline remains unknown, but it¡¯s clear that it predates the emergence of the Skaven ratmen. Perhaps these rats are the origin of the Skaven ratmen. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s continue moving forward.¡± Duanmu Huai swept his gaze around before speaking. Under Duanmu Huai¡¯s leadership, the group headed towards the enormous towering tree in the distance. They weren¡¯t sure what this ce was, but the vast tree was undoubtedly extraordinary. Reaching it should yield some findings. Naturally, Duanmu Huai and the crew encountered numerous animals along the way ¡ª it appears that this forest indeed was an animal paradise, teeming with diverse species. However, no primitive creatures like the dinosaurs in ¡°Journey to the Center of the Earth¡± were spotted. Instead, animals such as squirrels, hedgehogs, and moles were quitemon. But upon sensing the Fearful Aura emanating from Duanmu Huai, they darted away as soon as they saw him. ¡°This ce is quite interesting.¡± Perhaps due to theck of hostile encounters, the girls gradually rxed and curiously took in the surrounding scenery. For them, this subterranean natural forest was probably an entirely new sight, so it¡¯s no wonder they looked so fascinated. ¡°Ah,e on, Bambi wanted to y with the birds here.¡± Watching as yet another group of resting birds quickly lifted off the branches, Bambi pouted unhappily. ¡°As long as the Master isn¡¯t here, the small animals probably won¡¯t be scared.¡± At this moment, Ogis, as always, offered a sensible opinion while sneakily jabbing at Duanmu Huai. ¡°We¡¯re not here for a vacation.¡± Duanmu Huai swatted Ogis¡¯s head, replying sullenly. ¡°Well, this way, it saves us a lot of trouble!¡± As for whether small animals would approach him or not, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t care. Worst-case scenario, he finds a Spirit Animal cardter, right? During their conversation, they crossed the jungle and arrived at a grasnd. ¡°Ah, Sir Knight, there seems to be a structure over there.¡± At this moment, Lorena seemed to have discovered something. She quickly gestured towards a hill not far away. Following the direction of her hand, Duanmu Huai indeed saw a building resembling a monastery on the hill. So, everyone quickly changed course and headed towards it. ¡°Boom¡­ Boom¡­¡± However, just as they arrived at the foot of the hill, a few loud thumps echoed, and they saw a knight appear before their eyes. He held a war halberd in one hand and a massive shield in the other, enrobed in golden armor from head to toe, even his warhorse was armored. Well, say what you want, but he does look like he¡¯s loaded with money. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a good opportunity to ask him for directions.¡± Upon seeing the knight, Duanmu Huai stepped forward and began raising his hand. ¡°Hey, mate¡­¡± However, before Duanmu Huai could finish his sentence, the Golden Knight suddenly wielded his war halberd and, without any warning, rode his horse directly towards Duanmu Huai! He came right up to Duanmu Huai, abruptly pulled the horse¡¯s reins, and made the front hoofs of the horse leap high. The Golden Knight then swung his halberd down, aiming right for Duanmu Huai¡¯s head! Damn! This guy doesn¡¯t respect the code of martial arts, swings first and talkster! Does he even qualify as a Knight?! Unable to dodge the Golden Knight¡¯s attack, Duanmu Huai recoiled. Yet, he didn¡¯t retreat. Although the Golden Knight was quite burly and sturdy, Duanmu Huai was not short either., In fact, just by standing there, he was almost as tall as the Golden Knight who was mounted on his horse. As such, against the Golden Knight¡¯s assault, Duanmu Huai roared and charged forward, mming his shoulder into the abdomen of the rearing warhorse. He flipped the horse with the Golden Knight upon it onto the ground! However, the Golden Knight wasn¡¯t someone easy to handle. He skillfully rolled over to avoid the falling warhorse, and then he swept his war halberd again at Duanmu Huai ¡ªwhich was then quickly grabbed by Duanmu Huai. ¡°Don¡¯t you listen when people talk!¡± Duanmu Huai walked forward with a war halberd in one hand, and gave a swift kick at the Golden Knight¡ª¡ªinstantly, the Golden Knight flew out as if hit by a catapult, falling heavily on the ground. Even so, the Golden Knight did not give up, but attempted to stand up and continue the attack. But by then, Duanmu Huai had already stretched out both hands, grabbing the Golden Knight¡¯s war horse and smashing it down on him! ¡°Thud!!!¡± The heavy war horsended directly on the Golden Knight. The next moment, a cry of pain was heard from the horse, and then it, along with the Golden Knight beneath it, turned into dust and disappeared into the air. Only the war halberd remained, stuck in the ground, a testament to a battle that had taken ce. ¡°What¡­ just happened?¡± The girls also gathered around, looking at the scene before them with bewilderment, utterly at a loss for how to react. ¡°It seems there¡¯s indeed something wrong with this ce.¡± Duanmu Huai pped his hands, picked up the nearby war halberd, examined it, and then showed it to Lorena and the others. ¡°Have you ever seen anything like this?¡± They should have heard something if it happened in their time. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Sir Knight.¡± Lorena carefully examined the war halberd, then shook her head. ¡°I have never heard of such a ce underground.¡± ¡°Neither do I¡­¡± Audrey also gave her answer. As an Aristocratic Lady from Manaria, she was knowledgeable, and if even she didn¡¯t know¡­ ¡°Ah! Bambi recalls that the queen once mentioned it!¡± Surprisingly, the final answer came from Bambi. ¡°You know about it?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Bambi nodded emphatically. ¡°Bambi remembers the queen once said that there was a powerful underground world somewhere, and there was said to be a golden tree in it¡­¡± ¡°That must be it.¡± Duanmu Huai looked up again at the huge tree in the distance, radiating a golden light. From afar, it indeed appeared as if it was made of gold. All the world fragments were reflections from things that had been destroyed in reality, meaning this world must have been destroyed in reality, but how¡ª-what led to its annihtion? What had the Skaven Ratmen to do with it? Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s keep going.¡± After defeating the mysterious golden knight, Duanmu Huai and his group climbed the slope and eventually arrived at a monastery, but regrettably, it had been abandoned. Although it was somewhat preserved from the outside, most of the ceilings, roofs, and walls inside had been utterly ruined, leaving only a few pirs. As one might expect, not a soul was inside the ruins. ¡°We¡¯ll rest here today.¡± Duanmu Huai checked the time on his helmet. Though they were underground, there seemed to be some concept of time, at least the light above was beginning to dim. That made the golden tree in the distance look more like a signboard light shining brightly in the night. Lorena and Bami didn¡¯t object. They hadn¡¯t done much on this journey, but the previous rat incident had already drained them. They all sat down to rest. But at that moment, Duanmu Huai turned around and looked at a nearby bush. ¡°You¡¯ve followed us all the way, it¡¯s time for you toe out.¡± He then called out quietly. At the sound of Duanmu Huai¡¯s call, the girls all jumped in surprise, only Ogis continued to sit there reading a book, unperturbed. The bush shook for a moment, and then, a petite figure stepped out of it. She was a petite girl, dressed in a princess-like dress with an apanying armor, a slimsword in her hand¡ªof course, the most eye-catching feature was the the semicircr, mouse-like ears on her head and the thin, long tail poking out from her body, like that of a rat. ¡°Greetings, uninvited intruders,¡± The girl looked at Duanmu Huai and said, ¡°I am Princess Melfy of the Spirit Rat Tribe. May I ask why you havee to this cursed ce?¡± Chapter 248 - 198 Forest Princess_1 Chapter 248: Chapter 198 Forest Princess_1 Staring at the girl in front of them who imed to be the princess of the Spirit Rat Tribe, everyone was taken aback. The girl was very short, or at least, on the surface, she appeared to be about the same height as a dwarf, perhaps even shorter. Her figure wasn¡¯t robust like a dwarf¡¯s either. She was extremely slender. Honestly, in Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, this girl looked more like a walking Barbie doll¡­ ¡°We are just a group of travelers.¡± Duanmu Huai stepped forward to face Melfy, gauging her intently. Frankly, Melfy seemed even smaller in front of him, hardly bigger than a figurine. ¡°Then, I ask that you please leave this ce.¡± Despite feeling somewhat unsettled by Duanmu Huai¡¯s presence, Melfy took a deep breath and stared back at him stoically. ¡°This is Cursednd, anyone who enters it will be ensnared by the curse.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows. ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, would you mind exining further?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Sure.¡± Soon enough, Melfy provided everyone with a detailed ount of the circumstances surrounding this subterranean world. ording to Melfy, this underground world was once an unbearably hot furnace, with fiery rivers of zing me that burned around the clock. Later, a seedling emerged in this scorchingnd. However, instead of being consumed by the fire, it grew robustly, transforming into a towering tree. Under the influence of this great tree, the once raging fire gradually vanished. In its ce, countless nts sprouted from the dust-covered ground, forming a new, wondrous, and vast subterranean world. At the time, many races were attracted here, and these races wereter blessed by the Golden Tree, bing stronger and forming individual civilized nations. Among them were humans, orcs, giants, and even Moon Rabbit Monsters and the Spirit Rat Tribe that Melfy belonged to. They all lived together in this subterranean world, leading peaceful, untroubled lives. However, this peace was soon disrupted. One tribe suddenly imed they had received guidance from the Golden Tree and demanded that all races follow the Golden Law. This instantly distressed many other tribes. Although each tribe indeed revered the Golden Tree as part of their beliefs, due to their different cultures, their interpretations of the Golden Tree varied. To others, this tribe¡¯s actions seemed like an attempt to monopolize the Golden Tree, something they could not tolerate. Thus, a war erupted. Nheless, it had to be said that the Golden n was indeed powerful. They eventually defeated the other tribes, seizing their faith and strength, and used it to forge the Golden Law. Only a very few tribes managed to escape this cmity. Melfy¡¯s Spirit Rat Tribe was one of them. As rats are known for their ability to survive, when the Golden n attacked, the Spirit Rat Tribe immediately relocated, escaping to the outskirts of this subterranean world, where they built a small city to evade the influence of the Golden n. After this, the Golden n flourished, almostpletely upying the entire subterranean world known as the ¡°Bordend¡±. However, what rises must fall. The Golden Law, once the source of the Golden n¡¯s power, shattered for some inexplicable reason. Following this, a terrifying curse suddenly erupted, engulfing the entire Golden n. Melfy didn¡¯t know what happened. She only knew that those of the Golden n, once blessed under the Golden Law, were now transformed into half-dead monsters. Their will twisted into madness, bing creatures filled with hatred and distortion. The remaining leaders of the Golden n were seemingly collecting fragments of the Golden Law, intending to reshape this world¡¯s order. Of course, those races who had managed to escape the Golden n¡¯s massacre had thought about reiming the Golden Tree during this time. They organized an army and tried to infiltrate the Golden n¡¯s Royal City to recapture the Golden Tree. However, the curse and madness that pervaded thend exceeded their expectations. The entire expedition was wiped out, with only a few mentally unstable survivors barely making it back. However, the terror did not end there. The survivors brought back a dreadful contagious disease, which infected all those who came near, driving them mad and reducing them to ashes within the fire. This disaster greatly weakened those races that had not been eradicated. After this, no one dared to approach the Golden Tree. Melfy¡¯s Spirit Rat Tribe was no exception. They had been lingering on the outskirts of the Bordend, monitoring everything and stopping outsiders from entering the Bordend. ¡°Therefore, I beg you to leave this ce immediately.¡± After recounting the story of thisnd, Melfy stared at them and spoke again. ¡°Thisnd is cursed. Those who once set foot here can never return. Please leave immediately!¡± ¡°Even if you say that, I won¡¯t give up.¡± Of course, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t just turn away because of this. In fact, after listening to Melfy¡¯s words, he was even more intrigued by the Golden Law. Moreover, when Duanmu Huai oveid the map of this vastnd extending from the Southern territories to the Skaven Demon City onto the real-world map, he found that they almost coincided. The fact that this world has be a fragment means this world has already been destroyed in reality. What was the cause of its destruction? It was clear now that this world, like the Holy City and Manaria, was caught in a death cycle. But each death cycle had a reason.@@novelbin@@ The destruction of the Holy City was due to the monks of the Mechanical Religion summoning the Hell Demon, Ice Hell King. The destruction of Manaria was due to the war between Manaria and Regnes instigated by the Evil Dragon Fafner. So, what about this Bordend? What led to its annihtion? And that power¡­ does it have anything to do with the Skaven Ratman? ording to Melfy¡¯s theory, the Golden Tree had initially bestowed power upon a number of races, allowing them to gain sentience, and even evolve into bipedal races as we see them today. Melfy is an example of this. The rat guards that Duanmu Huai and his crew had previously encountered outside still retained their rat form, while Melfy only retained her rat ears and tail, being otherwise indistinguishable from humans. Isn¡¯t that the case with the Skaven Ratman? Originally justmon rats, they gained sentience due to some reason and evolved into a race with wisdom ¨C in fact, the Skaven Ratman are seemingly unique on this entire. After all, whether they are dwarfs, humans, high elves, ogres, or orcs, their origins can always be confirmed with certainty; the Skaven Ratman, however, seem to have oddly emergedter on. It¡¯s as if this world originally did not have ratmen, and then one day, they simply crawled out from the cracks in rocks. They definitely didn¡¯t evolve from monkeys. Is that possible? And why rats? Why not pigs, sheep, cows, or predators like tigers and lions? If it were a matter of numbers, roaches outnumber rats by millions. But a world full of muscr roachmen would still be scary. Just the thought might make one faint. Duanmu Huai had an intuition that this World Fragment was very likely rted to the birth of the Giant Horned Rat and the Skaven Ratman in some inseparable way. And all the secrets were hidden within the Golden Tree. ¡°We have decided to head toward the Golden Tree, Princess Melfy. You may think our choice is foolish, but we also have things we need to do. Therefore, I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯tply with your request.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡­.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai speak, Melfy¡¯s lowered her head dejectedly. However, just at that moment, another voice sounded. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how about I apany you?¡± At the sound of this voice, Duanmu Huai and his crew lifted their heads and looked deep into the forest. Among the trees, a girl emerged. Like Melfy, she also had fluffy beast ears and long golden hair. Butpared to Melfy¡ªwho resembled a Barbie doll¡ªthe girl¡¯s figure was not much different from that of an ordinary human girl. She wore a skirt-like piece of armor and held arge shield with a longsword embedded in it. In her deep blue eyes, a spark of curiosity and excitement gleamed. ¡°I have been watching all that you have done. You defeated the Tree Guardian so easily, you really are extraordinary travelers. Since you have decided to go to the Golden Tree, could you allow me to apany you?¡± ¡°Your Highness!¡± Seeing the girl appearing, Melfy cried out in surprise, and Duanmu Huai also looked toward her. ¡°Are you¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, hello, nice to meet you. I am the Forest Princess, Mistelina, and I suppose you could say I am this forest¡¯s protector.¡± The girl called Mistelina gave Duanmu Huai a slight smile, and then curtsied. ¡°May I ask, this powerful Steel Warrior, could you allow me to apany you?¡± ¡°Your Highness, please do not say such reckless things!¡± Before Duanmu Huai could answer, Melfy interjected, her face paling. ¡°You are the protector of the forest. If you¡¯re not here, what will happen to the forest¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I am fully aware of that, Melfy.¡± However, Mistelina interrupted Melfy¡¯s words with a serious expression. ¡°You should also be clear that the forest is getting weaker and weaker. The curse has started to spread and expand, and even we will not have anywhere to retreat to eventually. Therefore, I hope to go to the Golden Tree andmunicate with the Mother of the Earth. Perhaps I can find the root of all these problems. At least, this is much better than staying here, watching everything deteriorate without doing anything.¡± After saying this, Mistelina turned to Duanmu Huai again. ¡°This formidable Steel Warrior defeated the Tree Guardian bare-handedly, proving his strength. Since they are not nning to leave, don¡¯t you think that someone familiar with this ce would be more helpful?¡± ¡°But, but I can also go¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Hearing Melfy¡¯s words, Mistelina nodded with a smile. ¡°Then,e along with me.¡± After that, she spoke. Chapter 249 - 199: Enter _1 Chapter 249: Chapter 199: Enter _1 ¡°Sir Knight, are all princesses like this?¡± Walking beside Duanmu Huai, Lorena asked him in a low voice, as she looked towards the enthusiastic Mistelina who was marching ahead. Duanmu Huai, of course, understood why Lorena would ask this question. Mistelina¡¯s personality was so simr to Ann¡¯s, except she didn¡¯t have Ann¡¯s intense curiosity. Besides that, once she made up her mind, it was hard to change it, and she could be quite obstinate at times ¨C simr to Ann. These two would surely get along if they ever met. In fact, seeing Melfy, who was walking beside Mistelina looking sullen, reminded Duanmu Huai of Greiya who used to apany Ann. They are all pitiful. But having said that, there are truly many princesses in our squad. Duanmu Huai nced at Bambi, who was perched on his shoulder and curiously looking around at the surrounding scenery, then looked at Mistelina and Melfy in front of him, and then remembered Ann and Greiya, who were not present. He felt like renaming his battle group The Princess Alliance. Perhaps Lorena would approve of that name, since it sounded much better than The Pink Bunnies or such. However, Duanmu Huai found The Pink Bunnies to be much more amusing. Incidentally, Mistelina shared a different belief of her Forest n¡¯s legends. ording to her, the Golden Tree was not the creator of everything but merely an avatar. The actual creator of this world was an entity called the Mother of the Earth. The Mother of the Earth was so-called because it would sprout enormous hands from the earth. The forest witches were able to convey suprememands through these fingers. Those fingers, seen by the Forest n, were the fingers of the deity, or the fingers of the Mother of the Earth. The Forest n seems to have their own understanding of the Mother of the Earth. They believe that she has gone mad and is unable tomunicate. However, Mistelina disagreed ¨C she thought that they should try and talk to the Mother of the Earth regardless. ording to her, the consequences of taking no action would be worse. However, due to the unfortunate oue of the previous expedition, the Forest n generally opposed this proposal. And now there were not many of them left. Another expedition might lead to the extinction of their n. It was therefore that Mistelina, upon discovering Duanmu Huai and hispanions who possessed great power, decided to venture to the Golden Tree with them to negotiate with the Mother of the Earth. Along the way, they encountered many soldiers d in armor, who appeared to be the troops of the Golden n. Even though they looked perfectly normal, as soon as they spotted Duanmu Huai and his crew, they would immediatelyunch an uncontested attack. But to Duanmu Huai, these attacks were merely drizzles. He had even considered capturing some soldiers for information. However, these soldiers seemed to have lost their senses and could only roar and howl like beasts ¨C Mistelina exined that they were cursed, trapped between life and death. Although their bodies could not diepletely, their souls had been utterly shattered in cycles of destruction, leaving them as half-crazed beings acting solely on instinct. Immortality doesn¡¯t mean your spirit can survive. Now it seemed these undying beings had lost their sanity, leaving only hatred for intruders. Of course, those soldiers would never be able to block the way of Duanmu Huai and hispanions. Their strongest warrior could not even withstand a single hammer blow from Duanmu, let alone the forces Ogis and Lorena wielded that could easily crush them. Even Bambi and Audrey were more active when encountering these soldiers. Bambi would call upon arge group of bats to obstruct the soldiers¡¯ vision, then Audrey would raise her hand, firing ck feathers like arrows at the soldiers. Although the attack was not very powerful, it was sufficient to deal with the low-ranking soldiers. After all, Audrey¡¯s attack was AOE. On the other hand, Melfy and Mistelina had also joined the battle. Though Melfy¡¯s contribution was quite limited due to her small size. Her movements were nimble like a mouse in the crowd ¨C she periodically drew her thin sword and stabbed towards the enemies around her, but how much damage she could cause was uncertain. Mistelina, however, used a different fighting style that surprised Duanmu Huai a bit. She wielded a shield in her right hand and a longsword in her left, fighting her opponents by the book. To put it simply, Mistelina looked more like an experienced warrior than a princess. But her attack method¡­ ¡°Huff!!¡± As a furious soldier swung his war hammer at Mistelina, she saw the opportunity, took a step forward, and swiftly swung her shield. With a heavy blow, she sent the iing war hammer flying. Seizing the opportunity when the soldier lost bnce, she swiftly swung her longsword, severing his head from his body. ¡°Well done.¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai nodded in approval. No matter how you look at it, Mistelina was a qualified warrior. More surprising was her superb technique: urately locating the point of attack, disrupting it, and killing the opponent when they lost bnce. However, Duanmu Huai himself didn¡¯t need that technique. Despite Mistelina¡¯s brilliant technique, Duanmu Huai still subscribed to the view that more force would ovee anything. If he should ever encounter an enemy where such a method was needed, he doubted whether he could apply it. Mistelina was a girl. Despite the inherent difference in brute strength, she made up for it by relying on speed and response. But his own response was¡­ well¡­ He spected that if he followed Mistelina¡¯s method, the enemy might already have struck him several times before he had swung his shield. Or, he might have swung his shield to defend, not seeding, and gotten killed by the enemy¡¯s sword¡­ Yes, Duanmu Huai thought thetter possibility was more likely. So, just take the hammer and smash it directly. It¡¯s simple and easy. ¡°Fortunately, this is just a small trick.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯spliment, Mistelina responded with a smile. Then she looked forward ¨C the soldier from before hadpletely turned to ashes and disappeared. However, Mistelina¡¯s expression didn¡¯t seem to get any better. To think that they would resurrect. What a tragic fate¡­ ¡°You know?¡± ¡°People from the exploration party brought back notes that wrote about it.¡± Mistelina shook her head as she recalled the content.@@novelbin@@ ¡°In their notes, they wrote how the enemy they had taken down with so much effort the day before would resurrect the next day. This deeply disheartened them, and the morale of the team gradually decreased. Eventually, they lost the will to fight when they saw the enemy..¡± At this point, Mistelina¡¯s voice fell, her head dropping with hidden sorrow. ¡°I can understand their feelings, had we known it would be like this, we should have been more careful back then.¡± Not that you could me the expedition party. Any normal person wouldn¡¯t think that the enemy they killed themselves would resurrect on the spot overnight. And just like that, the previous expedition party seemed to clean up the battlefield very sincerely, clearing the way for the backup forces behind them, and then moved on. In fact, they probably never thought it was possible for the enemies to resurrect on the spot. By the time the explorers discovered this, they were trapped in the deep part of the borderzones with no way out. ¡°ording to the records, they split into two factions at that time. One faction believed they should continue to explore to investigate the cause of all this, while the other faction believed they should retreat¡­¡± ¡°But in the end it looked like the former had the upper hand?¡± ¡°There was no choice.¡± Mistelina sighed. ¡°At that time, almost half of the exploration party members had been sacrificed. If they wanted to go back the way they came, not only would they lose the remaining half, but they might also end up with nothing. Since it was like this, why not take the risk and move forward? They might find some useful clues¡­¡± ¡°I think it would be best to stop here for today.¡± Duanmu Huai halted and surveyed their surroundings. They had traveled a long way, passing through checkpoints, and had now arrived at the foot of the city. It was already dusk, and the surrounding was filled with a storm. It was not suitable to proceed. Fortunately, there were a few dpidated houses not far ahead, so Duanmu Huai quickly set one as their target. ¡°Let¡¯s rest there for the night, and then continue our journey.¡± Everyone agreed, so under Duanmu Huai¡¯s leadership, they arrived in front of the dpidated house. However, to their surprise, as they were about to enter the house, a voice suddenly rang out. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Huh? Someone¡¯s here? Upon hearing this, everyone was startled. They looked into the house to see a woman curled up in a corner. Beside her was a burning pile of wood, and she sat there, uneasily curling up into a ball, ring at Duanmu Huai and the others. There was someone living here? Upon seeing the woman, Duanmu Huai was also taken aback. However, he quickly collected himself and nodded at her. ¡°Hello, we are travelers passing by. We were hoping to stay here for the night¡­We hope that would be alright.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Yes.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s inquiry, the woman nodded her head. ¡°Feel free to do so. After all, I¡¯m just a passerby.¡± Then she responded with these words. Chapter 250 - 200 Entering the Dream_1 Chapter 250: Chapter 200 Entering the Dream_1 ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Needless to say, sitting in a storm-shattered house was indeed somewhat awkward. Everyone sat together, while the woman cloaked in red sat on the other side, just watching them and keeping silent. ¡°Excuse me, are you also nning to go to the castle, miss?¡± Mistelina was the first to break the silence, smilingly addressing the woman, who shuddered and shrank back. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m just a coward¡­ I don¡¯t dare¡­¡± With that, the woman lowered her head. ¡°¡­Everyone has been amputated.¡± ¡°???¡± Hearing the woman¡¯s bewildering remarks, everyone was taken aback, while the woman simply gazed at the fire, speaking softly. ¡°The people who came with me to the Bordend, who fought for me¡­ their hands, feet, heads, all were severed and made into part of a spider.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Oo¡­¡± ¡°Yikes¡­¡± Although they had no idea what she was talking about, the mere content turned the girls pale, leaving Mistelina dumbfounded and at a loss for words. Lorena was equally puzzled, and Bambi yelped in fright, diving into Duanmu Huai¡¯s embrace. Upon seeing this, Ogis paused to think, before abandoning her book and snuggling into Duanmu Huai¡¯s arms as well. Nheless, the woman paid this no mind, instead lifting her lifeless-eyed gaze to everyone else. @@novelbin@@ ¡°Did you know? After being attached to a spider, people grow akin to a pupa. Really wondrous, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it is rather wondrous.¡± Imagining a giant spider speckled with the severed limbs and heads of humans gave Duanmu Huai a twitchy expression. Could it be that such a thing was in the castle they were heading to? If so, it¡¯d be utterly disgusting. ¡°Hehehe¡­.¡± The woman chuckled. She seemed to Duanmu Huai somewhat like a dementia patient, her unfocused eyes staring straight ahead, seemingly watching something yet seeing nothing at all. Despite raising her gaze to meet theirs, her eyes seemed to cut through them, as though staring at the void behind them. ¡°Are you heading for Stonewell Castle? Are you going on the good word of that man in the white mask? Or perhaps, do you wish to be part of a spider? If so, you¡¯re just like me.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Miss, do you want to be what¡­ an amputee?¡± Hearing this, Lorena couldn¡¯t help but ask, her question seeming to strike at the woman¡¯s inner turmoil. The woman lowered her gaze, murmuring to the ground. ¡°But Ick the courage¡ª¡ªthe thought of having my limbs and head severed is just too terrifying. I want so badly to be just like everyone else, but it¡¯s downright horrifying. I¡¯m so weak.¡± Well, at least there¡¯s somemon sense here. In other words, any normal person wouldn¡¯t ept this amputation thing, right? ¡°Oh, right.¡± At this moment, as if recalling something, the woman lowered her gaze and pulled out a small bottle from her bosom, offering it to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Could you please take this little fellow with you on your journey? It¡¯s pitiful to make it stay with such a coward as myself¡­¡± ¡°This is¡­ what?¡± Duanmu Huai took the tiny ss bottle and looked inside, where some kind of dustid. At the same time, a prompt appeared in his system. [Obtained special item ¡°Ashes of Soul Jellyfish¡±] [Ashes of Soul Jellyfish: Ashes containing a soul, can summon the soul of a Soul Jellyfish, floating in the air, illuminating the surrounding souls. The crying Jellyfish girl, named Kla, is searching for her faraway homnd and will strive to spray venom.] Jellyfish? Girl? Soul? How should he use this thing? Thinking about it, Duanmu Huai gripped the ss bottle and infused a touch of Spiritual Energy. Shortly afterwards, a huge jellyfish silently materialized out of thin air, exuding a purple glow. It hung in the air, its tender tentacles gently undting. It was quite beautiful. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Seeing the jellyfish, Bambi suddenly popped out from Duanmu Huai¡¯s arms, her eyes wide as she observed it. Lorena also watched the Soul Jellyfish curiously, stretching out a hand. Recognizing Lorena¡¯s intent, the Soul Jellyfish extended a tentacle, which made contact with Lorena¡¯s finger. ¡°It really is cute, Sir Knight.¡± ¡°Yes, it is quite cute.¡± Duanmu Huai reached out and poked the jellyfish. It wobbled slightly before returning to Duanmu Huai¡¯s side. Although it was a jellyfish, it was so pretty and could glow, making it quite a cute pet. See, he indeed has a pet now. Looking at the Soul Jellyfish, Duanmu Huai was in high spirits. He had said before that he would catch a small animal as a pet sooner orter, and wasn¡¯t this the proof? This Soul Jellyfish was quite cute, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Thank you, miss.¡± With that thought, Duanmu Huai bowed to the woman, who waved dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s okay, and the soul seems to like you. I think this child would be happy to travel with you.¡± ¡°Anyway, thank you¡­ Is there anything we can do for you?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­¡­..¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the woman hesitated and thought for a while. ¡°If you n to go to Stonewell Castle, please convey this to everyone who has be a pupa: ¡®I love you, though I am still scared, I will eventually be just like all of you¡­ I am less afraid of pain now.¡¯ ¡­ Is it necessary? After hearing the woman¡¯s words, everyone was left speechless, and Duanmu Huai had no choice but to nod his head. After receiving Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, the woman seemed to put her mind at ease. She bowed to everyone, curled up in the corner, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. Looking at the woman who was deep in sleep, everyone was at a loss for words. ¡°Sir Knight, you¡¯re not really going to ry that message to them, are you ¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see when the timees.¡± In response to Lorena¡¯s question, a helpless Duanmu Huai ruffled his hair. ¡°Just by listening to her words, I get the feeling that things in Stonewell Castle might not be so rosy ¡­ let¡¯s rest first anyway.¡± Soon, everyone fell deep asleep, while Duanmu Huai sat there staring at the front. At that moment, suddenly, Ogis¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Mmm? What¡¯s wrong, Ogis?¡± ¡°Pain¡­ what does it feel like?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ ah¡­¡± It was only at this point that Duanmu Huai realised, Ogis being a puppet, wouldn¡¯t feel pain. Regardless if she was dismembered or decapitated, she probably wouldn¡¯t feel anything. Perhaps the woman¡¯s words about the fear of being dismembered had aroused Ogis¡¯s curiosity, which led to such thoughts. ¡°Well¡­ how to put it, for ordinary living beings, pain is probably an instinctive reaction to injury. The pain would alert the body that there¡¯s danger.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.???¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s exnation, Ogis still looked at him with an unimaginable expression. At a loss for words, Duanmu Huai was unsure how to further exin to her. It¡¯s like trying to exin color to a blind man, exining to him what red or blue are, it¡¯s impossible for him to imagine it. Or if she were to ask him what breathing feels like, Duanmu Huai probably couldn¡¯t answer either. ¡°Do you remember Gavi?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Yes.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, a somber look crossed Ogis¡¯s face as she nodded. ¡°How do you feel when you think of her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± As Ogis spoke, she ced her hand on her chest. ¡°I only feel a certain strangeness here, and it seems like my whole bodycks energy. I don¡¯t want to move or recall anything.¡± ¡°That feeling is called sadness.¡± Duanmu Huai extended his hand and rubbed Ogis¡¯s head. ¡°When people are sad, they feel like this. How did you feel when your father died back then?¡± ¡°It was simr to when it happened with Gavi but¡­ stronger.¡± As she spoke, Ogis furrowed her brow slightly. A stronger¡­ feeling like my whole body being torn apart¡­ an indescribable feeling.¡± ¡°That is pain.¡± ¡°But, I wasn¡¯t injured, was I?¡± ¡°That is emotional pain, it¡¯s more or less the same as physical pain.¡± ¡°I see, so that¡¯s what pain is.¡± Ogis touched her chest, muttering softly to herself. Then, she leaned her body against Duanmu Huai¡¯s. ¡°But¡­ now, I feel much better.¡± While speaking, Ogis closed her eyes. ¡°May I stay like this for a while, Master?¡± ¡°Of course, take a good rest.¡± Duanmu Huai stroked Ogis¡¯s hair, then leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Deep darkness, as smooth as silk, a soft sensation. When Duanmu Huai opened his eyes again, he was not clothed. He was lying on a bed instead, with a white figure embracing him by his side. ¡°Ah¡­ My King¡­¡± In the dimly lit room, only a singlemp shone. Soft sensations mixed with the woman¡¯s gentle breathing and whispers echoed in Duanmu Huai¡¯s ears. ¡°Please allow me to hold you tight, to feel your warmth¡­ My King¡­ I can feel your power, a power filled with destruction and death¡­ Please awaken¡­ be ours¡­¡± The voice slowly faded away, and the next moment, Duanmu Huai fell back into a deep sleep. Chapter 251 - 201: Rush In_1 Chapter 251: Chapter 201: Rush In_1 Early the next morning, Duanmu Huai and his party set off again, heading towards Stonewell Castle. The woman stayed in her original ce, seeming not yet ready to go to Stonewell Castle ¨C well, in everyone¡¯s opinion, it¡¯s best she remained unprepared. ¡°Beloved, there won¡¯t really be that kind of spider in there, will there?¡± Bambi, who was sprawled on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, asked anxiously. It was no wonder she was so uneasy, anyone who heard that woman¡¯s words would imagine a massive, furry ck spider inside the castle, its body covered with decapitated human bodies like pupae, bobbing up and down with the spider¡¯s movements¡­ ¡°Oh¡­¡± Apparently, Audrey had conjured up the same picture. She turned green and looked away, clearly not intending to carry on imagining such things. ¡°I don¡¯t think there will be¡­ uhm, did the records of the explorers mention it?¡± Duanmu Huai turned to the Forest Princess and asked curiously, and she shook her head in response. ¡°They mentioned the castle doors were tightly shut. Without siege equipment, they couldn¡¯t get in, so they bypassed it by taking another route. They don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside the castle.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, it won¡¯t be a spider¡­ We¡¯ll find out when we get there.¡± The road to the castle was far from peaceful. In fact, it was just like any ordinary castle, with guards stationed everywhere. The idea of killing them seemed like a waste of effort, which naturally put off Duanmu Huai. ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Perhaps sensing Duanmu Huai¡¯s mood, Miss Ogis asked curiously. Duanmu Huai merely shook his head. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just the idea of them resurrecting after being killed doesn¡¯t exactly motivate me to fight them. But these guys sure are troublesome¡­¡± Actually, having to confront those in their path wouldn¡¯t be too burdensome for Duanmu Huai. But the problem was, these soldiers were deviously hiding andunching ambushes on the road, which was most annoying. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯sint, Miss Ogis pondered for a while before suggesting. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I have a proposal¡­¡± Miss Ogis¡¯s suggestion took Duanmu Huai by surprise, but he found the content of her proposal a bit frustrating. ¡°Is this really okay, Miss Ogis?¡± Audrey sitting behind Duanmu Huai asked uneasily, while Mistelina next to her seemed rather excited. ¡°Hahaha, this seems kind of fun.¡± ¡°What on earth are you thinking¡­¡± Looking resigned, Duanmu Huai thought Miss Ogis¡¯s proposal was quite simple. The idea was that everyone would climb onto Duanmu Huai¡¯s back and let him carry them all across. Of course, for an ordinary person, this would be impossible. But Duanmu Huai was much taller and stronger than most, while the girls around him were generally petite, so it wasn¡¯t entirely unfeasible. As it was, Audrey, Mistelina and Lorena were sitting on Duanmu Huai¡¯s back, while Bambi and Miss Ogis rested on his shoulders as usual. Princess Melfi of the Spirit Rat Tribe was nestled in Mistelina¡¯s arms. Miss Ogis had secured them using her puppet threads to prevent them from falling off. Duanmu Huai looked as if he were carrying arge-stack of sacks. What¡¯s more, these ¡®sacks¡¯ wouldn¡¯t stay still. ¡°Wow, so this is what a man¡¯s back feels like? It¡¯s hard.¡± Mistelina stretched out her hand curiously to knock and prod on Duanmu Huai¡¯s back, to which Melfi, cradled in her arms, rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the armor, your highness¡­ Of course, it¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I feel kind of shy¡­¡± Although Lorena had been carried by Duanmu Huai several times, her face was still flushed. Audrey, meanwhile, looked anxiously at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Master, won¡¯t this affect you physically?¡± ¡°No problem at all.¡± Duanmu Huai waves his war hammer. Although these girls added some burden, they weren¡¯t very heavy, so they didn¡¯t hinder his actions. If attacked, Miss Ogis would be watching. No problems are expected. It was a bit peculiar, but if it could speed things up, it was a good choice. ¡°Are you ready, Miss Ogis?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready, Master.¡± ¡°Good, then¡­¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai bent down and stared ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡± The next instant, apanied by the roar of the jetpack and the girls¡¯ screams, Duanmu Huai charged forward like a rampaging rhino. ¡°Thud¡ª¡ª¡ª thud¡ª¡ª¡ª thud¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± Duanmu Huai sprinted atrge strides on the road, his massive body perfectly bnced under the influence of his Power Armor. Even when burdened with several people, Duanmu Huai¡¯s movement didn¡¯t change in the slightest. Of course, the road ahead was heavily guarded by fully armored soldiers wielding long spears, some even equipped with crossbows. But to Duanmu Huai, these obstacles were meaningless. He roared and directly charged at the opposition. Even the soldiers who had lost their rationality sensed danger and fear at the sight of Duanmu Huai¡¯s arrival. They instinctively backed off and raised their spears to the front. Meanwhile, behind them, soldiers stood behind the crossbow turrets ¨C yet at this moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s towering figure hadpletely swallowed them. The soldiers were screaming, but rather than a battle cry against their enemy, their shrieks were filled with fear. They gripped their long spears and charged at the gigantic enemy who donned peculiar armor. However, their attacks were useless: the spears shattered immediately upon impact with the armor, and the soldiers themselves were sent flying by the resulting massive impact. ¡°Bang!!¡± At the same time, arge arrow fired from the crossbow turret struck Duanmu Huai¡¯s chest. Yet, the arrow, which was strong enough to pierce a man, did not slow Duanmu Huai down. As soldiers hiding in the jungles on either side tried to attack Duanmu Huai, he had already breached the front line and advanced without a hitch. After breaking through two checkpoints, Duanmu Huai entered a tunnel. The tunnel was dimly lit, but this was no match for Duanmu Huai. He rushed through the gloomy tunnel and arrived at the city gate. Between him and the gate was a narrow path, with a precipice on either side. The path led to a giant gate and a bridge leading to it. It was indeed a ce easy to defend but difficult to conquer. Duanmu Huai took a nce and continued to charge forward. However, just at that moment¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Whoosh!!¡± A shadow suddenly fell from the sky,nding in front of Duanmu Huai. ¡°Foolish¡­¡­¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t care less for others¡¯ idle talk. He simply raised his war hammer and swung it with a bellow. The Thunder Warhammer whistled through the air and hit the shadow that hadn¡¯tnded yet, sending it flying. The shadow iled in the air before falling into the precipice below. Duanmu Huai did not pay attention to this temporary obstacle. To him, it was barely worth considering as a hindrance. At this moment, he had already passed the rickety path over the precipice and stood in front of the city gate. At this moment, the city gate was fully blocked by arge iron fence, making it impossible to open. Clearly, Duanmu Huai could hardly care about such minor issues. He paused in front of the gate, then suddenly leaped up into the air! ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!¡± Apanied by the terrified screams of Audrey and Lorena, and the excited shrieks of Mistelina and Bambi, Duanmu Huai, carrying the girls, took to the skies. At the same time, he swiftly shifted his gaze to survey the entire castle. From the exterior, the entire castle seemed to have entered a state ofbat readiness. Crossbow turrets were ced on the stairs on both sides of the gate, and fully armed soldiers were stationed. In the courtyard, even more soldiers were held in reserve ¨C as if they were waiting to go to war with an enemy that didn¡¯t seem to exist. So who exactly is their opponent? This thought shed through Duanmu Huai¡¯s mind but was quickly dismissed. At this moment, Mistelina¡¯s voice suddenly rang out. ¡°Knight, there is a tower over there!!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Following the direction of Mistelina¡¯s pointing finger, Duanmu Huai indeed saw a high tower to one side of the castle. It stood alone on the outside of the castle, connected only by a bridge. Something seemed to be atop it¡­¡­ ¡°It¡¯s the Mother of the Earth! Knight, please take us there!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Since Mistelina had said so, Duanmu Huai immediately changed direction and flew towards the tower. Then, he descended from the sky,nding heavily on the top of the tower. ¡°Thud!!¡± Duanmu Huainded on the ground and looked around. The entire top of the tower was a circr tform devoid of anything, except for a ring in the middle that held two massive¡­ what were those things?@@novelbin@@ ¡°It looks like a¡­ finger¡­¡± Bambi nervously popped her head out and looked at that thing. On hearing Bambi¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai nodded in agreement. Whaty before them indeed resembled human fingers. Based on the appearance, they seemed to be the index and middle fingers, half-buried in the soil, with only these two fingers sticking out. Or perhaps, there were only these two fingers left. ¡°¡­Mother of the Earth, how could¡­¡± At this moment, Mistelina walked to the front of the two fingers, a look of sorrow on her face as she gently touched them. ¡°Could it be¡­.you have truly faded away?¡± Chapter 252 - 202: Punishment Mechanism_1 Chapter 252: Chapter 202: Punishment Mechanism_1 Looking at the two fingers before his eyes, Duanmu Huai frowned. He indeed perceived a familiar aura from these fingers ¡ª as simple as that, the aura was like the one usually felt from the Nine Sacred Statues in Sky Province. It was faintly divine. He could remember Mistelina had once said that a long time ago, the Deitymunicated with the finger witches through these fingers. The witches would read and interpret the deity¡¯s messages and further convey them to other people. Of course, there were always doubters who believed that these were possibly not messages from any deity at all, and that the witches were just pretending to interpret them while possibly spouting nonsense or even intentionally misleading others. As for why the Forest Princess would call it the Mother of Earth, Duanmu Huai could guess ¡ª most of the hand was buried in the soil, leaving only two fingers exposed. Hence, referring to it as Mother of the Earth didn¡¯t seem strange. However¡­ Duanmu Huai walked to the edge of the tower and looked down. The tower itself was dozens of meters high which whenbined with the sticking out hand, made him feel sick. Imagining an arm of dozens of meters buried inside the tower with a hand protruding out didn¡¯t really look like something from a deity. Or was the whole body buried in it, with only the hand sticking out? Duanmu Huai walked forward,ying his hand on one of the fingers. Regrettably, as Mistelina had said, the only remaining essence here was fragmentary. The residual aura was so faint that there¡¯s virtually none left. This made it impossible to create a passage by twisting the divine statue as he had done before with the Demon God ¡ª because here, except for the fragments, there was nothing left. But just at that moment, suddenly, something unexpected urred. When he was about to move his hand away, the entire tower began to tremble, and a voice echoed in his ear. ¡°You¡¯re not worthy¡­ You¡¯re not worthy¡­¡± The next moment, a sh of light swept across Duanmu Huai¡¯s vision and when he came to his senses, he found himself back in front of the Stonewell Castle. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Duanmu Huai looked around, surprised to find that nobody else was with him. Ogis, Bambi, Lorena, Audrey, even Mistelina and Melfy were nowhere to be seen! With this in mind, Duanmu Huai immediately closed his eyes, sending out a mental message. ¡°Ogis, Bambi, Lorena, Audrey! Can you hear me?¡± Soon, the voice of girls rang out from his mental induction. ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°What, what happened, Sir Knight?¡± ¡°Master, where are you? Bambi can¡¯t see you¡­¡± ¡°Master, I¡¯m fine, but what on earth happened¡­¡± Amid the chatter of the girls, Duanmu Huai quickly grasped their situation. Clearly, they, like Duanmu Huai, had been teleported to different ces. Ogis indicated that she was transported to an underground, dim-lit city, which appeared to be deeper underground than Duanmu Huai and the rest were currently. Bambi sobbed to Duanmu Huai that she was trapped in a temple, which had arge and terrifying monster and arge bird-headed guard standing at the entrance. She could only hide in the shadows, dare not move a muscle. Lorena said that she seemed to be in the ruins of a white wastnd, where it was deste all around and she couldn¡¯t find any path that could lead her back. Audrey fared better. She said that she had been transported to a castle near a volcano, has been attended by ady, and was allowed to stay there temporarily¡­ This made him reckon that Mistelina and Melfy must have also been teleported somewhere. ¡°Master, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably some kind of punishment mechanism.¡± ¡°Punishment mechanism?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, the girls were all puzzled, and Duanmu Huai could only shrug his shoulders, unsure of how to exin it to them. As mentioned before, every world fragment had different mechanisms and ¡®clearance methods¡¯. For example, the Puppet House and Ghost Mansion, and in the game, there were many world fragments with special conditions. Such as worlds that do not allow males to enter. Worlds that do not allow females to enter. Worlds that do not allow genderless people to enter. Worlds that do not allow gender dysphoric people to enter. Worlds that do not allow people who view themselves as female but are actually male and do not admit to being male to enter. Worlds that do not allow agender people to enter. Worlds that do not allow persons originally male but who underwent a sex change to female whilst still considering themselves as male to enter. Or you couldn¡¯t y FPS in a puzzle game. Or y real-time strategy in an RPG. Although those were the game settings, to the yers, those were just part of the tactics of the instance. But when applied to reality¡­ Combining it with the previous sentence Duanmu Huai heard, ¡°You are not eligible, you are not eligible,¡± he guessed the meaning must be¡­ ¡°Perhaps climbing that tower requires some special means, and our direct ascent vited the rules, thus we were separated as a punishment.¡± Duanmu Huai voiced his spection. Unfortunately, he could not make contact with Mistelina and Melfy. It couldn¡¯t be helped, after all, this world didn¡¯t belong to Duanmu Huai, so he couldn¡¯t obtain the Soul Cards from this world. While Duanmu Huai had attempted to summon others back directly, unfortunately, all attempts failed. Clearly, this must be some kind of prohibition in this world. It seemed that he probably only had one path to follow. Through Mental Induction, Duanmu Huai also issued orders to the girls, asking them not to run around, to rify their present location, and he woulde to them. As for Mistelina and Melfy, although Duanmu Huai was naturally concerned, as there was no way tomunicate with them, he could only leave their fate to the heavens. As for whether the girls would obey, Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t worried. Ogis and Lorena were battle-hardened and experienced, Audrey, although slightly worrisome, since she imed she was being treated by a kind mistress, should be safe for the time being. On the other hand, Bambi¡¯s situation was a bit more worrying. She was confused about her whereabouts, the only thing in the temple was an entity that looked like a beastly creature that she dared not approach, and outside was a gigantic bird-headed creature with wings¡­ Anyway, she better hide first. Well, it¡¯s time for action. Upon confirming the girls¡¯ actions, Duanmu Huai collected his thoughts, nced at the closed iron gate in front of him, and moved forward. However, at that moment, he abruptly heard a voice. ¡°Hey, you over there, can youe over here?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Duanmu Huai turned his head and noticed a small door next to the city gate, where a dirty man with thinning hair and in shackles, was standing there, waving at him. ¡°Who are you?¡± Duanmu Huai walked over, staring at the guy as he asked. The man, on the other hand, gave a sly smile and rubbed his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m just a gatekeeper. You¡­ you want to get inside the city, right? If you want to enter, I advise you not to go through the main gate. There¡¯s a group of highly skilled soldiers blocking it. However, I can show you another path. You can go through that hole.¡± As he spoke, the sleazy guy pointed at a hole in the wall next to him with a smirk. To be honest, this guy looked too sleazy. Could his surname be Qin? ¡°The soldiers don¡¯t know about that narrow path. It should provide a way to invade the city without them noticing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Alright.¡± Hearing that guy¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai frowned slightly before nodding. He had no intention of following the guy¡¯s suggestion. Although he did see arge number of soldiers guarding the city gate, their arrows and crossbow cannons couldn¡¯t even scratch his skin, he could charge right in without any problems. However, the previous incident had cast a shadow over Duanmu Huai¡¯s spirits.@@novelbin@@ What if he¡¯s hit with another ¡°You¡¯re not worthy, you¡¯re not worthy¡­.¡±? Such a headache. Thus, without saying much else, Duanmu Huai turned and crossed the hole in the wall, heading forwards. This narrow path wasn¡¯t any kind of ¡°hidden secret path¡± or anything of the sort. Clearly, this city had undergone an attack in the past, resulting in damage to the city wall. It was due to this that a small path, that shouldn¡¯t have existed, now did. However,¡­ How should he proceed? Looking at the staircase in front of him, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth. At first, it wasn¡¯t so hard, but when Duanmu Huai trailed around to the back of the cliff, he encountered a problem ¨C there was a staircase on the cliff-side that led all the way to the city tower¡¯s gate. The problem was that the staircase was wooden. Was this really safe? Although Duanmu Huai hesitated, he lifted his foot and ced it on the staircase. Then¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Crack!!¡± Apanied by a soft sound, the staircase suddenly cracked open, and Duanmu Huai hastily pulled back. As he returned to the ground, he saw the wooden staircase outside the city wall copsing instantaneously, causing two soldiers on top to fall into the abyss. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai silently looked at the shattered staircase ruins in front of him, then turned and walked back into the previous guardhouse. Seeing Duanmu Huai return, the sleazy gatekeeper showed an uneasy expression. He watched as Duanmu Huai briskly walked over to him, then a ttering smile appeared on his face. ¡°Excuse me, is there anything else you need?¡± ¡°Open the gate for me.¡± Then, he stared at the sleazy man and spoke. Again, Duanmu Huai was certain that he was absolutely not cut out for stealth. Chapter 253 - 203: Entering the City (The internet is finally fixed, so sad)_1 Chapter 253: Chapter 203: Entering the City (The inte is finally fixed, so sad)_1 Upon hearing Duanmu Huai speak, the sleazy man visibly flinched. ¡°But, but¡­¡± ¡°I said, open the gate.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Perhaps sensing the terrifying aura emanating from Duanmu Huai, the man swallowed hard and nodded. ¡°I respect your choice. If you wish to enter through the front gate, I would yell to have it opened. But consider this, is it really a good idea? I advise you to reconsider¡­¡± However, before the gatekeeper could finish his sentence, Duanmu Huai reached out and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground. ¡°I said¡­¡­open the gate!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I get it¡­¡­If a man is determined to meet his end, truly, no one could stop him¡­¡­¡± At these words, the gatekeeper took a deep breath, and then began to yell. ¡°Open the gate! Open the gate quickly!!¡± ¡°BOOM BOOM BOOM¡­¡± With the gatekeeper¡¯s voice falling, a deep rumbling sound came from the outside. Duanmu Huai shot the gatekeeper an icy nce, casually tossed him aside, and strode out the gate. At this moment, the city gate previously sealed by iron bars waspletely open, and Duanmu Huai could soon see the Crossbow Cannon tform on the high tform ahead, along with the soldiers stationed behind it. ¡°Hmph!¡± Unlike before, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t ignore them this time. He snorted coldly and, gripping his War Hammer tightly, he stormed through the castle¡¯s entrance and charged straight ahead! ¡°BANG BANG BANG!!¡± Shortly after, a flurry of Crossbow Arrows flew towards him, hitting his Power Armor without causing him any harm. He leaped into the air, raising high his Thundering Hammer, and forcefully smashed it down! ¡°BOOM!!!¡± All at once, lightning sparked and thunder roared, the explosive shockwaves from the attack incinerating the soldiers manning the Crossbow Cannon into ashes. At this point, soldiers behind the barrier ahead had raised their weapons andunched an attack on Duanmu Huai. A hail of Crossbow Arrows shot out, but dealt no harm to Duanmu Huai. Instead, he charged directly toward the onught, Smash his War Hammer forcefully, instantly turning the barricades and barriers in front of him into rubble. The soldiers who had hidden behind the barriers were blown away by the ferocious gusts, screaming as they were flung into the distance, before they fell silent. ¡°ROAR¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± However, it was far from over. Simultaneously, a massive creature resembling a lion sprang out of the woods to Duanmu Huai¡¯s left amid a roar. Tied to its right front paw was a Sharp de. The beast lunged at Duanmu Huai as swiftly as a storm, opening its big wide bloodstained maw, full of sharp teeth, ready to tear into Duanmu Huai. ¡°Seeking death!!¡± At the same moment, Duanmu Huai spun around. He roared, thrusting his Thunder Warhammer forward straight into the monster¡¯s gullet. Duanmu Huai then grabbed the long handle of his Thunder Warhammer, hoisted it high in the air, and mmed it hard onto the ground! ¡°BOOM!!¡± The lion, its mouth jammed open, mmed onto the ground with a heavy thud. Duanmu Huai then took big strides forward and ced his foot on the lion¡¯s head. With a ¡°snap¡±, he crushed the lion¡¯s skull under his foot. Its body trembled violently, then, like the other corpses, turned into ashes and vanished into thin air. ¡°p p p¡­¡­¡± At this moment, a burst of apuse echoed from behind Duanmu Huai. ¡°Well done. I¡¯ve seen numerous warriors, but never one like you.¡± Duanmu Huai turned his head upon hearing the voice, only to see a mysterious man standing behind him, his face almostpletely covered under the wide brim of a long hat. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Ah, greetings, brave and mighty warrior.¡± The man nodded at Duanmu Huai with a cordial smile. ¡°I am Roger, a magician. I came to this city in search of something¡­¡­By the way, why are you here in Stonewell City? You should know that the people in this city hunt Blighters to use as ¡®limb attachments¡¯ for sacrifices. Ordinarily, nobody woulde here willingly¡­¡­¡± ¡°Do you know how to ess that tower?¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the magician named Roger, then pointed to a high tower nearby. That was the very ce they hadnded before. Their party had been scattered as a result of viting a certain ¡°prohibition¡±. So, Duanmu Huai also wanted to uncover the proper way to enter the tower. ¡°That tower¡­¡­¡­¡± Following the direction of Duanmu Huai¡¯s finger, Roger looked at the high tower and had a sudden realization. ¡°I see, you¡¯re here to win the Great Rune by challenging Gerrick¡­¡­ so, you can see the guidance of the blessing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡±@@novelbin@@ Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°Anyway, what should I do if I want to enter that tower?¡± ¡°You must strike down and kill Lord Gerrick and obtain his Great Rune, then you can receive its power in the God-granted Tower¡­¡­However, it¡¯s been a long time since a blessed Blighter has appeared.¡± Chapter 254 - 203: Entering the City (The internet is finally fixed, so sad)_2 Chapter 254: Chapter 203: Entering the City (The inte is finally fixed, so sad)_2 ¡°To be honest, this is my first time on thisnd¡­umm¡­¡± Duanmu Huai took a moment to think and then looked at Roger. ¡°Are you familiar with this ce?¡± ¡°Quite familiar, after all, I have been here before.¡± ¡°Then, I would like to make a deal with you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s proposition, Roger curiously raised his head and stared at him. ¡°What kind of deal?¡± ¡°I also need to find some things in this city, but I¡¯m not familiar with it.¡± Duanmu Huai, looking at Roger, began to speak. ¡°And as you¡¯ve seen, this city is very dangerous right now. So, I can help you, and all you need to do is answer a few of my questions.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing what Duanmu Huai had to say, Roger thought for a moment and then nodded his head. ¡°Indeed, judging from the recent battle, you are a formidable warrior. It would be more convenient for me if you were to guard me. But, what do you want to know?¡± ¡°To start, what exactly is limb grafting?¡± Duanmu Huai, looking at Roger, posed a question that had been bothering him. After all, while he had already heard from Little Red Riding Hood outside the city about how to graft limbs, he still couldn¡¯t understand what was the benefit of doing so. Could it be that there¡¯s some kind of lunatic bioengineer in the city? ¡°This story begins with the master of this castle, ¡®Gold¡¯ Gerrick.¡± When it came to this name, Roger also rarely sighed. ¡°I think you should know that thisnd was once ruled by the Golden Law. However, after the sinister conspiracy night, the Golden Law shattered, the War of the Shards broke out. All demigod offspring held Law fragments, trying to restore the Golden Law, and recast the glory of the Golden n. Gerrick was one of them¡­. However, his personal strength was too weak. After being defeated in the original battle, he escaped from the Royal City amongst women and hid in Stonewell. He even knelt in front of a Valkyrie after being defeated by her, begging for his life.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­. He sounds really weak.¡± Although Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t clear about what transpired, just by the fact that he escaped among women, behaving like a turtle in a jar, and begging for his life after being defeated by a Valkyrie, Duanmu Huai already ssified him as weak. ¡°Of course, Gerrick didn¡¯t give up just like that. He tried all he could to enhance his strength, and the method he came up with¡­ was limb grafting, attaching others¡¯ arms onto his own body.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What???¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai was dumbfounded. ¡°Why?¡± @@novelbin@@ Is the method to increase strength attaching other people¡¯s arms to your own body? Is it trying to imitate Guanyin, bing a god after grafting a thousand arms? ¡°Only Gerrick himself knows the answer.¡± Roger shook his head. ¡°In any case, after that, Gerrick started sending troops to capture ¡®Blighters¡¯. He would bring them here, chop off their arms for grafting, and even stitch together the remaining body parts of these ¡®Blighters¡¯ to create a monster called the ¡®Nobility of Limbs¡¯¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows and began to recall Little Red Riding Hood¡¯s words once more. ¡°The ones who came to the Bordend to fight with me, had their heads, feet and arms chopped off and became a part of the Spider¡­¡± It seemed like he had started to guess what had happened. ¡°Do you have any more questions?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Upon hearing Roger¡¯s question, Duanmu Huai nodded his head. ¡°You said that Gerrick grafted all the people he caught and then stitched the remaining parts into monsters, right? So¡­ where is that ce?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s questioning, Roger was silent for a moment, before extending his hand to point to the little door behind Duanmu Huai. ¡°Through that door, you¡¯ll arrive at the Hall of Limbs¡­ However, I must forewarn you, that ce¡­ it¡¯s more frightening than you can imagine.¡± ¡°I beg to differ.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded at Roger, joked, after all, he considered himself well-experienced, such trivial tricks intended to scare him? Not a chance. ¡°Thank you for the guidance, I shall return shortly.¡± Having said this, Duanmu Huai turned around and strode towards the little door. Roger watched Duanmu Huai¡¯s retreating figure, shook his head, and then sat in ce, closing his eyes to meditate. Following Roger¡¯s instructions, Duanmu Huai entered the door and continued moving forward, only to end up in arge hall. This ce looked like a grand dining room, from the tables ced around, this should have been where the knights of the city used to dine. Used to. The reason for saying so was because this hall, now, hadpletely transformed into something else. Numerous severed limbs were hanging high up on both sides of the hall, on the floor, one could see a heap of¡­ bodies wrapped up in cloth, resembling insect pupae. They umtedyer uponyer, casting shadows under the dim firelight. ¡°Did you know? After being grafted onto a spider, humans look like insect pupae? It¡¯s really strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± I see. Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai squinted his eyes, he almost understood what Miss Little Red Riding Hood had seen. Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai lifted his head, staring at the center of the dining room. Under the dim light, a massive chunk of meat was writhing. Upon a closer look, it was something extraordinarily bizarre. Its back was covered with a ck cape, surrounded by dozens of slender limbs, each brandishing a sharp de and a shield. At first nce, it appeared to be a massive crab with multiple pairs of legs. And on the belly of this ¡°crab¡±, numerous human heads were densely clustered. I see, so this is the creature Roger mentioned, a monster stitched together from the victims¡¯ remaining bodies, called the Nobility of Limbs? Aside from that, how does it look like a noble? ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!!¡± At this moment, the monster had noticed Duanmu Huai¡¯s presence. It growled and squirmed towards Duanmu Huai at a speed much like a spider¡¯s. However, Duanmu Huai just stood where he was, not even attempting to dodge. Watching the creature charge at him, he raised his war hammer high, then brought it down with force. ¡°Thud!¡± The Nobility of Limbs, which had just reached Duanmu Huai, was immediately ttened by the blow onto the ground. Then, Duanmu Huai lifted his war hammer once again and swung down. ¡°Thud!!¡± The Nobility of Limbs began to counterattack furiously. It swung its abnormally long arm, like several human arms jointed together, brandishing a de, hacking indiscriminately against Duanmu Huai¡¯s armor. However, its struggle was as ineffective as a mouse facing a dinosaur. ¡°Thud!!!¡± Apanied by the third thunderous thump of the war hammer, the impactpletely prated the body of the Nobility of Limbs. It twitched for a moment before copsing, turning into a pitiful corpse. ¡°Rest in peace.¡± Duanmu Huai retracted the Thunder Warhammer, looked at the carcass of the Nobility of Limbs and spoke. Afterward, he once again looked up, gazing at the hall in front of him with a troubled expression. ¡°But having said that¡­how am I supposed to find?¡± From what he could tell, it seemed that the friends of Little Red Riding Hood were likely long dead and buried. What¡¯s his next move now? You couldn¡¯t mean¡­I should just randomly pick up two stones and bring those back, right? ¡°Hmm¡ª¡ª-!!¡± At that point, the purple Soul Jellyfish quietly appeared beside Duanmu Huai. It stretched out a tentacle, patting Duanmu Huai on the shoulder, then started to drift forward. ¡°You mean I should follow you?¡± Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai brightened up. He remembered Little Red Riding Hood mentioning that this Soul Jellyfish had been with her for a long time. He may not know, but the Soul Jellyfish¡­perhaps it did! ¡°Hmm!¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the Soul Jellyfish nodded its head, then started moving forward again. Duanmu Huai decisively followed behind it, venturing deeper into the Hall of Limbs. Chapter 255 - 204 Move Forward_1 Chapter 255: Chapter 204 Move Forward_1 When Duanmu Huai returned to the front courtyard, Roger had finished his meditation. He stood up and nodded at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Wee back, steel warrior, it seems you have found what you have been looking for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is what I am looking for¡­ let¡¯s talk about it after we return.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head helplessly. After that, he followed a Soul Jellyfish to a courtyard on the side of the Hall of Limbs. Just like everywhere else, the ce was littered with corpses. Next, under the guiding of the Soul Jellyfish, Duanmu Huai flipped out a strange little ck sphere from the pile of bodies¡­ Who knows what the hell it is. But since the Soul Jellyfish wanted him to take it, Duanmu Huai did. So the two set off again, heading deeper into the castle. Along the way, Roger was not idle either, enthusiastically exining his research to Duanmu Huai. ording to what Roger described, Duanmu Huai learned some stories about this ce. Not long ago, there was a magnificent golden civilization here, with gods ruling over the Bordend, and their Demigod progeny guarding various ces. However, one night, a strange incident urred. That is, one of the Demigod progeny, Gedwin, was murdered. And this brought problems to the Golden Law. Because ording to the Golden Law, gods and demigods are immortal. However, Gedwin, who was a Demigod, was killed. This fact conflicted with thew in the Golden Law that ¡°Demigods will not die¡±, eventually leading to the shattering of the entire Golden Law. The shatteredws turned into Great Runes, falling into the hands of other Demigod progeny. These demigods began to fight each other for them, they wanted to seize all the Great Runes and then repair the shattered Golden Law, so they could be the new rulers of the Bordend. @@novelbin@@ ¡°What I¡¯m studying is that night of conspiracy. ording to the information I have gathered, someone stole a fragment of the Rune of Death owned by ¡®ck de¡¯ Marikas, and then on that cold night, killed ¡®Gold¡¯ Gedwin. Because, only when the Golden Law is removed and its sealed shadow, the Predetermined Death ¨C the rune of Death, can break through the constraints of the Golden Law and do what the Golden Law cannot do.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what happened¡­.¡± Under Roger¡¯s narrative, Duanmu Huai learned more about the history here, but what he was most interested in was¡­ ¡°So, where is the Rune of Death?¡± Nothing is more valuable to Duanmu Huai than the power to y gods. ording to Roger¡¯s words, the power of Predetermined Death is the power of death to hunt gods, which is what Duanmu Huai exactly needs, the power to kill gods¡­ If the Rune of Death turns out to also work on the Gods of Chaos, that would be more than perfect. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Roger shook his head. ¡°ording to historical records, the Queen of Twilight Eyes and her n once served the Predetermined Death Rune. Butter, they were defeated by ¡®ck de¡¯ Marikas, and the Predetermined Death was sealed by Marikas. In fact, I do not know who or how the Predetermined Death was stolen from Marikas. All I heard was, a group of assassins descended from the Eternal City ¨C a group of women wearing invisibility clothes and silver armor took action. And the weapon they used ¨C the ck de, was enchanted with the power of the Rune of Death through a ritual.¡± Saying this, Roger sighed. ¡°But unfortunately, after that night of murder, their trace was lost, and the ck de they used also vanished.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± So, no clue then. Solving murder cases is not Duanmu Huai¡¯s expertise. He is more skilled at making murder cases. ¡°Then¡­¡± As they walked and talked, they passed through the porch of the front courtyard and kept moving forward. However, suddenly a loud noise came with a burning crossbow bolt swiftly shot towards Duanmu Huai¡¯s head! ¡°Watch out!!¡± Seeing this, Roger yelled out, but it was toote. The bolt had hit Duanmu Huai¡¯s helmet right at the moment when he turned his head to look forward, and then exploded with a ¡°boom¡±, blooming with dazzling mes whichpletely enveloped his head. However, the next moment, the intact Rabbit Helmet reappeared. Duanmu Huai then raised his hand and aimed at the enemy on the fortress wall in front of him. A shell burst out of his handguard, drawing an arc in the air, and then falling down. ¡°Boom!!!¡± A more terrifying explosion devoured the entire fortress wall in an instant. The howling shock wave blew the nearby soldiers away like pieces of paper. When Roger came to his senses, all he could see was a huge hole where the fortress wall used to be, and there were no remains of the soldiers. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on.¡± Duanmu Huai flexed his helmet and then continued striding forward. Roger followed him, bewildered by the sight of the man in front of him. What kind of man is he? Looking at the towering figure of the Steel Warrior in front of him, Roger felt puzzled. At first, he only thought the man was a Blighter, or perhaps a stranger. But now, it seemed that this man¡¯s identity was clearly not simple, even if ignoring everything else, this armor that cuts and thrusts had no effect on him and it withstood the explosive bolts, wasn¡¯t something that a regr person would wear. Not to mention¡­¡­ At this moment, Duanmu Huai was wreaking havoc in the courtyard, with Roger trailing behind watching the man who was like a human hurricane. No soldier could stand against him, even¡­ ¡°Roar!!!¡± A huge creature, about three or four meters tall, swung the club in its hand and roared as it smashed down at Duanmu Huai. This creature was a mountain troll, a formidable and powerful war machine bred by the Golden n. Its skin was tough and its strength unmatched. As a vanguard, it could tten arge group of soldiers. However, this creature too wasn¡¯t a match for the terrifying Steel Warrior. Duanmu Huai raised his war hammer and swung it, hitting the mountain troll¡¯s leg. The troll¡¯s right leg was instantly broken like a weak stick, and the off-bnce troll roared as it fell to the ground. Then Duanmu Huai extended his left hand, made a fist, and punched the troll¡¯s head. His fist pierced the troll¡¯s head like a siege hammer, instantly killing it. ¡°Boom!!¡± The colossal carcass of the mountain troll fell heavily on the ground, then vanished into dust. This moment, the whole courtyard was silent. Had the dead here not turned to dust upon dying, what they would have seen, now, were several hundred corpses scattered in various horrific states. ¡°You are really impressive, Steel Warrior.¡± ¡°Not really. This level of challenge is nothing.¡± Duanmu Huai brandished his war hammer, then the two of them proceeded through the courtyard. ¡°We¡¯re almost at Gerrick¡¯s location.¡± Passing the corridor, Roger¡¯s face became increasingly solemn, and Duanmu Huai nodded. However, as they came to the end of the corridor, almost reaching Gerrick¡¯s Throne za, they stopped in their tracks. The reason was simple: there was another person standing in front of them. More urately, it was a woman. Her attire was rather wild and it was clear from the battle axe on her back that she was a warrior. This woman was standing with her back to Duanmu Huai and Roger, looking down at a corpse at her feet¡ªit must have been a knight guarding this castle. ¡°Be proud of yourself, you were indeed a skilled warrior, if only you hadn¡¯t chosen the wrong side¡­ Fade with the wind, drift to the distant peaks.¡± After delivering these words like a eulogy to the knight, the woman turned around and looked at Duanmu Huai and Roger. ¡°Ah¡­ You two, don¡¯t look like Gerrick¡¯s minions.¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, I was nning to give him some trouble.¡± Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the war hammer and replied. The woman raised her brows and cracked a smile. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this interesting. My name is Nephele Lou. Like you, I am a warrior. I came here on an order from my stepfather¡­ But speaking of which, how brutal, that damn Gerrick. Doing such a thing was not befitting of a king.¡± Having said this, the woman began to size up Duanmu Huai, looking him up and down. ¡°If you intend to challenge Gerrick, then I¡¯ll go with you. His evils have sullied the wind¡ªthat¡¯s an unforgivable sin.¡± ¡°Feel free to join.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded without a care. In any case, that man¡¯s death was certain. This warrior woman joined the group, and they continued forwards. Even though there were some soldiers trying to stop them along the way, they were all smashed into pieces by Duanmu Huai. Very quickly, they made it to the Throne za. ¡°Over there is Gerrick¡¯s location.¡± Upon saying this, Roger heaved a sigh and plopped down on a chair nearby. ¡°Sorry, you two, I can¡¯t go any further with you.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Duanmu Huai had a curious look on his face as he inquired. Roger responded with a bitter smile. ¡°To be honest, my body is cursed. Half of me is already dead. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t move around for too long.¡± As he said this, Roger rolled up his trousers to reveal a leg that was like a decaying corpse¡ªshriveled,pletely void of life. Seeing this, the warrior woman¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Death-born?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry for keeping this from you, but I still have pressing matters to attend to.¡± Roger gave them both a small smile, then turned his gaze to Duanmu Huai. ¡°I am sorry, but it seems I can only apany you this far.¡± ¡°Will you be fine alone?¡± ¡°I should be okay. Thanks to both of you, most of the soldiers in this castle have been eliminated. I can just about manage the remainder. From now on, I will continue searching for what I need, also, Steel Warrior¡­¡± Upon saying this, Roger paused to think for a moment. ¡°If you want to investigate more, I rmend you head north to the Le Lucalia Magic Academy. It¡¯s said that they have been following a set of rulespletely opposite to the Golden Law from a long time ago. If you¡¯re looking for the Rune of Death¡­ perhaps you can find some clues there.¡± While he was talking, Roger looked up to the ceiling. ¡°It¡¯s very interesting, the Golden Law used to be so generous, even incorporating opposing rules. At a time when the Golden Law is broken, warped, and needing to be restored¡­ I believe this is incredibly important.¡± Roger sighed and looked at the two of them again. ¡°Well, this is where I leave you. I wish you both a safe return.¡± Chapter 256 - 205 Gerrick_1 Chapter 256: Chapter 205 Gerrick_1 Having passed through thest great gate, Duanmu Huai finally arrived at the Throne za. The first thing he saw as he stepped into the za was the endless gravestones around him, and a giant dragon that had been pierced and was now lying dead on the ground. A man was kneeling before the dragon, muttering something under his breath. ¡°¡­Fellow descendant of the dragons, thy power is beyond doubt¡­ it can propel me to even greater heights¡­¡± As he spoke, the man reached out, gently caressing the drooping head of the dragon. Then, he seemed to notice the arrival of Duanmu Huai and the female warrior. The man slowly rose, his cloak falling away as he did. And then, Duanmu Huai witnessed a scene he never could have imagined. This man was about as tall as Duanmu Huai, strongly built, with pale skin and his brittle white hair topped with a pure gold crown ¡ª but what was unimaginably grotesque were the numerous mismatched arms attached to this man¡¯s shoulder and upright torso, and even two or three legs jutting out from his own! Is this attachment of limbs? This is too¡­ ugly, isn¡¯t it? Gerrick was as tall and hefty as Duanmu Huai in his Power Armor, and it naturally followed that his limbs were much sturdier than ordinary people. However, the limbs that Gerrick had grafted onto his body were all normal-sized, making him look more like a freak as if the other limbs on his body had all atrophied. But really, what in the world is the point of this limb grafting? All these mismatched limbs make it look less like the thousand-armed goddess, Guanyin and more grotesque. What¡¯s the use of having these extra limbs other than to disgust people? To cheat while ying rock-paper-scissors? Wait a minute¡­ Yet, looking at Gerrick in such a state, Duanmu Huai seemed to freeze for a moment, recalling something from the past¡­ If his memory served him right, Roger had told him that this coward had been unable to fight and had fled the Royal City by blending into a group of women during the Fragmented War¡­ How do they even let you blend in with that body of yours?!! Looking at Gerrick, who stood just as tall as him, Duanmu Huai was stunned. He hadn¡¯t thought much about it when Roger first mentioned it, but now, seeing Gerrick for himself, he couldn¡¯t help but want to spit out his frustration. With a height of over 2.5 meters, how did you managed to blend into a group of women without being noticed and escape? Are all the women here that tall? Doesn¡¯t seem like it¡­ ncing at the female warrior standing beside him, Duanmu Huai waspletely speechless. Could it be that all the soldiers were blind?! ¡°Gerrick!!¡± The female warrior pulled out two battle axes, pointed at Gerrick, and roared. ¡°You¡¯re utterly depraved, unfit to be called a king! You¡¯ve profaned the wind! You¡¯vemitted unforgivable crimes! Prepare to die!¡± ¡°Hmph¡­.¡± In the face of the female warrior¡¯s denouncement, Gerrick snorted coldly and slowly stood up. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a Blighter, yet you talk so big¡­!¡± As he spoke, Gerrick gripped the Golden Battle Axe in his hand and mmed it heavily on the ground. He then turned his head to look at the two of them. ¡°Kneel down. I am the Golden King! You¡­¡± However, the moment Gerrick saw Duanmu Huai, his voice twisted and shot up an octave. ¡°What are you?!¡± Upon seeing Duanmu Huai, Gerrick¡¯s face instantly contorted in abject horror. He staggered backwards, unable to believe what he was seeing. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer! Don¡¯te any closer! That¡¯s mymand! Don¡¯te any closer!!¡± Good grief, what a coward. Seeing Gerrick¡¯s reaction, Duanmu Huai was somewhat surprised. He knew exactly what was going on ¨C Gerrick, who had confronted the Fearful Aura directly, had failed to withstand it through sheer will, and had plunged directly into a state of panic! You call yourself a BOSS with just that? Seriously? Duanmu Huai waspletely baffled. Every BOSS-ss existence he had encountered before had passed the test of will when confronting him, and then shivered for a while. But a BOSS who had failed the test of will and plunged directly into a state of panic? This was the first one! Hoo boy, it¡¯s no wonder he¡¯s begging for mercy after being defeated. I bet his willpower is in the single digits. Even the female warrior was caught off guard, unsure of what Gerrick was trying to do. However, at this moment, Gerrick did something that left both of them utterly shocked ¡ª he raised the Golden Battle Axe that was nearly as big as the Thunder Warhammer in his right hand and chopped directly at his own left hand! ¡°???¡± What the heck? He¡¯s so scared he¡¯s resorting to self-muttion? Is this even a thing? ¡°Thud!¡± The Golden Battle Axe fell heavily, severing Gerrick¡¯s left handpletely. He then raised his trembling arm, the one that had just lost a hand, and turned towards the dragon¡¯s corpse beside him. ¡°Mighty dragon, bestow your power upon me¡­!¡± However, before Gerrick could finish speaking, the Thunder Warhammer whistled through the air, impacting directly against Gerrick¡¯s face and sending him flying. ¡°Get moving, stop watching the show!¡± Duanmu Huai, having just knocked Gerrick down with one blow, roared at the female warrior and charged at Gerrick. Shaking off her shock, the female warrior drew her dual battle axes and rushed at the Golden King, who had been sent flying, along with Duanmu Huai. ¡°You, you dare to humiliate me?!¡± Gerrick was somehow standing again, shouting with rage. Any ordinary monster would have had its brain crushed by such a blow. It seemed that while Gerrick¡¯s resilience left much to be desired, his HP as a boss was still just enough. ¡°No, no, I will not lose! I will not tolerate such humiliation!!¡± Gerrick¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, his expression twisted with rage. He bared his teeth and roared at Duanmu Huai and the female warrior, like a cornered beast. He then raised his battle axe tounch an attack!! ¡°CLANG!!!¡± The Golden Battle Axe shed with the Thunder Warhammer, and a profound crash echoed. Duanmu Huai stood steady like an imperturbable mountain while Gerrick trembled and took a few steps back, but quickly, he roared and charged at Duanmu Huai again. Wow, he¡¯s in Frenzy State now. Staring at Gerrick¡¯s terrifying and distorted expression, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but make ament. Fearful Aura attacks the will, and if the opponent fails the Willpower check, they fall into Panic State, losing their battle consciousness and running for their lives. However, the enemy in Panic State would continually be assaulted by the Fearful Aura. If they fail the Willpower check again, their Panic State is upgraded to Frenzy State. In the game, an enemy in Frenzy State would have their Attack +10% and Defense -100%. But in reality, observing Gerrick¡¯s state, he had clearly lost all rationale due to fear and was simply attacking blindly. Such a mad dog fighting style was meaningless to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!¡± Facing the charging Gerrick, Duanmu Huai swung his hammer, impacting directly against Gerrick¡¯s Golden Battle Axe and knocking it off course. Then, raising his right fist, he smashed it into Gerrick¡¯s face while Gerrick lost his equilibrium due to his axe being knocked off-target.Upd@te by novg0.co ¡°Ooooooh!!!!¡± Gerrick screamed out in pain. The female warrior seized the opportunity to approach and swung her battle axe down with all her might! ¡°Crash!!!¡± Gerrick dropped to his knees with a heartbreaking cry after the female warrior¡¯s heavy axe strike. Before he could stand again, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Warhammer crashed down, nailing him at the back of his head. ¡°Crash!!!¡± Gerrick¡¯s head, under the enormous force of the Thunder Warhammer, was crushed like a walnut. He then copsed, lifeless. ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡­¡± Only when Gerrick fell did the female warrior breathe out a sigh of relief. Then she disarmed herself, puzzled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Gerrick to be killed so easily¡­ Why did he cut off his own left hand?¡± Apparently, ording to the female warrior, she had expected a tough fight with Gerrick. However, she was puzzled at how the mad king from the legends just irrationally cut off his own left hand upon meeting andunched senseless attacks. ¡°Perhaps he tried to do something to the dragon.¡± Duanmu Huai nced speechlessly at the body of the giant dragon nearby. In the game, this probably would¡¯ve been a cutscene? However, reality obviously didn¡¯t allow for cutscenes. Just then, a golden light emerged from the ashes of Gerrick¡¯s burnt body, and entered Duanmu Huai¡¯s own body. Immediately, he felt a burning sensation at the back of his left hand. Looking down, he found a badge of three interlocking semi-circles have emerged over his gauntlet. At the same time, system prompts appeared before him. [Received: ¡®Gerrick¡¯s Great Rune¡¯ (not charged)] @@novelbin@@ [Great Rune: A Great Rune obtained after defeating the Fragmented King has lost its deity¡¯s blessing. It can regain its power in the God-granted Tower] I see. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai understood. He remembered Mistelina had referred to those two fingers as the Mother of the Earth ¨C probably incarnations of deities. The tower they had visited earlier was the God-granted Tower. From this, it seemed that¡­ only an individual with the Great Rune could open the gate of the Tower and enter? No wonder he was told at that time ¡°you¡¯re not qualified¡­ you¡¯re not qualified¡±. However, now¡­ he should be qualified. Chapter 257 - 206 Leyenia_1 Chapter 257: Chapter 206 Leyenia_1 After that, Duanmu Huai returned to the God-granted Tower once more. The towering structure was sealed by a heavy stone door; though, for Duanmu Huai, there was no difficulty in pushing the stone door open. As he ascended the staircase and arrived at the top of the High Tower again, a different scene appeared before his eyes. The two fingers were still buried in the central ring at the top of the High Tower, but this time, between these two fingers, Duanmu Huai saw a brilliant mark identical to the one engraved on the back of his hand. He stepped forward, reached out to touch the mark, and in an instant, the mark shattered and turned into a golden glow, which then merged into the back of Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand. At the same time, Duanmu Huai felt a warm current filling his body, and then a system prompt appeared before his eyes. [Gerrick¡¯s Great Rune (Activated)] [This Great Rune, also known as the Central Gravity Ring, is located in the center of the Elden Ring. King Elden¡¯s Godfrey and his descendants ¡ª¡ª the Golden n, were the first to emerge as demigods (All attributes +5).] Not bad. Looking at the system description before his eyes, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow. A divine artifact that offers an attribute bonus of +5 across the board is hard toe by, even in thete stages of the game. Who would¡¯ve thought he could obtain such an artifact? On the other hand, it¡¯s disappointing that the owner of such a powerful artifact is so weak. However¡­ Gerrick¡­ Godfrey¡­ Gedwin¡­ So, they all had the same surname. I wonder if there is a Ge¡¯You? As these superfluous thoughts went through his mind, Duanmu Huai opened up his attributes interface for a look. All other attributes aside, the only thing he cares about is¡­ [Charm: 1 (Locked)][Communication -3][Fearful Aura LV1] Well, it can¡¯t be changed after all. Apart from Duanmu Huai¡¯s unchangeable [Charm] attribute, the other attributes were all increased. [Strength] rose from 21 to 26; [Agility] from 4 to 9; [Physical Attribute] from 18 to 23; [Intelligence] from 18 to 23, and [Perception] from 8 to 13. ording to the calction form of the Soul Card¡¯s attack and defense, Duanmu Huai¡¯s current attack equals 26 strength + 23 intelligence = 49 = 4 attack points, and 23 physical attribute + 9 agility = 32 = 3 defense points¡­ If [Charm] could be added, it would be perfect. But the current situation is not bad either. However, for Duanmu Huai, an unexpected boost also brings unexpected benefits¡­ Hmm¡­ Duanmu Huai stared at one attribute in particr and fell silent for a moment. Unfortunately, monsters in the World Fragment do not give experience points and cannot be upgraded; otherwise, he could try that move¡­ he will think about it when he¡¯s out. However, just as Duanmu Huai was nning to leave, a scene beyond his expectation happened ¡ª¡ª the two originally still fingers suddenly twitched, and then Duanmu Huai heard a barely audible, mournful scream. The next moment, the two fingers retreated back into the earth, leaving no trace behind. ¡°¡­¡­ What happened?¡± Watching this unfold, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brows. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about it. After that, Duanmu Huai left Stonewell Castle and returned to the dpidated hut. Little Red Riding Hood was still sitting quietly in her ce. Duanmu Huai had expected that persuading her would take some effort, but unexpectedly, once she was handed the strange ck sphere, she seemed to understand something and immediately burst into tears. Then, as if remembering something, she looked up at Duanmu Huai. ¡°I¡­ want to change. Everyone believes in me. Even though right now I can¡¯t do anything, I believe that in the future, I can do something.¡± @@novelbin@@ At this point, Little Red Riding Hood stood up, bowed her head to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Thank you, Steel Warrior. I¡¯ll find my own way.¡± After saying this, Little Red Riding Hood turned around and left. Watching her retreating figure, Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders, then turned his gaze back to another person sitting where Little Red Riding Hood had previously sat ¡ª¡ª it was Magic User Roger. Roger noticed his gaze and greeted him with a smile. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back. So, judging by your look, you sessfully defeated Gerrick and obtained the Great Rune, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Just a weakling. Not worth mentioning.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head and approached Roger. ¡°What about you? Did you find what you were looking for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve found it.¡± Roger gave a wry smile, then shook his head. ¡°Though I did pay a certain price¡­ But for me, it¡¯s worth it.¡± At this point, Roger hesitated for a moment and then looked up at Duanmu Huai again. ¡°I have a favor to ask of you, brave Steel Warrior.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you remember the Night of Assassination I told you about earlier? In fact, just now, I found a clue. In the library of Le Lucalia Magic Academy, there¡¯s a clue about the graveyard of the ck Dagger Assassins. If possible, could you please help me investigate the library? Perhaps, we may find the Rune of Death.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Hearing Roger¡¯s request, Duanmu Huai immediately nodded. In fact, when Roger had previously told him, Duanmu Huai had already set his sights on the Rune of Death. Unfortunately, Roger had no further clues at the time. Duanmu Huai had nned investigate further after that, so now that Roger had a clue, Duanmu Huai was of course not going to refuse. So, after confirming the location with Roger, Duanmu Huai once again passed through Stonewell Castle to continue his journey. This region, known as Leyenia, ispletely different from the previous one. Most of it is submerged in water, making it look like a vast swamp. But to Duanmu Huai, the most disgusting thing here is¡­ ¡°Whooosh!!!¡± A water jet whizzed out and hit Duanmu Huai squarely. The powerful impact made Duanmu Huai¡¯s body sway involuntarily. Growling, the jet-pack on his back red, lifting Duanmu Huai into the air. He flew over the jungle and brought down his war hammer onto the back of a huge lobster, which looked evenrger than a crocodile and measured a good four or five meters in length! ¡°Crack!!¡± The heavy shell shattered instantly upon impact. Before the lobster could even react, Duanmu Huai reached out and firmly grasped the lobster¡¯s backline, pulling the filthy substance out. At the same time, the lobster copsed onto the ground, motionless. ¡°Boom!!¡± However, before Duanmu Huai could breathe a sigh of relief, the earth behind him suddenly churned. Then, another lobster quickly emerged, mping onto Duanmu Huai with its w, attempting to cut him in half. But Duanmu Huai was no pushover. He roared and threw his hammer forward, instantly smashing the lobster¡¯s head, and the lobster quivered momentarily before bing a corpse. ¡°Can¡¯t believe lobsters could be this disgusting.¡± Staring fiercely at the lobster corpses in front of him, Duanmu Huai looked displeased. In this area, the most revolting to him, were these giant lobsters that seemed to have undergone nuclear radiation mutation. They typically hid in the soil, emerging to attack whenever they found prey. Even if one stayed far away, these creatures could still shoot lethal jets of water from their ws. If Duanmu Huai¡¯s power armor wasn¡¯t tough enough, he would have been pierced by these damn lobsters long ago. It would probably be tougher for Gerrick to take on these ws! And these lobsters are not edible¡­even if they were, there¡¯s no pot big enough to cook them in! Just as Duanmu Huai was shaking his head and nning to move forward, suddenly, a timid voice came from afar. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Excuse me¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai turned around and saw a figure waving at him from a nearby pavilion. ¡°Could youe over here, please?¡± ¡°???¡± Duanmu Huai approached the pavilion and saw a woman in a green robe with golden hair. She seemed to be hunchbacked, standing nervously in ce, looking helpless and pitifully at him. ¡°You needed me?¡± ¡°Hello, nice to meet you¡­¡± The woman respectfully and cautiously greeted Duanmu Huai, then she started to speak. ¡°The thing is, I was traveling on my master¡¯smand¡­ but I was attacked by a ruffian¡­ could I ask you a favor? That ruffian, he took my important ne. I would like to ask you to get it back for me¡­ Ah, of course, if you don¡¯t want to, I won¡¯t force you¡­¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Not far ahead, there¡¯s a cottage, he¡¯s there.¡± ¡°All right then.¡± Duanmu Huai thought for a moment and nodded. It¡¯s on the way, I¡¯ll just go and see. Following the direction the woman pointed, Duanmu Huai marched forward. Soon, he saw a tattered stone house in the middle of the swamp nearby. Not only that¡­ ¡°Hmm? Mmm??¡± As Duanmu Huai approached the stone house, he suddenly smelled a strong aroma! Is this¡­ the smell of small lobsters!? Following the scent, sure enough, he saw a man wearing an iron helmet sitting at the door of the stone house, beside him was a pot of cooked, bright red lobsters. ¡°Who are you?! what do you want?¡± Upon seeing Duanmu Huai, the helmeted man was startled, quickly grabbing his weapon and watching him closely. ¡°I just need a word with you.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai pointed back at himself. ¡°There¡¯s ady over there, she said you took her pendant. I¡¯m here to get it back.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, the helmeted man slightly rxed, eyeing Duanmu Huai with a hint of a smile. ¡°You want that pendant, huh¡­ hmm, I see¡­ well, you need to show a little sincerity, maybe I¡¯d be willing to sell it to you?¡± ¡°Sell it to me? I have no money.¡± ¡°Then we can¡¯t do anything about it, maybe you can give me that suit of armor?¡± ¡°I have another proposal.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai walked up to the man, who was nervously watching him, his hand gripping his weapon. ¡°What kind of proposal?¡± ¡°How about this?¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the pot of bright red cooked lobsters beside him, swallowing his saliva. ¡°I know a way to make this pot of lobsters taste even better, so let¡¯s make a deal. If I can make this pot of lobsters taste better, you give me the pendant and, as a bonus, treat me to some lobsters. How does that sound?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Huh???¡± Chapter 258 - 207: Invitation_1 Chapter 258: Chapter 207: Invitation_1 Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Helmet Man stared at him with a puzzled look. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to trick me into giving you my shrimp to eat, are you?¡± ¡°If I wanted to, I would just take it.¡± Duanmu Huai focused his gaze on the pot of shrimp before him. ¡°I used my secret recipe in there. You think you can do better?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded in agreement. ¡°I guarantee it¡¯ll be delicious. Want to give it a shot?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Helmet Man contemted for a moment. ¡°Fine, I¡¯d like to see how you do it, but let me get this straight; if you ruin my shrimp, we¡¯ll have a problem! I may be a small-time thug, but I¡¯m not easily dismissed!¡± ¡°Leave it to me! Can you handle spicy food?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem.¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai pulled a bag of red stuff from his pocket, tore it open, and dumped it directly into the pot. He then began to stir with arge spoon nearby. With Duanmu Huai¡¯s actions, a numbingly spicy and fragrant aroma wafted out, and upon smelling this aroma, Helmet Man¡¯s eyes instantly changed. ¡°Hey, what did you put in there? Why does it smell so good?¡± ¡°Hotpot base. It¡¯s perfect for eating crayfish.¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s mouth was also watering. What he had put into the pot was indeed a base for spicy hotpot. This was something that Duanmu Huai had gotten from the where he first advanced to a Destroyer Warrior. Fortunately, the base had a long shelf life and was not easily ruined, so Duanmu Huai made bold to use it. Although he wasn¡¯t very picky about food, he found the preparation of food in both Novice¡¯s Vige and Manaria to be too rough. Eating jerky every day also became boring, and since that was the case, why not use some hotpot base and have hotpot when he had nothing else to do? The only downside was the potential for a sore posterior afterward. @@novelbin@@ ¡°Sss slurp¡­¡­..¡± The fragrance of the numbing spiciness grew stronger, and Helmet Man couldn¡¯t help but drool. ¡°Hey, it should be done now.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but it¡¯ll probably taste better if it soaks a bit more.¡± Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t resist any longer. He removed his gauntlet, then sat on the other side of the pot. The two of them locked eyes. There were no words necessary. The silence spoke volumes. The red, spicy shrimp in front of them couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°Well, let¡¯s begin.¡± As Duanmu Huai spoke, he picked up a prawn, and Helmet Man on the other side couldn¡¯t wait to grab one and start peeling it. The sulent shrimp meat,bined with the slightly strong spicy and numbing taste, made Duanmu Huai feel like he was back to his days of eating spicy crayfish at night markets. Except¡­ This was much better than spicy crayfish! Satisfied, Duanmu Huai nodded at the shrimp in his hand. Crayfish may be delicious and fresh, but its size is too small. This might not be a problem for most people, but for Duanmu Huai, the size of a crayfish is about the same as a worm. His robust fingers could hardly peel and devein them. Every time, he had to pay extra for someone to peel the shells and deliver the crayfish to him, otherwise, he could only gnaw on them directly. But the shrimp cooked by Helmet Man wererger ¨C not as big as the prawns that Duanmu Huai had previously had, but decently sized, just right for his hands. Finally, Duanmu Huai had the pleasure of shelling and deveining crayfish. The crayfish in his mouth was tender and juicy, with no trace of fishiness. The numbing spicy taste made it even more savory, whetting his appetite. If only there were drinks or beer, it would have been perfect. ¡°Huff¡­¡­¡­¡± The pot wasn¡¯t small, but the prawns were huge, so it didn¡¯t take long for the prawns in the pot to be all eaten. Helmet Man, now satiated, leaned against the wall, belched contentedly. ¡°That was really good. I didn¡¯t expect you to be capable of this. You won¡¯t be taking back the soup, will you?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°Well, then I suppose I made a good deal.¡± Saying this, Helmet Man fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a ne, tossing it to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Here you go, this should be the thing. That woman is really naive, but at least she wasn¡¯t conned to death.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After receiving the pendant, Duanmu Huai tidied up, stood up, turned around, and left. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s eat together again next time!¡± Hearing Helmet Man¡¯s shout from behind, Duanmu Huai also waved goodbye. ¡°Definitely next time.¡± After this, Duanmu Huai went back to the pavilion where the woman was indeed waiting for him anxiously. ¡°This is the item you wanted.¡± Duanmu Huai handed over the ne he¡¯d gotten from Helmet Man, and seeing the ne, the woman broke into a beaming smile. ¡°Yes, this is indeed my stolen ne, thank you, you are indeed my benefactor¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate, I just got your ne back.¡± And also had a delicious meal. ¡°Ah, right, I think I forgot to introduce myself.¡± The woman said, casting a shy gaze at Duanmu Huai. ¡°I am Layas, a servant to the master of Volcano Manor, Lord Tannis. It is my duty as a recruiter to invite those with Heroic Qualification to the manor.¡± While speaking, Layas pulled out a letter from her bosom. ¡°Please ept this.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the letter in his hand and asked. ¡°This is an invitation from Volcano Manor, oh owner of Heroic Qualification. Please proceed to the Yatan teau in the Golden Tree Land. As soon as your strength is confirmed, Volcano Manor will certainly send you a formal invitation, asking you to be a warrior andrade.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Looking at the invitation, Duanmu Huai was somewhat indifferent. However, at that moment, he suddenly remembered something ¨C Audrey had said she was transported to a mansion on a volcano once when contacting him. Could it be the Volcano Manor she mentioned? ¡°Let me ask you something.¡± With that thought, Duanmu Huai turned to Layas and inquired. ¡°Have you seen a young girl with jet ck hair, all dressed up and pretty?¡± ¡°Ah, are you referring to Miss Audrey?¡± Layas was somewhat surprised by Duanmu Huai¡¯s question. ¡°She suddenly appeared in Volcano Manor, and is currently under Lord Tannis¡¯s care¡­ Ah, you must be the master she was speaking of¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes, so if I go to Volcano Manor, I can see her?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Layas nodded. ¡°Please rest assured, Miss Audrey is now well and without any major problems.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand. Thank you.¡± Hearing Audrey¡¯s whereabouts, Duanmu Huai felt a sigh of relief. At least he now knew where one of hispanions was. Layas told him how to get to the Yatan teau, where Volcano Manor was located. She said that therge elevator there hadn¡¯t been used in a long time. She rmended Duanmu Huai take the mine route, but for Duanmu Huai, climbing cliffs was easier than squeezing himself into a narrow mine tunnel. Duanmu Huai chatted with Layas for a while more before excusing himself to leave. After all, he had many things left to do. Knowing Audrey¡¯s location gave him some peace of mind. Still, it was a pity that he didn¡¯t know where the rest of hispanions were. Ogis mentioned being in a ¡°cave full of a starry sky.¡± Duanmu Huai was clueless about this. Lorena only reported being in a white snowfield, with giant figures roaming around. It wasn¡¯t the least bit helpful. Bambi was the worst off, trembling in a temple. She sent out a bat to scout and knew that the temple was on a piece of rednd. There was a bridge in front of it, and a dragon on the bridge¡­ Well, that was all Bambi could tell him. ¡°Master,e save me, the weird tall guy is so scary, and goes crazy all the time¡­¡± Bambi was almost on the verge of tears. However, Duanmu Huai still didn¡¯t know where she was. But as long as he found a piece of rednd, he should be able to locate her. After saying goodbye to Layas, Duanmu Huai continued on his journey to the Magic Academy. All along the way, he could see buildings that had been flooded and copsed. He didn¡¯t know what had happened here exactly, but it looked like there had been a flood. Apart from the Magic Academy, located at a high point, all the other buildings were affected. The broken and damaged remnants of the buildings told the tale. For some reason, theyout reminded Duanmu Huai oddly of Manaria Magic Academy. The setting was simr¡ªthe Magic Academy was located in the highest part of the region, connected to the outside world by a long bridge, and lower areas were for towns and living quarters. Could all Magic Academies in the universe be like this? At this time, it was alreadyte. Under the cover of the dim night sky, only the brilliance of the Golden Tree still sparkled. If you think about it, the existence of four seasons and the cycle of day and night under the ground is quite odd. All of this seemed to be the doing of the Golden Tree. In the daytime, its glow would be brighter, simr to the sun. During the night, its glow would dull down, looking more like city lights. ¡°¡­¡­¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai shifted his gaze. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the front. ¡°Tap¡­ Tap¡­ Tap¡­¡± The sound of horse hooves echoed. Under the shine of a moon-like glow, a giant figure slowly emerged in front of Duanmu Huai. It was an armored cavalryman in pitch-ck armor, atop a tall horse draped in ck fabric. Like a ghost, he gazed at Duanmu Huai, a murderous intent gleaming in his eyes. The visitor was ill-intended. Duanmu Huai gave a slight chuckle, gripping the War Hammer in his hand and staring back at his foe. ¡°Good. I ate too much just now. Time for some post-dinner exercise.¡± Chapter 259 - 208: Dog catching a Mouse_1 Chapter 259: Chapter 208: Dog catching a Mouse_1 After cooking and exercising, Duanmu Huai arrives at Le Lucalia Magic Academy. I must say, any ce with the name ¡®Magic Academy¡¯ tends to be beautiful. This ce is no exception, with its tall magnificent buildings, courtyards and halls shrouded in a hint of mystery, and the arrangements of stacks of books and scrolls, each giving a sense of being in a grand hall of knowledge. Ann would surely love this ce. Duanmu Huai could even imagine that if Ann came here, she would stare at this library with sparkling eyes and drool on the spot. Since it¡¯s a magic academy, there are naturally many mages. However, the outfits of these mages left Duanmu Huai speechless ¨C all of them were wearingrge, cartoonish hats! What on earth was this custom?? Duanmu Huai had even taken off the hats of these mages to inspect them. He thought these mages must be wearing such things due to mutations caused by magic studies, such as having arge head, four eyes, or a deformed skull unlike those of humans¡¯. However, the heads underneath the hats appeared to bepletely normal without any mutations. Well¡­Duanmu Huai could only guess that this might be a peculiar local custom. For example, the female students at Manaria Magic Academy would wear short skirts like those depicted in cartoons. Although that was quite pleasing to Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. But if he had to wear a hat like those at Le Lucalia Magic Academy, he would refuse politely. Soon enough, Duanmu Huai regains his focus. Because he discovered¡­he seemed to not be the first guest here. ¡°It seems that someone else has made it here before me.¡± Facing the bodies of the dead mages, Duanmu Huai frowned. After crossing the main entrance of the academy and entering the school building, he discovered that nearly all mages here had been killed and their bodies were left sprawled on the ground. Judging from the traces around, there had been a fierce battle here. And it was a recent one. ¡°Thud!!¡± ¡°ng, ng, ng!!¡± Just then, Duanmu Huai quickly picked up on a noise from above. His face darkened slightly and he gripped his war hammer tighter, heading up the stairs. Through the corridor and ssrooms and up the stairs, Duanmu Huai quickly reached a ce resembling a meeting hall. Then he saw two figures jumping around there. One of them was arge red wolf, with a lightsaber in its mouth and ferociously chasing its prey. And the one being chased by the red wolf was¡­¡­. ¡°Waaaaah, why is it chasing me, I¡¯m not tasty aaaaaah!!!¡± Melfy squealed as she jumped around, fully demonstrating the agility of the Spirit Rat Tribe. It seems wherever there was a hole, she would squeeze into it. However, the red wolf doesn¡¯t seem to want to let its prey escape and doggedly chases her around. ¡°This is nostalgic.¡± Watching the scene before him, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help reminiscing. It was like a scene from the cat-and-mouse cartoons, where Tom chases Jerry. The cat and mouse ran around the house creating a mess ¨C yep, that¡¯s basically what¡¯s happening right now. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t a ck maid around to hammer Tom. ¡°Ah, Sir Knight!!¡± At this moment, Melfy, who was being hard-pressed by the red wolf, also noticed Duanmu Huai standing at the entrance and yelled in desperation. ¡°Please help me!!¡± ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-!!¡± Upon hearing Melfy¡¯s cries, the red wolf immediately turned its attention to Duanmu Huai. Probably realizing that Duanmu Huai posed a bigger threat than Melfy, the red wolf roared and lunged straight at him. At the same time, a magic circle appeared behind it, and several lightsabers emerged, shooting towards Duanmu Huai! Well, it¡¯s a magic academy alright, even the dogs here know magic. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was a bit surprised. But he disregarded the flying lightsabers and continued forward, hammering at the red wolf before him. He struck it directly in the waist. The wolf howled instantly, falling to the ground. As the saying goes, wolves are tough except at the waist. It seems even magic-wielding wolves are no exception. With one swing of his hammer, Duanmu Huai broke the wolf¡¯s spine, paralyzing itpletely. As the red wolf tried to turn around and bite him, he seized its head and twisted, forcibly pulling it off. The red wolf slumped to the ground without a sound. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Looking at the red wolf¡¯s head in his hand, Duanmu Huai squinted. For some reason, he found himself instinctively inclined to behead his enemies in battle¡­ There shouldn¡¯t be the influence of any evil gods involved, right? ¡°Phew¡­thanks, Sir Knight¡­¡± Melfy, who was out of breath, arrived in front of Duanmu Huai and thanked him, then sat on the floor, spent. From her appearance, one could tell just how exhausted Melfy was. ¡°What happened? Why are you here?¡± ¡°I really have no idea¡­¡± Melfy startedining to Duanmu Huai. Like the other girls, she was also teleported away. When she came to, she found herself in this magic academy. At first, Melfy wanted to ask for help, but everyone in the academy acted like lunatics. They attacked her on sight, so she had no choice but to fight back and kill them. The bodies that Duanmu Huai had seen were her doing. Melfy, though part of the Spirit Rat Tribe, is not particrly strong. However, her small stature makes her better at stealth¡­ In other words, a rat is still a rat, Spirit Rat included. Using her petite body, Melfy managed to evade the mumbling magicians. She initially thought of searching for the Forest Princess or someone else at the Magic Academy, but upon arriving here, Melfy was caught by the Red Wolf. The opponent had a keen sense of smell, and he could use magic; Melfy couldn¡¯t escape at all. She was chased so hard that she cried out for help but to no avail. If it weren¡¯t for Duanmu Huai¡¯s timely arrival, she might have been exhausted to death. It¡¯s like a dog chasing mice, meddling in other people¡¯s business. Unfortunately, Melfy didn¡¯t know this proverb. ¡°Sir Knight, do you know where the princess is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I just hope she¡¯s all right.¡± In response to Melfy¡¯s inquiry, Duanmu Huai just shook his head. He too didn¡¯t know where Mistelina was teleported to. But that princess seemed to be quite active, which has given Duanmu Huai a bit of a headache. If she were to be driven by curiosity and do something troublesome¡­ that would really be troublesome. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s continue to explore inside. Follow me.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The two rested for a while before continuing forward. ording to Melfy, she already searched most of the ces during this time, but she didn¡¯t find anyone. There was one ce that Melfy had not been to yet, the huge library at the top. The path to it was blocked, and enemies were all around, so Melfy couldn¡¯t evade them. But now, with Duanmu Huai, these problems were naturally not problems. After passing through courtyards and corridors, the two ascended on arge elevator at the end and arrived at the top floor. Duanmu Huai reached out and slowly pushed open the massive door. Then, he led Melfy inside. The library was dark and appeared uninhabited. They walked forward together when suddenly¡­ ¡°Splutter!¡± Apanied by a soft sound, Duanmu Huai stopped. He looked down and saw a decapitated body beneath his feet. It seems he identally stepped on this poor fellow when he was walking. Wait¡­ ¡°Sir¡­ Sir Knight, something seems a bit off¡­ ¡± Melfy, who was perched on Duanmu Huai¡¯s shoulder, said uneasily. At the same time, candles were lit one by one in the dark library. They could see a group of young Mage Apprentices lying on the floor holding candlesticks, their faces cold and emotionless like the living dead, as they stared at the two. Then, a flickering light appeared, and Duanmu Huai saw a tall woman holding Amber, slowly descending from the air. ¡°Ah, my dear children, are you awake? I¡¯ve prepared many candlesticks and books.¡± The woman murmured to herself, and then she looked at Duanmu Huai, a spark of brilliance in her eyes. @@novelbin@@ ¡°Do you two want to be my children? Come¡­ I¡¯ll make you behave¡­ ¡± ¡°Sir Knight, this woman is creepy!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed¡­ Be careful!!¡± Almost instantaneously, Duanmu Huai abruptly jumped back, and then watched as a massive chandelier came crashing down,nding exactly where Duanmu Huai had just been standing. It was clear; the woman meant harm. ¡°No choice, we have to finish her off!¡± Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth, then jumped up, gripping his war hammer and swung it with all his might at the hovering woman. However, to his surprise, just as he was about to hit the woman, a golden barrier appeared, enveloping herpletely. The thunderbolt from Duanmu Huai¡¯s hammer had no effect on her; instead, it was knocked back by the barrier. What¡¯s going on? Before Duanmu Huai could figure it out, another headache-inducing scene unfolded. The seemingly paralyzed Mage Apprentices on the ground began their assault on him and Melfy. Chanting nursery rhyme-like spells and waving their wands and candlesticks, they made the books fly towards Duanmu Huai while mes spurted out, rushing towards them. What a nuisance! ¡°Die!!¡± Duanmu Huai roared, swinging his Thunder Warhammer down on the ground. shing bolts of lightning exploded, turning all the apprentices in front of him into charred dust. But then, something unexpected happened. ¡°Ahh¡­ my children¡­¡± As she saw the charred apprentice bodies on the ground, the woman in the air cried out in sorrow. However, as she sighed, streaks of golden light descended from the sky, covering the charred bodies. Under this radiance, the apprentices who should have been killed, once again came back to life! ¡°Come, my children¡­ It¡¯s time for you to be born again¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Having witnessed this scene, both Duanmu Huai and Melfy were left dumbfounded. The BOSS is invincible and can even revive minions? How is this even a fair fight?? Chapter 260 - 209: Full Moon Queen_1 Chapter 260: Chapter 209: Full Moon Queen_1 How on earth do I beat this guy? Duanmu Huai once again swung his War Hammer and sent the apprentice before him flying. He then looked helplessly at the woman floating midair. He had tried several methods to no avail. The spherical barrier protecting her seemed imprable, and there was no way to break it. As for the apprentices on the ground, although they were no stronger than chickens, they always revived, which was a real headache. Although Duanmu Huai had considered simply blowing up the tower, unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t, because he still needed clues to the ck de Tomb from here. If he blew it up, who would he turn to for help? ¡°This is annoying. How am I supposed to handle this thing?¡± Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help butin. Hearing hisints, Melfy thought for a moment and then her eyes lit up. ¡°Could it be rted to the song they¡¯re singing?¡± ¡°You mean this song?¡± Hearing Melfy, Duanmu Huai frowned. Indeed, from the beginning of the battle until now, these creatures crawling on the ground like shell-less snails had been singing. Either this boss had an obsession with having background music during battles, or this song had some special purpose. But¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t find the singer though.¡±@@novelbin@@ The entire library was divided into inner and outer rings and was very spacious. Duanmu Huai could easily wipe out the apprentices in the inner ring, but those in the outer ring would take more effort. And he wasn¡¯t particrly good at identifying positions by sound. Coupled with the apprentices spraying fire, flying books around,ughing and singing, he couldn¡¯t tell who wasughing and who was singing. ¡°Leave it to me, I can do it!!¡± Melfy volunteered earnestly at this moment. With a leaping jump, she jumped straight down from Duanmu Huai, then he saw her quickly passing through the gaps in the crowd, sprinting forward. As a member of the Spirit Rat Tribe, Melfy was naturally swift and dextrous. Although she was petite like a doll, the apprentices crawling on the ground with their hands were clearly unable to keep up with her. Melfy swiftly weaved through the crowd to an apprentice, then with a fierce cry, she thrust her slim sword forward, piercing the apprentice¡¯s throat. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± In an instant, the singing seemed to die down a bit, and Melfy immediately turned around and ran in the other direction after her sessful strike. ¡°That really is impressive¡­¡± Watching Melfy¡¯s agile figure, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He was somewhat envious of those naturally agile and swift people. But based on Duanmu Huai¡¯s firsthand experience¡­ the most effective method was still to tank through the hits. No matter how fast or reactive you are, without defense, you¡¯d still be done for once hit. It¡¯s the same in the game; Duanmu Huai¡¯s character wasn¡¯t very responsive, so he was often toyed with by agile characters in PvP situations. In dealing with these types, Duanmu Huai¡¯s method was simple. Blow himself up and turn the entire map into ruins. No matter how fast you can run, it¡¯s useless. Of course, there were times when it was useful. Like now. ¡°¡­¡­Click!¡± The singing weakened again, and simultaneously, a crack surfaced in the golden sphere surrounding the woman. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡¯s gaze intensified! So this is it!! With that thought, Duanmu Huai ignored the attacks of the apprentices around him, and once again leaped into the air. He swung his War Hammer forcefully, but unfortunately, although the spherical barrier seemed damaged, it still blocked Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack with its unbreakable sturdiness. But this meant that Melfy¡¯s idea was correct. As long as these creatures stop singing, this woman won¡¯t be able to hide in this sphere! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Suddenly, just at this moment, the faint singing that seemed to have been turned to the lowest volume abruptly disappeared. Along with a scream, the golden sphere shrouding the woman shatteredpletely, and at the same time, the woman also crashed to the ground. Great opportunity! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai got excited. He raised his War Hammer and rushed to the woman, mming it down on her with great force!! It seemed to be an instinctive reaction to theing danger. The woman stretched out her arm in desperation to protect her face. The next moment, Duanmu Huai¡¯s War Hammer hit her arm harshly. With the radiating thunderbolts, the apprentices around instantly turned into charred bodies, and at the same time, the woman also let out a mournful cry as she was knocked flying and crashed into the nearby wall. Next, the final strike!! Duanmu Huai jumped up and gripped his War Hammer, smashing it down on the woman once again! ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Just at that moment, the amber in the woman¡¯s arms suddenly burst into action, emitting a burst of gloomy energy that rushed towards Duanmu Huai. Then Duanmu Huai felt a strong impacting head on, pushing him back. When hended again, he saw that the gloomy energy had transformed into a thick, dark, cloud-like existence. Then, another voice sounded. ¡°In the name of Witch Lani, I dere: Do not disturb Mother¡¯s deep slumber¡­¡± As the voice echoed, the dark clouds gradually dispersed. Then, an figure identical to the woman, yet shining brilliantly, like a ghost, appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. She held a Magic Wand and slowly pointed it at Duanmu Huai. Meanwhile, the dark clouds seemed to have engulfed the entire library. ¡°Sinners, sing unto the future: This is Kallia¡¯sst queen ¨C ¡®Full Moon¡¯ Lena Lani, an embodiment of the ck night.¡± For a moment, the world seemed to flip upside down. The original library waspletely gone. The only thing before Duanmu Huai was a bizarrendscape of water and sky, and a full moon high in the air. ¡°What, what is this ce? What do we do now?¡± Melfy had also run back by now, looking astonishedly at the drastically changed scenery in front of her,pletely baffled. ¡°Regardless, just charge and attack!¡± Although Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know what the embodiment of Kallia¡¯sst queen was, since the opponent no longer had that invincible shield that was like cheating, it was time to attack directly! Just as Duanmu Huai prepared to charge forward again, he saw the woman raise her magic wand, aiming at him. Subsequently, a torrent of blue magical power converged within it. At the same time, Duanmu Huai¡¯s helmet issued a rapid warning rm! [Warning: High energy reaction detected] Damn, this can¡¯t be happening! Looking at the shing warning signal inside his helmet, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. At this moment, he didn¡¯t have time to think. He quickly dropped to the ground, and at the same time, a powerful torrent of magical power howled past Duanmu Huai¡¯s head, disappearing into the dark night in the distance. Damn it, can this be for real? Watching this scene, Duanmu Huai was dumbfounded. He knew his power armor was notmon, ordinary attacks would not break through its defense. However, the magic had triggered the high energy rm, which means¡­the magic that woman released had powerparable to that of the Light Spear? What kind of monster is she? At this moment, Duanmu Huai became anxious. He quickly jumped up. The woman was once again aiming at Duanmu Huai, trying to release her magic. Duanmu Huai reacted quickly, and as soon as he saw the woman raise her magic wand, he quickly threw his War Hammer at her! ¡°Bang!!!¡± The thunder warhammer heavily hit the woman, making her stagger. The magic she was about to release was also cancelled at that moment. Great! Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was d. If she had both offense and defense capabilities, this would probably be a tough fight. But now it seemed that this woman was just a typical mage, high attack, low defense¡­that would be much easier to handle!! With this in mind, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t hesitate and charged forward. At the same time, he pulled the chainsaw sword from his back and swung it at the woman!! ¡°Buzz¡ª¨C!!!¡± The rotating chainsaw sword came down from above and directly opened the woman¡¯s shoulder, deeply seeing into her body. At this moment, the woman hadpletely lost her ability to parry. The next moment, her body burst open and disappeared into the night sky. At the same time, a voice quietly sounded. ¡°¡­Ah, Lani, my dear daughter. Step into your own night¡­¡± Apanied by this low chant, a golden glow emerged once again from the woman¡¯s exploded body and fell onto the back of Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand. At the same time, a system prompt appeared before Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. [Obtained the ¡®Great Rune of the Unfortunate Births¡¯] [¡®Great Rune of the Unfortunate Births¡¯: Gained by defeating ¡®Full Moon Queen¡¯ Lena Lani, the Great Rune owned by the unfortunate demi-god] At the same time, the previous abnormal scene slowly disappeared, and the two returned to the library. At this moment, the woman was still sitting quietly in the center of the library, holding the amber egg in her arms. It seemed that what he had defeated just now was not her but more like a division of her power. Perhaps because the Great Rune was taken away by Duanmu Huai, there were no longer any apprentices around the woman who had been impossible to kill before, and the woman herself just sat there, mumbling and looking at the amber egg in her arms. ¡°¡­¡­My good children, where have you gone? Don¡¯t y hide and seek,e out quickly, I have prepared a lot of books andmps,e out quickly¡­..or have you be tombstones again? Are you about to be born¡­..?¡± ¡°¡­.Sir Knight, I think she is so pitiful, let¡¯s not deal with her.¡± Looking at the woman in front of her, Melfy spoke softly to Duanmu Huai. Indeed, the woman in front of them looked like a mother who loved her children dearly but was in a state of trance. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Looking at the woman in front of him, Duanmu Huai nced at the mark on the back of his hand. An unfortunate birth, huh? Forget it, let her be. With this thought, Duanmu Huai shook his head and then walked up. Perhaps sensing Duanmu Huai¡¯s presence, the woman slowly raised her head and stared at him. Her eyes werepletely devoid of any emotion, as if immersed in some kind of illusion. ¡°I want to know about the ck de Tomb¡­.do you know where the ck de Tomb is?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, the woman was silent for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Of course¡­.my child¡­¡­¡± As she spoke, the woman reached out her hand. With her movement, a book flew out from the bookshelf andnded in front of Duanmu Huai, slowly opening. Looking at the contents of the book, Duanmu Huai was silent for a moment, then picked up the book and nodded at the woman. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, my child¡­¡­.¡± After saying this, the woman lowered her head again, patting the amber in her hand as if soothing a baby. ¡°¡­¡­What has she been through?¡± Looking at the woman in this state, Melfy said worriedly, but Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°Whatever she¡¯s been through, it¡¯s beyond our reach.¡± After saying this, Duanmu Huai turned around and walked towards the door. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave here.¡± Chapter 261 - 210 Witch_1 Chapter 261: Chapter 210 Witch_1 After acquiring detailed information, Duanmu Huai quickly found the ck de Tomb, and inside found a ck de inscribed with a certain brand. He then returned to the cabin and handed it off to Roger. ¡°This¡­!¡± Looking at the ck de handed over by Duanmu Huai, Roger could hardly hide his astonishment. ¡°Could this be the ck de Brand? I didn¡¯t expect you to actually get your hands on it¡­¡± As he spoke, Roger gently stroked the oddly shaped ck de. ¡°Can you find the Rune of Death?¡± Staring at Roger, Duanmu Huai asked, to which Roger nodded in response. ¡°To infuse the power of the Rune of Death, even though it¡¯s just a fragment, a certain scale of ritual is needed. And the brand of the ritual will surely leave traces of the initiator¡­¡± As he spoke, Roger reached out and ced his hand on the de, and a sh crossed his eyes. ¡°I found it¡­ I now know the identity of the mastermind of the ritual, the instigator of the Night of Conspiracy. Moon Princess ¨C Lani, one of the children born to King gang and his first wife Lena Lani. Her name was hidden in the brand, and now we can confirm that she was the one leading the Night of Conspiracy, although we don¡¯t know why she did it.¡± ¡°Lani¡­¡± ¡°Yes, since this princess is the mastermind of the Night of Conspiracy, then her body must bear the curse of Predetermined Death. She lives in the magic high tower behind Kalya Castle in the north of the academy, the homnd of Lani¡¯s family ¨C the Kalya Royal Family, so she should be there.¡± After receiving the clue from Roger, Duanmu Huai and Melfy set off again for Kalya Castle, but¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ Sir Knight, the Moon Princess he mentioned, isn¡¯t she¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I know. It appears this encounter might not go well.¡±@@novelbin@@ In response to Melfy, Duanmu Huai looked helpless. They were still unclear about the situation here, but the rtionships between several characters were already clear to Duanmu Huai. It was evident, Lena Lani, the woman living in Le Lucalia Magic Academy, was Lani¡¯s mother. They had barged into her mother¡¯s house and beaten her mother. No matter how you looked at it, Princess Lani wouldn¡¯t be happy about it. As for the rtionship between Lani and her mother, there¡¯s no need to question it. After all, during the second phase, Lani even used magic to create a queen avatar to stop Duanmu Huai. This showed that their rtionship must be quite good. So the question was, what would a daughter think seeing strangers bust into her home and attack her deranged mother ¨C deranged because her child was lost? ¡°¡­ We should be grateful if she doesn¡¯t throw us out directly.¡± Melfymented helplessly, while Duanmu Huai let out a sigh. ¡°Look on the bright side, at least we didn¡¯t kill her. It more or less shows our goodwill?¡± ¡°No, no, no, Sir Knight, when you were attacking her, you didn¡¯t show any goodwill¡­¡± ¡°What was I supposed to do? I didn¡¯t think this would happen¡­¡± Although Duanmu Huai regretted it, a pity there¡¯s no cure for regret. They headed towards the high tower behind Kalya Castle, where Duanmu Huai and Melfy met the legendary Moon Princess ¨C Lani. ¡°Oh,¡­ it¡¯s you.¡± Sitting in the chair was a petite, adorable girl. She wore a white hat and a white robe. From the surface, she was indistinguishable from a human, but the four arms extending from her oversized sleeves and the puppet limbs under her robe revealed that like Ogis, Lani in front of him was a puppet. The gaze she set on Duanmu Huai clearly wasn¡¯t friendly. ¡°Why are you here, foreigners?¡­ I didn¡¯t send any invitation. Are you here to knock me down and take my power just as you did to my mother?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Upon hearing Lani¡¯s sarcastic mockery, Duanmu Huai was at a loss for words -aggressively intruding into someone¡¯s home and beating their mother¡­ that was abel he couldn¡¯t shake off. ¡°About that, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, but of course, I know apologies are pointless now.¡± After all, there wouldn¡¯t be any police if apologies worked. Although Duanmu Huai is a judge, that didn¡¯t help. At this point, Duanmu Huai stared at Lani. ¡°I came here for clues about the Rune of Death.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Lani¡¯s eyes grew colder. ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve uncovered quite a bit¡­ Indeed, I am Witch Lani, who stole a portion of the Rune of Death, and through a ritual, turned it into the ck de used for god-ying ¡ª killing Gedwin was indeed my doing. I know why you¡¯re here, but what you¡¯re looking for isn¡¯t here. I¡¯ve already killed and discarded my original body¡­ and the curse of the Rune of Death is inscribed upon that body.¡± ¡°Then where is this body?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s question, Lani snorted. ¡°¡­Why should I tell you? I don¡¯t hide my past, I don¡¯t regret it, but I won¡¯t offer anything just because someone asks for it. The curse you¡¯re looking for isn¡¯t here. I¡¯ve said all I have to say, now leave.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Upon hearing Lani¡¯s dismissal, Melfy felt uneasy, and Duanmu Huai could only shake his head in helplessness. If this was in a game, this NPC¡¯s reputation would be at least starting off unfriendly. The fact that it hasn¡¯t plummeted to hostile is already a good thing. Despite this, Duanmu Huai won¡¯t back down. After all, the Rune of Death is one of the things he currently wants to find most. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have to get the Rune of Death.¡± ¡°Oh? What do you n to do?¡± Lani raised her head, looking Duanmu Huai straight in the face. ¡°Do you intend to subjugate me with brute force, as you did my mother? If you want to do so, I don¡¯t mind, but the power of Witch Lani is not so easily ovee.¡± As she spoke, Lani slowly lifted her finger, a dazzling light emerging from her fingertips. A star-like brilliance surrounded Lani, and a surge of magical power welled up, spreading all around. Clearly, she was ready to fight at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Noticing the magical aura around Lani, Duanmu Huai quickly raised his hand. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t mind a fight, but having just beaten up her mother made his position a bit awkward. So, he had to try a diplomatic approach against Lani. ¡°I understand perfectly well that there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch. I have no expectation that you would ept my condition just by asking, so¡­ could we make a deal?¡± ¡°¡­What kind of deal?¡± ¡°If you have something you need me to do, I can do it for you. In return, I hope you can tell me the location of the curse¡­ How about it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s proposal, Lani stayed silent for a moment. ¡°Indeed, I do have something that needs to be done. But¡­ can a person like you, who has no loyalty, be trusted?¡± ¡°Trust is not a prerequisite for our transaction.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t show loyalty or trust toward you, but as a trade, our interests match¡­ I¡¯ll help you, and you¡¯llpensate me. I think that¡¯s enough.¡± Duanmu Huai watched Lani as he spoke, this was hisst attempt atpromise, but he could still abandon the deal. What the Judge aims for, you must give, whether you want to or not. If Lani still chooses to refuse, then even if his im is weak, Duanmu Huai will have to persuade her with reason. ¡°Not loyalty, but a trade¡­¡± Hearing this, Lani stared at Duanmu Huai, thought for a while, and finally nodded. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t dislike such a straightforward rtionship. After all, if it¡¯s my actions that have brought you here¡­ this could also be considered fate. Alright, I¡¯ll allow you to do this job for me. First, I need you to head to the Eternal City of Nokronon and meet up with a half-wolf warrior named zer. Find the hidden treasure within the Eternal City. As for the details, you can ask him when you arrive in the Eternal City. I¡¯ve marked the entrance on this map.¡± As Lani spoke, she waved her hand, and a map fell into Duanmu Huai¡¯s hands. ¡°Alright, you can go now. I hope next time you bring good news.¡± After finishing her sentence, Lani closed her eyes, clearly not intending to entertain them any further. Although the process wasn¡¯t smooth, Duanmu Huai got a further clue about the Rune of Death anyway. As for Lani¡¯s assignment, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t mind at all. After all, don¡¯t yers always have these kinds of chain quests in games? To get A, you have to find B, then B gives you tasks CDE. Once that¡¯s done, B asks you to find F to get a key for a door, and then F says that G stole the key¡­ Damn, if life were like this, there would be a lot of fist-fights. Of course, if Duanmu Huai were in the game and yed a cheeky little loli character, he could probably get Lani to spill the beans with just a cute gesture. Unfortunately, he currently has a charm level of 1¡­ There¡¯s no helping it. Off to do the quest he goes. Chapter 262 - 211: Ogiss Adventure_1 Chapter 262: Chapter 211: Ogis¡¯s Adventure_1 How long has it been since that moment? Ogis opened her eyes, beholding the night sky before her ¨C it was so magical here. Despite the stctites visible atop the subterranean caves, the entire dome was shrouded by a sparkling starry sky. At first nce, it seemed as if the whole city was draped in a veil of darkness. Her master was still yet to return. Ogis thought of this and gently shook her head. She had considered asking Duanmu Huai about his current location, but she ultimately did not reach out to him. After all, she knew better than to hurry these matters. No matter where her master was, Ogis believed strongly that he woulde to fetch her. Therefore, all she could do right now was to explore this ce, hoping to provide as much information as possible for her master. However, when Ogis arrived at this city,pletely shrouded in the dark curtain of the night, she was slightly astonished. What exactly was this ce? Ogis strolled along the streets, gazing both ways. She saw ornate yet elegant towering buildings on either side of the road and streetmps emitting faint lights, but there wasn¡¯t a soul in the city. It appeared as if the whole ce had died, void of any vitality. ¡°Glug!¡± However, as Ogis approached the first intersection, suddenly, a shadow descended from the sky,nding right before her ¨C it was a weird, metallic fluid object. It writhed non-stop like a silver rice ball. Ogis observed the ¡®rice ball¡¯ cautiously as she slowly backed away, raising her right hand at the same time to maintain her vignce. Following this, under Ogis¡¯ watch, the metallic sphere began to expand, twist, and deform, stretching out like a liquefied substance. It gradually transformed into a different shape. It was a girl dressed in a ck dress with silver twin-tails ¨C it was an exact replica of Ogis. ¡°?¡± Upon witnessing this, Ogis was visibly surprised, while the replica just stared at her before slowly speaking. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Ogis remained silent. Even though this ¡®Ogis¡¯ possessed the same voice as her, it didn¡¯t indicate that she was Ogis; not to mention Ogis had just witnessed her transforming. Naturally, Ogis spected that this creature perhaps had the ability to mimic others. However, the doppelg?nger didn¡¯t seem to care about what Ogis was thinking and kept talking on her own. ¡°You are separated from your master, so you arrived here. So, what is it that you wish to obtain? Why did youe here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Quite simply, your master has abandoned you.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªWham!!¡± As soon as the doppelg?nger finished speaking, Ogis narrowed her eyes. Simultaneously, she flicked her right hand. The glistening thread swiftly sliced the doppelg?nger into pieces. However, this strike seemed to have no effect. Soon enough, the dissected body began to merge again, restoring its former state. ¡°Why would you attack me?¡± ¡°Because, I am very angry.¡± ¡°Angry?¡± Upon hearing Ogis¡¯ response, the duplicate tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Why would you, a puppet, have such an unnecessary emotion?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± This time, Ogis hesitated for a moment and did not reply. ¡°You are just a puppet, just like me.¡± The doppelg?nger pointed towards Ogis, and then herself.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Puppets do not have emotions, and they do not need souls. We exist only for our masters. If the master needs us, we fight for him. If the master doesn¡¯t need us, then we are just discarded objects. Objects do not need self-awareness, let alone autonomy. You should¡¯ve been quietly waiting; why would you make this action that seems so pointless?¡± ¡°I¡­ I am not like that!¡± Grinding her teeth, Ogis felt somewhat unsettled by the other¡¯s words. She was clearly aware of a puppet¡¯s duty, but on the other hand¡­ ¡°Father created me to imbue me with a soul, to gift me a spirit!¡± ¡°So, are you still acting like a puppet, following the orders of your creator?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing this, Ogis was seemingly taken aback. Following this, a strange emotion that sent chills down her spine inexplicably emerged from the depths of her heart. ¡°No, I am not¡­ this isn¡¯t Father¡¯s order. These are Father¡¯s expectations¡­¡± ¡°Expectations, hopes, desires. Ultimately, what they all amount to is wanting someone to act ording to their words. Isn¡¯t this the value of being ordered?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it! I also long to understand human emotions! I also have a soul!¡± Unable to control herself any longer, Ogis shouted aloud. That unfamiliar emotion seemed to have shackled her heart, finally bursting forth like an uncontrolled flood ¨C even Ogis herself got startled after her outburst, having no prior awareness that she could yell that loudly. ¡°Understanding human emotion? What¡¯s the point in that?¡± However, the ¡°Ogis¡± across her just tilted her head, staring at her in puzzlement. ¡°After all, you can¡¯t be a human, can you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± The other party¡¯s words pierced through Ogis¡¯s soul like a spear, causing her knees to buckle and fall to the ground. The ruthless speech, as if stripping the deepest secret from Ogis¡¯ heart, made her feel totally powerless, as if everything was out of control and even the world in front of her began to darken ¡ª¡ª Yes, this is fear. However, despite these feelings, the words of the ¡°Ogis¡± before her were clearly heard. ¡°You should understand, no matter how much you imitate others, in the end, you are just a puppet, you cannot feel warmth, and you cannot feel pain. When other girls snuggle up to their masters to feel warmth, what can you feel? To you, these are all meaningless expressions, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Shut up¡­ ¡± ¡°We are puppets, not humans.¡± ¡°Ogis¡± removed her coat, revealing the body underneath¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s made of wood, connected by joints, the body of a puppet. ¡°Nothing more than a tool assembled by mechanisms, not a living being.¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± ¡°A tool should act like a tool, pursuing soul and life, is apletely misguided act¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!!!¡± Ogis leapt up with an angry roar, while the puppet strings in her hand began to interweave and twist to form weapons, sharp des, and spears. Under Ogis¡¯s maniption, these weapons woven from puppet threads shed and rushed towards the other ¡®herself¡¯ across. However, at the moment these weapons were about to prate the opponent¡¯s body, they stopped¡ªUntil then, Ogis noticed that invisible wires were extending from all directions, restraining her weapons. ¡°You didn¡¯t forget, I am you.¡± The other ¡°Ogis¡± lifted her head, her eyes devoid of emotion, but they made Ogis¡¯s heart tense. She quickly jumped back. The next moment, an invisible de swept across where Ogis had stood, breaking the solid ground into fragments. ¡°Do you remember Gavi? What¡¯s the difference between you in this state and her? Swallowed by emotions, rage, and ultimately the end of a broken puppet, don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°I will not be like Gavi!¡± Ogis once again manipted the threads, forming a barrier all around her to block the opponent¡¯s attack, at the same time clenched her teeth and growled in a low voice. ¡°Really? Look at you now, this way due to rage and fear, what¡¯s the difference with Gavi? Once the master abandons you, you will turn into another Gavi.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ ¡± Although Ogis wanted to retort, the words that emerged from her mouth were so weak. If she experienced the same thing as Gavi, would she end up the same way? After this doubt emerged from the depths of Ogis¡¯s heart, it wouldn¡¯t go away, like an invisible nightmare entwining her. This caused Ogis¡¯s actions to slow down ¡ª when she came back to her senses, a strong attack came head-on, Ogis grunted, then was thrown backwards. Her petite body slid and fell into the ten thousand-cubit deep abyss ¡ª¡ª at this critical juncture, Ogis instinctively extended her hand and grasped the stone chips before her. Then, she saw the other ¡®Ogis¡¯ slowly walk to her, bow her head and stare at her. ¡°Take a look, this is the weakness of emotion, if you were just abat machine, you would only need to think about how to beat me. But you haven¡¯t, because of these unnecessary emotions, your judgment and reaction ability have been disturbed, so you have this oue.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± In the face of her other self, Ogis remained silent. ¡°Anything else to say?¡± ¡°I see, so this is¡­my thought.¡± With these words, several glints of cold light shed from ¡°another Ogis¡±, and she was cut into pieces again. Then Ogis jumped up and stood firmly on the ground once more. Staring at the squirming, reamalgamating form of her other self. ¡°I once read in a book that people are often both the most familiar with and the most clueless about themselves. I didn¡¯t understand the meaning of this sentence before, but thank you for teaching me.¡± As she spoke, Ogis reached out and put her hand on her chest. ¡°I see. So when the hidden secret of my heart is revealed, there is such a pain and anger, this feeling of tearing my heart and lungs, is this sorrow and pain? Maybe, I can finally understand what Gavi was feeling.¡± Saying this, Ogis looked at the other party. ¡°Thank you. I always wanted to talk to Gavi, but I felt that I didn¡¯t understand Gavi¡¯s feelings nor her true thoughts. Just as you said, tools don¡¯t need emotions, even though I learned to have emotions, I still couldn¡¯t understand why Gavi made that choice¡­ until I felt all this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Can¡¯t understand.¡± At this moment, the other ¡®her¡¯ opposite Ogis restored her original state, staring at her. ¡°I can¡¯t understand, why at this time, you can still be so calm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± As soon as her voice fell, the Ogis opposite was abruptly lifted into the air, her body hanging in the air, while Ogis extended her right hand, the threads extending from her fingertips tightly wound around the enemy¡¯s body. ¡°Just as you said, even though I learned to have emotions, but ¡­ I am still a puppet.¡± Ogis¡¯s eyes at this moment became cold and dark. ¡°To a puppet, eliminating the enemy alwayses first.¡± Chapter 280 - 234: Only Flames Can Destroy the Giant Serpent_1 Chapter 280: Chapter 234: Only mes Can Destroy the Giant Serpent_1 Chapter 224 I Wrote the Wrong Chapter Number Again Duanmu Huai, in this world, has already taken down quite a few demigods. He then identified a pattern ¡ª¡ª the Golden n seem to relish merging with animals. Gerrick aspired to merge with a dragon. Ratain sat atop a horse. Now, this Lacard is arge snake wrapped around a head¡­ that being said, what on earth kind of thing is this? ¡°Join my tribe of the Snakening, let¡¯s devour gods together!!¡± Looking at the monster before him, a snake with arge face wielding a disgusting giant sword, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brow. Truth be told, he never expected the king to be this lisp-talking, snake-person¡­. ¡°This is the destiny of Lacard.¡± At the same time, Lani¡¯s voice rang out. Turning his head, Duanmu Huai saw her figure, which had stealthily appeared beside him, looking at Lacard with a touch of sadness. ¡°The once Lacard was a hero who desired to raise his g against the Golden Tree and would rather walk the path of deliberate sphemy than give up his will. However, after devouring the giant snake, his soul gradually merged with its wicked entity. The Lacard of now is long gone ¡ª¡ª all that remains is but a wild beast with Lacard¡¯s memories.¡± Having said this, Lani turned her head to look at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Finish him. Just like Ratain, grant him a mourned and worthy death.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± While talking, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the Warhammer. Looking up, he then fixed his gaze on the giant snake. ¡°Lacard, let me confer upon you ¡ª¡ª Predetermined Death!¡± The moment Duanmu Huai roared, ck mes erupted from the Warhammer in his grasp. He lifted the Warhammer high and brought it down firmly onto the giant snake before him. Sensing the fiery power of the Hunting God, the snake shrieked and raised its giant sword. At the same time, theva around the snake surged, propelling itself upward towards the raging ck mes. ¡°BOOM!!!!!!¡± The red and ck mes collided, the burstingva was instantaneously shattered by the ck mes, transforming into a rain of fire spreading in all directions. Soon after, the spinning, coagting ck mes assumed the form of a giant sword, chopping straight onto the snake¡¯s body. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Under the firm strike of the sword of fire, the snake wailed as it fell onto the ground. And simultaneously, Duanmu Huai activated his jet-pack, leaping into the air and rushed at the snake¡¯s head, Warhammer in hand. ¡°You, you stay away ah ah ah!!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai charging towards himself, the giant snake let out a terror-stricken shriek. It wouldn¡¯t have been so fearful had this been a normal battle. But Predetermined Death was different; it was the horrifying existence that brutally and fully assassinated everything. Lacard had once joined forces with Lani due to this and the snake, having inherited his memories, naturally knew the horror of these ck mes. The moment it kills you, there¡¯s no chance for you anymore! It yelled while brandishing its giant sword, the surroundingva exploded again, shooting up into the sky, engulfing the vast dark figure in the blink of an eye. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Seeing this, the snake broke intoughter, thinking that regardless of what type of creature that guy was, once engulfed by this high-temperatureva, death was inevitable! ¡°Thud!!¡± However, before the serpent could fully enjoy the moment of victory, theva before it exploded abruptly. Duanmu Huai stormed out, swinging the hammer straight at the serpent¡¯s face! ¡°No, impossible! Why? Why are you unscathed?¡± Seeing this, the serpent panicked badly. Unfortunately, it was toote for it to dodge. Left stunned, the snake could do nothing but watch the Thunder Warhammer, engulfed in ck mes, trace an arc in the sky before¡­nding a heavy blow on its face. ¡°Thud!!¡± Compared to the size of the serpent, the Thunder Warhammer in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand seemed as small as a toothpick. Yet, the moment Duanmu Huai¡¯s Warhammer hit the snake¡¯s face, its cheek cracked just like a mirror does upon impact with a stone. Following a shrill scream, in the next moment, the serpent¡¯s cheek burst open, and it copsed onto the ground with a thud. ¡°No, don¡¯te closer! Don¡¯t!!!¡± The mes that could ughter a god, that was too much for the serpent as these mes were as deathly poisonous to it. The hot mes mercilessly pierced the serpent¡¯s body and the snake could feel the cold, intruding power gradually disintegrating its being. The terrified snake cried out, wriggling its body in a futile attempt to flee from it all. However, just as the snake lifted its head, it saw Duanmu Huai leap into the air, hammering down onto its head, again! ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!!¡± Along with the snake¡¯s tragic wailing, a ck me shot into the sky, enveloping the snake in its mes. When the mes finally extinguished, the snake that previously upied the spot hadpletely vanished without a trace. ¡°Compared to Ratain, you¡¯re just too weak.¡± Duanmu Huai emerged from the mes. Upon ncing at the Great Rune on the back of his hand, he helplessly shook his head. Compared to Ratain, Lacard was indeed insignificant. Perhaps due to his consciousness merging with the snake, it caused Lacard to act more like a wild beast during battle. But then again, thinking carefully, Gerrick was even weaker than him¡­¡­well, at least he wasn¡¯t bottom of the pack. But what¡¯sing next¡­ Duanmu Huai lifted his head, looking skyward. Wouldn¡¯t it be awkward to go back to Volcano Manor and meet Tannis now??? Although Duanmu Huai felt somewhat awkward, in actuality, he didn¡¯t have the chance to meet Tannis. When Duanmu Huai returned to Volcano Manor, only Audrey and Lorena were present. Oh by the way, Lorena is the Missionary Priest Duanmu Huai met on the snowfield when he went to carry out the Volcano Manor¡¯smission. She might be the only one in the world who does aerobics in the snowynd. ¡°Master, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Mmm, I already see, but I still wanted to ask, where is everyone?¡± ¡°Everyone has left.¡± Audrey shook her head, then extended her hand, giving a letter to Duanmu Huai. ¡°This is a letter Layas requested me to deliver to you before she departed.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± With curiosity, Duanmu Huai opened the letter, and luckily, in it, Layas did not speak of seeking death, but her intention to travel everywhere to search for the meaning of her life. Hmm¡­ An eptable choice for Layas. Traveling and seeing the world isn¡¯t a bad idea, considering its vastness. ¡°Alright, let us also get going.¡± Duanmu Huai packed up the letter and nced at Audrey. After all, a more challenging matter was waiting for him. Afterwards, Duanmu Huai, Audrey, Lorena, and Brother Shrimp together returned to Lani¡¯s Magic Tower. There, they met an anxious Melfy and Bambi. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± @@novelbin@@ ¡°I, I don¡¯t know either.¡± In response to Duanmu¡¯s inquiry, a pale-faced Melfy shook his head emphatically. ¡°Miss Lani is upstairs, examining Miss Mistelina¡­¡± As everyone was in an anxious state, Ogis came down, nodded at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Master, Miss Lani wants you toe up.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Guided by Ogis, Duanmu Huai arrived at the top of the Magic Tower, where he immediately saw Lani sitting on a chair, and on the side, lying unconscious with her entire body charred, was Mistelina. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± As he looked at Mistelina, Duanmu Huai asked. He had no reason to hold back. Lani answered his question with a grave expression. ¡°She is cursed by Three-Fingers.¡± ¡°Cursed?¡± ¡°Yes, Three-Fingers chose her as his envoy and sealed the Wildfire within her body.¡± ¡°Three-Fingers¡­ The one who wanted to restore the entire Bordend back into one, is he still alive? Never mind, that¡¯s not what matters now¡­ What¡¯s going to happen to Mistelina?¡± ¡°She will die, sooner orter.¡± Lani made the judgement with a t, yet ruthless tone. ¡°The moment she was consumed by the Wildfire, her fate was sealed. Like a lit candle, it¡¯s bound to burn out one day. When all the objects restraining the Wildfire are burned to ashes, that¡¯s when the Wildfire will erupt from her body, devouring the entire Bordend.¡± ¡°So, in other words, Three-Fingers turned her into a time bomb that will destroy the entire world.¡± When he heard Lani¡¯s exnation, Duanmu Huai¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Is there a remedy?¡± ¡°Valkyrie Marlynia once forged a golden needle tobat foreign threats. In theory, if used correctly, the golden needle could suppress the Wildfire within the body. But the problem is, that needle has long been lost. I don¡¯t know where it went, so I have no way to find it.¡± ¡°Are there any other alternatives?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Indeed, there is one.¡± this time, after a long contemtion, Lani finally gave an answer. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Predetermined Death.¡± As she spoke, Lani pointed a finger at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Predetermined Death is the end of all things. In theory, it should also be able to eliminate Wildfire. Of course, this is only theoretical. If you can¡¯t control the power of Predetermined Death, this girl too will be killed by you along with the Wildfire.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I understand what you mean¡­¡± Duanmu Huai knitted his brows. Although Lani¡¯s exnation was not clear, Duanmu Huai understood her meaning. He remembered a character he had read about in a novel who was a young girl that possessed a simr power, with the ability to both see and kill everything. This meant not only physical death, but also specifying certain ¡°illnesses¡±, and even ¡°curses¡± and ¡°magic¡±. If the power of Predetermined Death was simr, then Duanmu Huai could indeed try to eliminate the Wildfire inside Mistelina without harming her. ¡°So, what should I do?¡± Duanmu Huai quickly decided to take up this solution. Even though Lani had warned him that a small mistake could kill Mistelina, for Duanmu Huai, killing her did not seem like that big of a sacrifice. Because, after all, this was the World Fragment, and as long as this piece of world became a belonging of Duanmu Huai, he could directly convert Mistelina into a Soul Card, then employ certain means to retrieve her from the graveyard. It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. ¡°Very simple.¡± For some reason, Lani was wearing a cunning smile as she looked at Duanmu Huai. ¡°You just need to inject it into her body.¡± ¡°¡­ How do I inject it?¡± ¡°However you want. From above or below, do it however you like.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Chapter 264 - 212: Temple of the Beast God_2 Chapter 264: Chapter 212: Temple of the Beast God_2 Honestly, even the battle-hardened Duanmu Huai felt chills run down his spine upon seeing the swarm of centipede-creatures, their bodies akin to colossal centipedes, dozens of legs on each side clicking their way towards him. These creatures were far more repulsive than the Nagou Beast. Fortunately, though the monsters here were disgusting, theirbat abilities weren¡¯t particrly strong. Aside from Melfy, who was so frightened that she hid in his arms and refused toe out, there was nothing else of special concern. The creature guarding the temple entrance did take quite a bit of effort from Duanmu Huai to take down¡­ Flying creatures were always tricky to handle. ¡°Thud!¡± With the bird-headed guard copsing heavily, Duanmu Huai arrived at the entrance of the temple. He stretched out his hand, pushed open the door, and stepped in. Immediately, he saw a petite shadow jump down from the ceiling, wrap its arms around his neck, spin around in a circle, and burrow into his arms. ¡°Master, you¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°Mm, I¡¯m here. Are you alright, little one?¡± Seeing Bambi, Duanmu Huaiughed and reached out to pat her small head, prompting Bambi to immediately start grumbling. ¡°It¡¯s not alright at all! It¡¯s dirty and smelly here, there¡¯s nowhere to bathe, there¡¯s nothing to eat, I¡¯m about to starve to death, how about letting me take a bite out of you, Master?¡± ¡°Wait a bit, and I¡¯ll take you to have a big meal¡­¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-!!¡± However, at this moment, Duanmu Huai suddenly heard an angry roar from within the temple. Soon, he saw a huge shadow charging towards him. Without any hesitation, he swiftly grabbed Bambi and leaped backwards out of the temple. ¡°Bang!!!¡± Just as Duanmu Huai lifted his front foot, the huge shadow where his back foot was came charging out. It violently banged open the heavy temple doors and red at Duanmu Huai with hostility. ¡°¡­thief¡­ you dare show your face before me again!¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡±@@novelbin@@ Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow, then gestured for Bambi to take Melfy and retreat. At the same time, he tightly clutched his war hammer. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize your type of monster.¡± ¡°¡­ The scent of the Rune of Death¡­¡± At this moment, another figure emerged from behind the monstrous creature. This was a warrior wearing a peculiar double helmet. His face was also icy cold as he stared at Duanmu Huai, raising his weapon. ¡°Was it you, who stole the fragments of the Rune of Death?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai paused momentarily before it clicked in his mind. He had indeed acquired the ck de Brand from the ck de Tomb previously. ording to Roger¡¯s ount, the brand was made by infusing the energy of the Rune of Death fragments through a ritual. Wait a minute¡­ With this thought, Duanmu Huai stared at the towering creature and his shadowypanion. ¡°So, you are the ck Sword Marikas?¡± ¡°I will not let the Predetermined Death be stolen again!¡± The gigantic creature stared at Duanmu Huai, speaking coldly. ¡°Return the fragments! I may spare your life!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I should be saying, monster.¡± Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the Thunder Warhammer, a glimmer in his eyes. ¡°Hand over the Predetermined Death, and I can give you a quick death.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t seed.¡± At this moment, the fighter wearing the peculiar double helmet strode forward. sping his longsword, he pointed it at Duanmu Huai. ¡°I ¨C D, will not allow such evil deeds. ept your death, sinner!¡± ¡°That¡¯s my line! You can¡¯t afford the price of defying the will of the Tribunal!¡± As soon as his words fell, Duanmu Huai tightly gripped the War Hammer and charged at the warrior before him! ¡°Alley-oop!!¡± Facing Duanmu Huai¡¯s attack, the warrior was not afraid at all. He held a great sword, took a step forward, and fiercely swung down the sword towards Duanmu Huai. But Duanmu Huai held the War Hammer upside down and swung it forward hard. The roaring Thunder Warhammer struck the plunging great sword, instantly flipping it over, then Duanmu Huai rushed forward fiercely, charging at the warrior like a raging rhino, directly hitting him and sending him flying. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± At this moment, the beast covered in a cloak roared angrily. He lifted his right hand and swung a w, the sharp and cutting wind tearing the ground apart and hitting Duanmu Huai. The next moment, the beast leaped up, stabbing his dagger-like short sword towards Duanmu Huai¡¯s body. ¡°Useless!¡± With Duanmu Huai¡¯s roar, an invisible force gathered in front of him, turning into a raging wave rushing towards the huge beast, directly blowing it away. Meanwhile, the warrior, having got back to his feet, rolled over to Duanmu Huai¡¯s feet, and thrust the great sword hard at his heart from behind. ¡°ng!!¡± The great sword shed at the outeryer of the Power Armor only to be bounced off. At the same time, Duanmu Huai swung his right hand fiercely, and the erupting Thunder Warhammer swept over the warrior¡¯s head. ¡°Bang!!¡± The next moment, the warrior¡¯s body was sent flying high and then heavily smashed into the ground. Before he could get back up, Duanmu Huai stepped forward and instantly squashed his body into mincemeat with his foot. ¡°St!¡± The gold and silver armor twisted and shattered like a fragile insect¡¯s shell under the pressure of his foot. However, just then, Duanmu Huai suddenly felt that the ck de Brand that was ced in the pocket of his armor seemed to have sensed something and began to emit a strange fluctuation. Following that, a bone-chilling cold force, as if to freeze his soul, rushed up from his foot, all the way to his left hand. Looking down, Duanmu Huai saw that half of a strange ring-like object had appeared on his hand. The shape of this object was half a circle, and around the circle, there emerged a number of twisted brand-like shapes that resembled tentacles. At the same time, a system prompt appeared in front of Duanmu Huai. [Obtained Death Mark (Death Rune Fragment)] I see¡­ Seeing this, Duanmu Huai instantly understood the situation. Clearly, Lani had stolen half of the Rune of Death before, while the other half was on this warrior ¨C it seemed his luck was rather good. One could indeed find what he was seeking without much effort¡­ The opponent had just presented himself on a silver tter and saved Duanmu Huai the energy of looking for him! ¡°No¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± A roar sounded and Duanmu Huai turned his head, only to see the beast staring at him viciously. ¡°I will not allow you to take the Rune of Death!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s riching from you, didn¡¯t you steal it from someone else first?¡± With regards to the beast¡¯s words, Duanmu Huai scoffed. He could steal but I can¡¯t? What sort of logic is that? ¡°I will not allow¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± As he spoke, the beast raised the short sword in his hand and stabbed it forcefully into his left hand! ¡°Gasp!!¡± Bambi and Melfy were both shocked seeing this, Duanmu Huai also raises an eyebrow. Gerrick and this guy. Why do all the bosses in this world like to cut off hands? Could it be that you are all part of the Japanese yakuza? Always ready to cut off a finger? ¡°Death¡­ be my sword once again¡­¡± However, this beast did not cut off his hand as Duanmu Huai had expected. Instead, he slowly pulled out the short sword that was originally stabbed into the back of his left hand. Meanwhile, a cold, shivering, dark me emerged from his body,pletely incinerating the cloak that covered the beast. Underneath the cloak was a creature in ck Battle Armor, looking like a werewolf. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The beast raised his head and howled, then copsed on the ground. The short sword in his hand had now turned into arge, inky-ck sword, burning with a vivid red glow. The beast turned his head, his eyes filled with the chilling glow of death, staring at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Meet your doom, thief!¡± Chapter 265 - 213 - All Fears Stem from Insufficient Firepower_1 Chapter 265: Chapter 213 ¨C All Fears Stem from Insufficient Firepower_1 Upon the moment that he saw Marikas change form, Duanmu Huai could feel a powerful fear welling inside him. It was a fear that he could not control, a fear that came from the core. It was not like his own Fearful Aura ability, systematicallypelling an individual to feel terror. This was the despairing dread of confronting the end of all life ¡ª¡ª the inevitable conclusion of everything The fear of death.@@novelbin@@ Indeed, it¡¯s the power of the Rune of Death! Once he noticed this, Duanmu Haui, initially shocked, then rejoiced. He¡¯s considered a Demon God now, practically a Demigod in the Main Universe. Even a being of such elevated status as himself is experiencing this fear. This means the ¡°Predetermined Death¡± truly has the power to kill a deity! Knowing just this is more than enough for Duanmu Huai. Just one small problem¡­ How should he go about fighting it? sping the Thunder Warhammer in his hands, Duanmu Huai stared at the ck Dagger-wielding Marikas in front of him, swallowing hard. He now knew for sure that this creature could kill deities, so there¡¯s a chance it could kill him too. He currently had a ¡°rebirth¡± talent but the problem is, the power of death doesn¡¯t necessarily obey his expectations. Like some berserker who could revive seventeen times but still, it died with just one blow from the Death Eye. What if Predetermined Death also has this kind of power? Duanmu Huai might really die here. ¡°Huff!!¡± Marikas didn¡¯t seem to want to be wasting any breath on him. He jumped into the air, his great sword swinging violently, then a red-ck Sword Qi roared downward. It darted straight toward Duanmu Huai, who had no choice but to lift his Thunder Warhammer to defend himself. ¡°Boom!!¡± The Sword Qi struck Duanmu Huai, a strange power coursing into his body with it. The power was like an icy me, rapidly pulsing in his body, and simultaneously, a system notification appeared before Duanmu Huai. [Warning: Suffered an instant kill attack¡ª¡ªsessfully resisted, gained the curse¡ª¡ªPredetermined Death] [Predetermined Death: The Hunting God¡¯s me brings you pain and curse, all attributes reduced by 5% (stackable)] What the hell?! The sight of the notification nearly scared Duanmu Huai to death. Is this a joke? All attributes are reduced by 5%, and it¡¯s stackable? If I get hit a few more times, would my stats drop into negatives? What¡¯s the point in fighting if I¡¯m already starting with negative twenty points!! Duanmu Huai, realizing his disadvantaged position, quickly retreated, summoning tens of Puppets as a blockade. His attributes had reduced by 5%, even his maximum health reduced by 5%! If he took a few more hits he would run out of health! No wonder Gedwin was killed by the ck Dagger Assassins. This debuff is unbearable for anyone! Duanmu Huai had heard that Gedwin was swarmed by several ck Dagger Assassins ¨C a few rounds of that and Gedwin¡¯s attributes would¡¯ve been sliced down to the bare minimum. By the way, only Duanmu Huai¡¯s Charm¡¯s base-value of 1 remained robust. It seems there is an advantage in having attribute values locked. If it was more than 1 it would¡¯ve been even better. No more fooling around! Duanmu Huai did not want to follow in Gedwin¡¯s footsteps and be yet another victim of Predetermined Death. He hence resolved to not engage Marikas directly but to fall back to his true skills as a Soul Walker¡ª¡ª summoning. First, he summoned[Puppets]to set the scene, then activated[Power of Dragonization], moving the[Puppets] from his hand out of y, transforming all[Puppets]on the field into [Giant Dragons]. Attack!! In the blink of an eye, several Giant Dragons appeared before Duanmu Huai, who roared and opened their mouths wide to breathe scorching mes at Marikas. However, Marikas was oddly nimble and darted past the dragon¡¯s breath without breaking a sweat. He lunged into the dragons, instantly unleashing countless Sword Qi in all directions, hacking through several dragons in an instant. Damn it, this thing is really hard to handle! Upon witnessing this, Duanmu Huai gasped in horror. Marikas attacked quickly, covered arge area, and could kill instantly. This made normal card summons useless. Now, all he could do was summon more and more cards to fight against him. Biding his time while the dragons were getting killed, Duanmu Huai quickly activated the[Mobile Armor], giving himself a protective shield¡ª¡ªno matter what, he must not be killed by one single attack! Frankly, Duanmu Huai considered Marikas as a formidable enemy. He himself had minimal agility and reaction time, and always relied on strength, spell resistance, and rushing in without a care. This strategy would usually work with most opponents, but against those like Marikas with its own agility and evasive abilities, it would be apletely different scenario. What¡¯s worse, she could also curse him, if she were to attack for a few rounds, Duanmu Huai could find himself killed instantly! As a result, Duanmu Huai told Bambi and the others to move back, while he himself put some distance between him and Marikas, quickly summoning another wave of Puppets, transforming them into Sacred Knights. He also swiftly summoned a batch of Creatures and Mechanical Soldiers to charge at Marikas. But¡­ Damn it, who exactly is the boss here?! Looking at Marikas, holding a ck great sword, rampaging through his summoned minions, Duanmu Huai was infuriated. It reminded him of so many anime boss fights where the boss would summon a bunch of minions to fight the hero, but then the hero would harvest his minor enemies progressively, then execute the boss¡­ How does it look like I¡¯m the Boss here?? It doesn¡¯t matter, let me be the Boss then! If worstes to worst, I have only this trick left! As Duanmu Huai had anticipated, none of his summoned beings ¡ª¡ª be it Dragons, Creatures, Mechanical Soldiers, or even Sacred Knights ¡ª¡ª were a match for Marikas. Those whocked defense were sliced through, while those who were slow to react were avoided. Duanmu Huai had tried using magic against him, but Marikas was faster than the spell could cast itself! Truly like a dog!! ¡°Return the fragment, you thief!!¡± At this moment, Marikas had already killed Duanmu Huai¡¯s summoned creature, and it roared as it raised its sword, charging straight at Duanmu Huai. However, facing Marikas¡¯ ck sword, Duanmu Huai did not dodge, he only stood still, reciting the standard operating procedure of the Judge in his mind. 1. Start reciting the Weapon Hymn. 2. Face the enemy, ce your arms behind your back. 3. Pray to The Emperor, let your love and passion guide your righteous punishment. 4. Press the startup device. 5. Count to 3. 6. Throw it forward. 7. Look for a cover. 8. Pray for redemption. ¡°Splut!!!¡± Marikas¡¯ ck sword ran through Mobile Armor, quickly, ck-red mes rushed towards Duanmu Huai. At the same time, an Armed Enhancement once again appeared above Duanmu Huai¡¯s head, he raised his hands, revealing a ferocious smile, looking at Marikas before him. ¡°Surprise! Mother Fuxk!!¡± The next moment Duanmu Huai, under Marikas¡¯s gaze full of doubt and surprise, pressed the button in his hand vigorously. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± Bright light filled the world at this moment, even the originally blood-red ground turned into a pale color. The mushroom cloud surged into the sky, reaching up into the clouds. Hot mes and explosion bloomed around, engulfing everything in an instant. The deafening sound, even bursting the heart, emerged, apanied by waves scattering around. The dark temple could not withstand such a violent impact and shattered like jenga. Everything was engulfed by the violent shock wave. If it weren¡¯t for Bambi and Melfy fleeing far enough, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge such a terrifying destructive attack. ¡°Cough¡­cough¡­¡± Duanmu Huai slowly got up, he was likewise in bad shape, half of his Power Armor shattered under the violent bombardment. Luckily, the durability of the heirloom-quality equipment and Duanmu Huai¡¯s own physical attribute helped him survive the blow. But that dog wasn¡¯t so lucky. ¡°MMP¡­ bastard, weren¡¯t you very good at running?¡± Looking at Marikas, who fell not far from him, covered in charred marks, Duanmu Huai spat out a mouthful of blood and yelled at him. Yes, this is the ultimate move every MT yer has against agility users. Explode in ce. No matter how awesome you are, if I blow up the entire map, where can you run to? I¡¯m thick-skinned and can definitely withstand it, but whether you can or not is another matter! The so-called battle is to attack the enemy¡¯s weakness with our strengths, with such a thick health bar and high defense, isn¡¯t it a waste not to suicide a bomb? The weapon Duanmu Huai used is an imperial rocket bomb, originally this should beunched with a missileuncher, but yers like Duanmu Huai don¡¯t really like to use it because of low agility and slow response, not high uracy. Once the shell is fired, people probably have already run away. So someone got an idea from ¡®Radiation¡¯. Those mutants can hug miniaturized nuclear bombs to y suicidal attacks, why can¡¯t we? So soon this move became the staple of many melee yers. It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t hit, I¡¯ll rush over holding the bomb, and take you to death together ¨C oh, sorry, my armor is thicker than yours, I have more health, and my defense is higher, I won¡¯t die hahaha! Apparently, this guy is just as unlucky. Duanmu Huai grabbed his war hammer and walked step by step to Marikas¡¯ side, thetter was down and his ck sword was stuck in the ground¡ª¡ª it seemed that Marikas wanted to reim his great-sword to protect himself in thest moment, unfortunately, the st radius of this thing is not small, everything within a radius of one kilometer centered on Duanmu Huai was ttened by the explosion. It was already lucky for Marikas to have a body left. Duanmu Huai silently raised his war hammer and smashed it down hard on Marikas¡¯ head. ¡°Splut!!!¡± With a soft sound, Marikas¡¯s head was crushed into mince by Duanmu Huai. In front of Duanmu Huai, Marikas¡¯ body gradually dposed into thick ck smoke, the smoke incessantly swirling, congealed together, rising up. Then, a rune appeared before Duanmu Huai. It looked like a curved cross, it was all ck, encased in mysterious bright red mes. Is this the Rune of Death? Chapter 266 - 214: Seal Release_1 Chapter 266: Chapter 214: Seal Release_1 [Obtained Rune of Death (Fragmented)] [Acquired Special Ability¡ªck me: The ck me is the me of the Hunting God. After releasing the seal, it once again bes a terrifying existence (It can trigger an explosion through a charged attack, instant death judgment when the target is hit/ If the target sessfully resists, it reduces the enemy¡¯s maximum HP, decreasing enemy attributes by 1% (stackable))] [Divine Special Attack] ¡°Phew¡­¡± Duanmu Huai opened his eyes and let out a long exhale. Although it was a bit risky this time, obtaining the Rune of Death made it worthwhile! Especially the debuff against maximum HP, it¡¯s extremely useful for Duanmu Huai. He knew well that many chosen ones had damn annoying self-regeneration skills, especially those disgusting minions of the God of gue ¨C weak attacks only allowed them to regenerate more than the damage dealt, which was utterly infuriating. Now, cutting the maximum HP directly would really show them what¡¯s what! ¡°Vassal, are you all right?¡± Bambi anxiously hovered around Duanmu Huai, regarding him with concern, while his hand lightly touched Duanmu¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ just need to rest for a bit¡­¡± Upon hearing Bambi¡¯s query, Duanmu shook his head. He was currently resting against a mountain wall while his Skull Repair was busily fixing his damaged equipment. In fact, Duanmu himself had been injured in that self-explosion. If he hadn¡¯t umted enough Physical Attribute points and promptly used Armed Enhancement to boost his defense, he could have been fatally wounded or even half-dead by now. Although if he had preserved Mobile Armor, Duanmu could have escaped injury. Nevertheless, he had finally decided to sacrifice the Mobile Armor to lure Marikas. That damn dog was insanely swift; if Marikas didn¡¯t get what he wanted, he might have realized something was wrong and dodge away in time, and that would make Duanmu¡¯s self-explosion a totally wasted move. Thinking of this, Duanmu once again looked at the Rune Engraving on the back of his hand. The Rune of Death, which originally appeared in the form of a cross at the bottom of the Rune Engraving, was now reversed and surrounded by half a crescent-shaped rune that resembled a tentacle. In other words, Lani had originally stolen one third of the Rune of Death, so what she currently held should be the remaining half. Now that Power Armor had been fully repaired, Duanmu Huai stood up and moved his slightly sore body. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re all right, Vassal? Shall we rest a while longer?¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai get up, Bambi asked anxiously. Duanmu, however, shook his head. ¡°No need. We still have to find the others.¡± As he said this, Duanmu Huai frowned, a shadow of seriousness crossed his gaze. During his rest, he had contacted his threepanions. Lorena and Audrey were all right, but Ogis had informed him of some iprehensible anomalies, which had him quite worried. Even though ording to the card data, Ogis didn¡¯t seem to be in any peril, Duanmu still nned to rush to Red Lion City as soon as possible, y the Shard Star General Ratain, and lift the seal on Eternal City. Only in this way could he hurry to Ogis¡¯s side. Initially, Duanmu thought Red Lion City would be filled with a bunch of neurotic violence enthusiasts like in Stonewell Castle, but to his surprise, the city was entirely empty ¡ª not a single soul in sight. What¡¯s going on? With this mystery in mind, Duanmu walked forward with Bambi. Only when they¡¯d reached the depths of Red Lion City did he see a group of diversely dressed figures standing there. Some looked like warriors, others like mages, and still others were¡­ who knows what, to be honest. Say, that walking kettle with hands and legs. The Werewolf Soldier he¡¯d previously met outside of Eternal City was also present, so Duanmu decided to approach him. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve arrived.¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai¡¯s arrival, the Werewolf Soldier nodded appreciatively. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a while. I thought you wouldn¡¯te.¡± ¡°I was¡­ slightly dyed. But speaking of that¡­ what¡¯s going on here?¡± Duanmu looked around in confusion at the people around him. Had he not known his purpose foring here was to fight, he¡¯d have thought Red Lion City was holding some sort of festival or celebration. ¡°This is the Ratain Ritual, a ceremony to honor the eternal rest of the strongest warrior and greatest hero of the Shard War, Ratain. You should also know that Ratain was corroded by the Crimson Corruption during his bout with the Valkyrie. Now that his sanity is gone, all we can do is to give him an honorable death ¡ª a glorious death like that of a warrior.¡± With this, the Werewolf Soldier nodded towards the other warriors nearby. ¡°These are all brilliant warriors from the Bordend. They are all here with a desire to challenge this legendary figure and prove their own strength.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Now Duanmu finally understood why he had met no resistances on his way in. It seemed the subordinates of General Ratain were quite dependable. Well,paring them to that one in Stonewell¡­ it was ringly different. Chapter 267 - 214: Seal Release_2 Chapter 267: Chapter 214: Seal Release_2 ¡°Wee, brave warriors!¡± At this moment, suddenly, a loud shout came from the front wall. Duanmu Huai and the werewolf soldiers turned their heads to see an old soldier standing on the wall. Despite his old age, he remained energetic and upright. ¡°The stars fill the sky, the time of the ceremony has arrived! The strongest demigod in the Shattered War, General Ratane is waiting for you. Warriors, fight! Defeat your powerful enemies with honor and obtain the Great Rune! The fighting festival begins! The Ratain festival begins!¡± With the old soldier¡¯s shout, therge gate in front began to slowly open, and the gathered warriors walked in one by one to advance. Passing through thest castle, the warriors finally arrived at the battlefield where Ratane was ¡ª¡ª it was a deste desert, the battle g shining with golden glory stood there, and scattered everywhere were iplete skeletons. In this already devastated battlefield, a huge shadow was in it, his feet were chopped off, a nearly three-meter-tall body was riding on a thin little warhorse, behind him were several long spears and war des, he looked like a brave general. However¡­¡­.. Brother, I feel you, brother! Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help but tear up. After all, Ratain in front of his eyes was nearly three meters tall, and his war horse was just an ordinary warhorse, which made the two of them look together, it was simply asical as an adult sitting on a child¡¯s tricycle. This scene made Duanmu Huai immediately recall his painful memories ¨C when he used to ride an electric tricycle, it was almost the same! Not to mention sitting! Both legs can¡¯t even fit! It was so ufortable to sit on it! Not to mention electric vehicles, even motorcycles and bicycles, he couldn¡¯t ride! Seeing that we share the same plight, I¡¯ll let you die painlessly! Returning to his senses, Duanmu Huai clenched his War Hammer, and at this moment the other warriors were also roaring and raising their weapons, and charged towards Ratain!! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Although he had already lost his mind, the instinct of being a warrior seemed to remain in Ratain. Facing the enemy rushing towards him, Ratain aimed at the front with his bow and arrow. The next moment, a huge ck Iron Arrow whooshed out, instantly pierced through two unlucky bastards who couldn¡¯t dodge. Then, Ratain pulled several ck Iron Arrows from his back and put them on the bow, and shot them forward suddenly. In the next moment, these two or three-meter-long arrows fell like rain, and in the blink of an eyepletely annihted the enemy in front of him. It¡¯s no surprise that he was the strongest demi-god general, if this were to happen on the battlefield, just these two moves would have made the enemy army terrified. Although Ratane¡¯s two consecutive attacks killed several warriors, other people had already taken this opportunity to rush to his side at this moment. The first to bear the brunt, naturally, was Duanmu Huai. ¡°Die¡­¡­¡± Apanied by the roar, the War Hammer in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand whizzed out and smashed towards Ratain. Ratain also seemed to detect the threat of Duanmu Huai. He suddenly threw down his bow and arrow and took out tworge knives from behind and greeted Duanmu Huai.@@novelbin@@ The two collide heavily together. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The violent shockwave made the surrounding warriors have to choose to dodge, in front of these two giants, they found themselves unable to intervene. The terror of Ratane naturally goes without saying, and the man in the terrifying Battle Armor was equally chilling, just getting close to him, one could feel a sense of indescribable dread, even some warriors could not endure this fear, they directly threw away their weapons and turned to run. By the way, whether it¡¯s because of absorbing the power of the Rune of Death, Duanmu Huai¡¯s Power Armor after repair is no longer the previous white rabbit, but has returned to its original ck paint. The ck Power Armor and golden Skull Head inteced together, full of a kind of fear that people can¡¯t resist. What¡¯s different from before, is that this time a faint red me seems to be burning on the Power Armor, and the ck eye sockets of the golden Skull Head located on the shoulder and chest, also pulsated with crimson light. At a nce, it looked like the gold Skull Head embedded in the Battle Armor was some kind of living creature. That is, after absorbing the Rune of Death, the Fearful Aura rose to level 2, I guess (shrug). Duanmu Huai had grown ustomed to it. What else could be done in such a situation? Justy low, there was no hope left! Though having said that, the power of the Rune of Death indeed did work wonders. Duanmu Huai clutched the War Hammer, colliding time after time with Ratain. His hammer currently was also enveloped in pitch-ck, wrapped around with crimson and ck mes. And with each collision with Ratain, Duanmu Huai could feel the gradual weakening of Ratain¡¯s power. Clearly, the curse of the Rune of Death was draining Ratain¡¯s attribute, until¡­¡­ ¡°Bang!!!!¡± Both parties collided once again, but this time, Ratain wasn¡¯t able to maintain his footing. Duanmu Huai rammed him back several steps. Ratain¡¯s warhorse let out a long whinny, seeming to have no strength left. It copsed on the ground. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Ratain was ring at Duanmu Huai. He then roared angrily, raising two broadswords and mming them onto the ground. Subsequently¡­ they saw Ratain leaping and then¡­¡­ ¡°Where did he go???¡± Looking at the deserted battlefield, the warriors, including Duanmu Huai, were all baffled. They initially believed that Ratain was plotting a big move. How could he suddenly disappear without a trace? Did he run away because he realized he was losing? ¡°Hey, look, what is that?¡± At that moment, one of the warriors eximed in shock as he pointed towards the sky. Everyone look up and could see a gigantic fire meteor falling from the night sky, rushing directly towards them!! Gosh! He had this trick up his sleeve too? Upon witnessing this, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. However, surely he wouldn¡¯t stop here. Dodging was out of the question (since it was inescapable), so the only option left was to take it head-on! Coming to this conclusion, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth and scanned his surroundings to adjust his bearings. He then lifted the War Hammer and mmed it into the ground. Following that, the ck mes erupted from the ground, engulfing Duanmu Huai. The jetpack on his back burst forth once again, carrying Duanmu Huai onto the sky, dashing directly towards the meteor in the sky! The golden and ck meteors collided from above and below, from left to right, resulting in a deafening boom that tore through the entire battlefield. The massive shockwave that followed sent everything flying, shattering the battlefield into pieces. The warriors who weren¡¯t able to evade in time were blown away with screams, disappearing into the nighttime and leaving no trace behind. The explosions resembled a rain of fireworks falling from the sky, creating one crater after another on the ground. ¡°Thud!!!¡± A massive shadow fell heavily. Duanmu Huai, gasping in his Battle Armor and clutching the War Hammer, slowly rose to his feet. ¡°Phew¡­ This is indeed rough, two boss battles in a day is just too exhausting¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai was now utterly exhausted and debilitated, barely holding himself up. After all, he had only just barely recovered from his self-destruction, and now he had just headlong collided with Ratain, feeling like his very bones might shatter. Thankfully he remembered to stand on the left of the wave, or else he might have been the one to die. However, it seems the objective has been met sessfully. Duanmu Huai lifted his head, looking towards the starry sky overhead ¡ª streaks of meteors shot across the darkness, following which, their glistening brilliance crossed over the battlefield, falling into the distance and exploding into dazzling lights. The seal of Eternal City has been broken. Chapter 268 - 215: Unexpected Di Chapter 268: Chapter 215: Unexpected Di l worried about Ogis. After all, it was rare for the puppet girl to say she had a problem. Duanmu Huai had no mood to heal. After a brief rest, he took Bambi and Melfy back to the Eternal City. The city had already been struck by a meteor, forming arge hole. After contacting Ogis, Duanmu Huai quickly arrived at the abandoned city. However¡­¡­ ¡°What the hell is this!?¡± As the three of them followed the streets of the Eternal City and arrived at the Dark Night Sacred Region in the center, the first thing Duanmu Huai saw was a temple in the distance ¨C and a gigantic skeleton sitting atop it. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai, Bambi, and Melfy were all taken aback. As Duanmu Huai got a headache, he thought if there was another BOSS battle, he would have to fight for real! After all, his body was not made of steel, three BOSS battles in one day, it was crazy! However, fortunately, once the three of them got closer, they discovered that the giant sitting above the temple was already just a skeleton. It couldn¡¯t move, which eased Duanmu Huai¡¯s mind. He rushed in without pondering about who the dead person sitting atop d at Duanmu Huai. She then took off herce dress. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was stunned. What was under the dress was not Ogis¡¯ ordinary, smooth body, which seemed to be carved out of wood, but a body identical to a human girl¡¯s! Even the tiniest details were the same! ¡°No, this¡­ What¡¯s going on???¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was dumbstruck. He couldn¡¯t figure out why his puppet girl had suddenly transformed into a human. But this body is really¡­ ¡°Uh, you should put your clothes back on first.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Ogis put her dress back on. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai took a breath, thankful for his helmet hiding his expression. ¡°So, what happened exactly? I need you to tell me everything.¡± ¡°Very well, Master. This is what happened¡­¡± Ogis recounted what she had been through. After hearing Ogis¡¯ story, Duanmu Huai frowned. ording to Ogis, she encountered something strange that could mimic her and take on her exact appearance. But when Ogis defeated it, the strange thing suddenly pounced on Ogis and fused with her. This meant that Ogis¡¯ body was still that of a puppet, but she was covered in a shell of strange liquid. Not only that, but afterward, Ogis started feeling some sensations she¡¯d never experienced before. She wasn¡¯t sure if her body was damaged, so Ogis decided to sit still to avoid any idents. epting the small knife Duanmu Huai handed over, Lani nodded satisfyingly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it wouldn¡¯t be zer, but you who found it first¡­ Thank you. Now that all conditions are met.¡± As she spoke, Lani handed a sandss-like object to Duanmu Huai. ¡°This is our agreed trade. You just need to take it to Kalya Library, and you¡¯ll get what you want. And I will start on the path I chose.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Duanmu Huai extended his hand to take the hourss, then turned to look at Lani. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I actually have one more thing to bother you with.¡± ¡°What is it? Hopefully, it won¡¯t be too much trouble.¡± ¡°I just need some guidance.¡± As he was speaking, Duanmu Huai lifted his cloak and ced Ogis before Lani. ¡°She was once a puppet, but within the Eternity City that you mentioned, she encountered a creature that imitates and transforms into itself. After defeating it, this creature seems to have merged with her, and now she looks more like ¡­ a human?¡± blems?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an interesting issue.¡± Upon saying these words, Lani smiled slightly. ¡°Imitation Teardrops have no soul, so they are constantly seeking one. This girl, while not having a human body, perhaps the Imitation Teardrop sensed her subconscious desire to be human, leading it to merge with her. Isn¡¯t it he perfect match ¨C a soulless shell and a puppet with nothing but a soul?¡± ¡°So, it won¡¯t have any impact on Ogis?¡± ¡°The self-consciousness of the Imitation Teardrop has been destroyed, it only acts instinctively ording to the consciousness of the owner and won¡¯t cause any harm. Of course, being able to feel pain like a human can be a weakness.¡± As she stated this, Lani closed her eyes. ¡°What a pity. If I didn¡¯t already have very important matters to settle, this would make for a very good research topic.¡± ¡°Then, how about we make another deal?¡±@@novelbin@@ Duanmu Huai nced at Ogis next to him, then looked back at Lani. ¡°If you agree, I can help youplete the task you have at hand. In exchange, I hope you can help me resolve Ogis¡¯s issue.¡± ¡°Master?¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Ogis looked at him in surprise. However, Duanmu Huai just waved his hand at Ogis. Although he didn¡¯t have any problems with Ogis turning into a human, the current situation was certainly odd. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t know anything about the Bordend, but Lani was different. As a witch, she was well-informed about everything here and although his time spent with Lani was short, Duanmu Huai believed that to a certain extent, she was trustworthy. In response to Duanmu Huai¡¯s proposal, Lani merely smiled faintly. ¡°You foolish man, you have no idea what I intend to do. Can you really help?¡± fter a long silence, she seemed to have made up her mind, lifted her head to look at Duanmu Huai. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s worth the deal.¡± ¡± ¡­¡­.¡± Hearing this, Lani closed her eyes, thought it over for a while, then nodded. ¡°Alright then, if that¡¯s the case¡­ I¡¯ll tell you about my real n.¡± Chapter 269 - 216: Just This? _1 Chapter 269: Chapter 216: Just This? _1 Lani¡¯s purpose can be traced back to the beginning of this world. As per what Mistelina had earlier discussed, the initial part doesn¡¯t surprise much. At that time, this underground world was enveloped in mes, where all life merged as one. Then ¡ª the Golden Tree appeared, separating the me, and subsequently various types of life were born into this world. However, from this point, Lani¡¯s narrationpletely deviates from what Mistelina described. ording to Mistelina, the Golden Tree was born from the furnace mes, a deity protecting thisnd, hence they revered it as the ¡°Mother of the Earth¡±. Yet, Lani told Duanmu Huai that this wasn¡¯t merely a coincidence. In fact, the emergence of life from the furnace was caused by an external force. They call it the ¡ª Supreme Will. ording to Lani, initially, the Supreme Will sent a meteor made of gold and a wild beast to the Bordend, apanied by a representative of the Supreme Will ¡ª a finger. The golden meteor brought the Golden Tree. It differentiated the chaotic life furnace, transforming it into a world of order and life. Lives that once were one within the mes were separated by order. Then, as Mistelina described, the barrennd was covered by grasnds, the radiant rivers of magma became clear streams. Life divided and was born therein, bringing a new order and era to the Bordend. However, where there are people, there are struggles. After the separation of life, inevitably, tribal concepts and faith based on race arose. For example, the Spirit Rat Faith, believed by Melfy¡¯s Spirit Rat Tribe, or Mistelina¡¯s Forest Sect, the Stars and Full Moon Sect deep underground, the sect that worships the storm and the dragon¡­ and many others. Then, the Golden Tree became unhappy. Well, although Lani¡¯s exnation was a bit vague, Duanmu Huai understood the intention of the Supreme Will. I work hard to cultivate a piece of wastnd, yet you bastards go out and dere yourselves kings? So, I¡¯m just a charity for good deeds?@@novelbin@@ Thus, on how to deal with these ¡°rebels¡±, the Supreme Will internally divided into two factions. One faction imed that these ingrates were never to be trusted and that they should just return to the life furnace! Just like fixing aputer, when in doubt, formatting and reinstalling is indeed the quickest solution. The other faction thought this was too weak and that they should show them the power of the Supreme Will! As a result, the two factions had an internal brawl. The radical faction advocating for formatting was defeated and sealed beneath the Royal City. Whereas the remaining two fingers triumphed, gaining control of the Golden Tree Law of the Bordend. Afterward, just as Mistelina described, the Golden n began to attack other tribes. Although Mistelina didn¡¯t understand why, ording to Lani, it was simply the Supreme Will reiming orthodoxy. The Golden Law of that time was indeed unparalleled, granting infinite blessings to the faithful ¡ª this is why the Golden n could dominate the Bordend. After all, the gods of other tribes either were extinct or powerless, while here there¡¯s a god granting every request¡­ No one can keep theirposure against such a foe. Therefore, representing the Supreme Will, the Golden n defeated the giants, defeated the ancient dragons, defeated all the tribes and sects that dared to confront them. They established the supreme Golden Law in the Bordend. However, this didn¡¯t cheer the Golden n, especially Queen Marika ¡ª in fact, the more victories the Golden n ounted for, the more it proved the invincibility of the Supreme Will. This meant that their n would, generation after generation, forever be the representative of the Supreme Will. Well, in nice terms, they are representatives. But badly put, they¡¯re ves. All benefits the Golden n received were due to the Golden Law, which was established by the Supreme Will and outlines the origin of everything in the Bordend. The Golden n might look strong, prosperous, and flourishing in the eyes of other races. However, in reality, the queen knew very well that they were just chess pieces in the hand of the Supreme Will. If the Supreme Will wanted them to live, they would live. If it wanted them to die, they would die. This was already a known fact, almost all demi-human sessors like Lani have a so-called ¡°shadow¡± of their own. Though it seems that the shadow is a subordinate dedicated to them, the minute they break a rule or the Golden Law, their ¡°shadow¡± would kill them. Clearly, the Supreme Will anticipated that there might be rebels among the Golden n, thus it had this trick up its sleeve. No wonder Lani sought Duanmu Huai to help with such a crucial task, rather than relying on her subordinates. After all, Lani was afraid that she might be backstabbed by her loyal subordinates at some point¡­ Thus, Queen Marika started her rebellious path against the Supreme Will. To confront the Supreme Will, she first needed to destroy the Golden Law, so as to weaken the influence and control of the Supreme Will over the Bordend. For this purpose, Marika and Lani joined forces and stole a part of the Rune of Death from the ck Sword Marikas ¡ª when the Golden Law was created, the Rune of Death was separated by the Supreme Will. Clearly, if one wants to destroy the Golden Law, the existence of the Rune of Death is necessary. Then Lani, using her magic, channeled the power of the Rune of Death into the ck de. The task was handed to Lani instead of Queen Marika due to a clear reason. Lani used magic from the full moon, while Marika was the spokesperson for the Golden Law. If thetter would have done this task, it would have been like a clear confession ¡ª there¡¯d be no map left, and the dagger would be directly in front of the Supreme Will¡¯s nose. Unless it was blind, it would be tantamount to startling the snake in the grass. The Full Moon Magic used by Lani doesn¡¯t stem from the Golden Law and wouldn¡¯t draw the Supreme Will¡¯s attention. Nextes the Night of Conspiracy, where Gedwin is killed by the ck de. This led to an irreparable BUG in the Golden Law. ording to the Golden Law, demi-humans cannot die, only mortals return to the Golden Tree after death. However, if the Rune of Death wants to kill someone, that person is sure to die. There is no chance of survival. So in the process of this program¡¯s operation, death and life form a contradictory loop, ultimately leading to a BUG. That is, Gedwin¡¯s soul was killed, but his body survived. This BUG led to a conflict in the Golden Law. The originally ¡°perfect¡± Golden Law fell into chaos. If the Golden Law ispared to a machine that runs precisely without stopping, then Gedwin¡¯s death is like throwing a stone into the gears of this machine, clogging it entirely and causing malfunctions throughout. Seizing this opportunity, Marika personally took action and shattered the Golden Law. However, Marika¡¯s n was notpletely sessful. Lani was unclear about what Marika encountered after breaking down the Law as afterward, the entire Golden Tree was sealed off entirely. The Golden n, now devoid of their king, were desperately seeking to elect a new king. Originally, as per the session line, Gerrick should ascend to the throne, given Gedwin¡¯s death. But this guy¡­ well¡­no one would likely ept his leadership. So, the War of Shattered Laws began. The other children fought fiercely for the throne. Gerrick, who had nned to seize the opportunity to be King Elden, was driven out of the Royal City. He fled to Stonewell, to hide and plot his ventures. But for the War of Shattered Laws, Lani didn¡¯t care in the least. Regardless of who won the war, they would still repair the Golden Law and be ves to the Supreme Will. Now, with Marika¡¯s whereabouts unknown and highly likely to have fallen in the struggle against the Supreme Will, Lani had to solve this issue herself. Lani¡¯s n was simple; she needed to kill her own so-called ¡®fingers¡¯- every deity with the right of session to the throne had ¡®finger¡¯ protection. However, this was also their shackle. If Lani wanted to break free and regain her freedom, she needed to kill her own ¡®fingers¡¯. However, the ¡®fingers¡¯ represented the Supreme Will, and ordinary people couldn¡¯t kill them at all. The Rune of Death might do the trick, but even Lani couldn¡¯t directly use the power of the Rune of Death. Fortunately, she learned that the Dark Night n in the Underground Eternal City once created a weapon for ying gods- which was the small knife that Duanmu Huai brought back to Lani. By using this knife, Lani could eliminate and kill the ¡®fingers¡¯, severing the Supreme Will¡¯s obsessive observation over her. Then, she could go to the Royal City, use her own power, and shape a new Law to rece the Golden Law, permanently cutting off the Supreme Will¡¯s interference in the Bordend. ¡°¡­This is my n.¡± After casually exining her ideas, Lani peered at Duanmu Huai, who was rubbing his chin. ¡°So your idea is to permanently cut off the Supreme Will¡¯s interference in the Bordends? So what will happen to the Bordends afterwards?¡± ¡°They will begin anew in an era without the constraint of the Golden Law and interference from the Supreme Will.¡± As she spoke, Lani nced at Melfy¨C who waspletely baffled by Lani¡¯s string of revtions. ¡°I know about the existence of the Forest n. Maybe, under their construction, the Bordends will flourish differently than during the era of the Golden Law.¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± Hearing this, Duanmu Huai curiously looked at Lani, who raised her head and looked out of the window. ¡°I n to leave here and head towards thend where the stars reside¡­ Here, we only have deceptive starlight. I want to witness with my own eyes what the realnd of stars looks like. It may not be easy, but¡­ I won¡¯t give up that easily.¡± ¡°Oh, is that all!¡± However, upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai pped his thigh. ¡°No problem, leave it to me!¡± ¡°¡­???¡± A puzzled Lani frowned at Duanmu Huai¡¯s rxed demeanor. ¡°Do you understand what I¡¯m saying? That¡¯s the world where the Supreme Will resides, the eternalnd of stars and the full moon, even I¡¯m not certain¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I know what you want to say, you want to go to the starry sky, right? In that case, no problem, just leave it to me.¡± Duanmu Huai patted his chest, letting out a long sigh. He had thought Lani would present him with a difficult problem, but¡­ that¡¯s it? Well, that¡¯s a relief. Other than that, for Duanmu Huai, this was as simple as eating and drinking! As for cutting off the Supreme Will, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t object. After all, this Supreme Will didn¡¯t seem as benign as the Heaven the Cathedral Church Group worshipped. Rather than having this world fall into his hands and then being tricked by it, it¡¯d be better to solve it once and for all! ¡°¡­Are you sure you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± Lani stared at Duanmu Huai in doubt, her eyes filled with confusion. It¡¯s no wonder, the starry sky, for her, is nearly unattainable. But this man in front of her¡­ where did he get the confidence to dere that as long as it¡¯s left to him, it¡¯s possible? ¡°Of course, I understand you very well, so¡­¡± As he spoke, Duanmu Huai reached out to Lani. ¡°Is the deal confirmed?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Looking at Duanmu Huai¡¯s outstretched hand, Lani took a moment to respond, eventually stretching out her hand to give a light handshake. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me, provoking the wrath of Witch Lani is a severe crime.¡± Chapter 270 - 217: The Other Shore_1 Chapter 270: Chapter 217: The Other Shore_1 After reaching an agreement with Lani, Duanmu Huai finally had a reliable assistant and guide. After all, as a native, Lani was undoubtedly very familiar with the Bordend, so Duanmu Huai made a straightforward request for her to assist in locating the others. This was not a difficult task for Lani. At present, only Lorena¡¯s location was rtively remote. ording to her description, Lani judged that Lorena was probably in the Stargazer Vige in the snow ins. As for Volcano Manor, Lani confirmed that the route was extremely dangerous. The reason was simple. There were three sessors who attacked the Royal City back then, namely Lacard, Ratain, and Maleniya. Although Gerrick sneaked away in the crowd when the situation was bad, another person stepped up ¨C that was Bad Omen King Mongat. He led the Dark Night Cavalry and the Royal City Troops not only to withstand the attack from the three parties, but even counterattacked all the way to the doorstep of Volcano Manor. For this reason, almost all the way from the Royal City to the Volcano Manor has be a battlefield, and even now, the soldiers are still waging this despairing and endless war. Frankly, hearing this made Duanmu Huai somewhat surprised about Mongat. He didn¡¯t know how strong Lacard and Maleniya were, but he knew about Ratain¡¯s capabilities. Just that meteor-like attack from the sky alone could probably take out any ordinary person, and Maleniya, who was able to confront Ratain evenly and escape unscathed after causing the Crimson Corruption in Ratain¡¯s territory, was obviously not an easy opponent. And yet, the three of thembined failed to capture the Royal City? How formidable was this Mongat? Could he be the final boss? Of course, Lani also exined to Duanmu Huai that wasn¡¯t the case. Although the Royal City was besieged by three parties at the time, Lacard didn¡¯t personally participate but dispatched his confidant to lead the attack. As for Maleniya, as impressive as she was, upon learning during the siege that her older brother Mika was captured, she, being overly protective of her brother, resigned in the middle of the attack and turned to find her brother. In the end, only Ratain and Mongat fought evenly, and when Ratain saw the other two running away, he was not a fool to share a mutual destruction with Mongat. That would be simply handing out benefits to others for free, so he directly ran away. Such being the case, it can be seen that this kind of coalition withplex motives is nothing more than a fa?ade, which copses entirely at the first sign of difficulty. Alright, setting this topic aside, the most crucial point at the moment was the location of Mistelina. Duanmu Huai did not find any trace of Mistelina in the territories of Ningmugefu, Leyenia, and Gailied. Therefore, she was likely to be transported to other ces as well. At least from the current point of view, the girls around Duanmu Huai were basically sent to separate territories; for instance, Bambi was in Gailied, Melfy was in Leyenia, Ogis was in the Eternal City under Ningmugefu, Audrey was in Volcano Manor at Grimel Volcano, and Lorena was in the Stargazing Ruins in the snow mountain. From this perspective, Mistelina might also have been transported to a unique location. ordingly, Mistelina is likely to be on the Sobbing Peninsr, Yatan teau, Mika¡¯s Holy Tree Vige, or even the Royal City¡­ Of course, there is also the worst ce ¨C that is the Royal City Sewage, where the sealed Wildfire and Three-Fingers reside. After rifying the current situation, everyone quickly made a n. Bambi and Melfy would go to the Sobbing Peninsr first to investigate and see if they could find any clues about Mistelina. It was rtively safe there, and not too dangerous. If Mistelina was there, it would naturally be the best choice. As for Duanmu Huai ¨C Lani wanted him to go immediately to the Leyenia¡¯s God-granted Tower. She had already told Duanmu Huai that after the ceremony, she had transferred her soul into this puppet¡¯s body, then used the ck sword to kill the body she initially possessed as the demigod. Thus, the remaining half of the Rune of Deathy on Lani¡¯s own corpse. As long as he traveled to the Kalya Library and entered the God-granted Tower to reach the top, he could obtain the other half of that Rune. Honestly, Lani was also curious about what a full Rune of Death holder would be like. After that, Duanmu Huai would then search for the other fragments of the Magic Ring as guided by Lani. He now owned the Great Rune from Gerrick, the Great Rune from Ratain, and the Great Rune from Lena Lani.@@novelbin@@ The rest were the four ¡°Fragmented Kings¡± ¨C the Great Rune from Lacard, the lord of Volcano Manor, the Great Rune from Bad Omen King Mongat, the Great Rune from Blood King Monga, and the Great Rune from Crimson Valkyrie Marlynia. Last but not least, of course, was Ogis, who would temporarily stay in Lani¡¯s Magic Tower. The reason was simple ¨C Ogis needed to adapt to her current body. This wasn¡¯t an easy task for Ogis. After all, she used to be a puppet, and puppets don¡¯t have a sense of touch. For Ogis, whether she encountered snowy fields or zing winds, it didn¡¯t matter because the puppet body inherently had no Perception ability. However, now, after merging with the Imitation Teardrop, Ogis was like any human, being capable of experiencing all kinds of sensations. What made matters worse was that she was utterly unfamiliar with these sensations. The touch of something, the sensation of being scorched by fire, the feeling of freezing cold, and even the feeling of injury or being torn apart¡­ these were things thatmon people took for granted, but for Ogis, they were incredibly unfamiliar, which was why she had dared not move from where she sat her ce before. To Ogis, even just sitting and ¡°feeling¡± the earth was difficult to handle ¨C after all, she had never felt this before. So now, what Ogis had to do was to adapt quickly to the tactile feedback her body gave her, as well as to change her style of fighting. Ogis had always attacked by manipting puppet threads. For a regr puppet, this was not a problem, but for human skin, the feedback from the activity of the puppet threads, which were as tough and thin as fishing lines, was clearly of apletely different magnitude. Think of what it feels like when someone tries to catch the fishing line bare-handed when a fish is on the hook ¨C that kind of sensation. Therefore, for Ogis, this will be a rtively tough process. Time waits for no one, after determining their respective targets, Duanmu Huai and his team immediately set off in different directions. Bambi, being able to fly, took tiny Melfy to the Sobbing Peninsr, while Duanmu Huai went to the Kalya Library to retrieve the remaining half of the brand. Ogis stayed in the Magic Tower to relearn and adapt to her body. At the same time, while everyone is bustling around, Mistelina is undergoing an unimaginable adventure. ¡°Uhhh¡­ Ahhh¡­¡± The woman fell to her knees, trembling incessantly. Looking at the woman in front of her, Mistelina asked anxiously. ¡°Are you okay, Miss Haida?¡± ¡°Heh¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Hearing Mistelina¡¯s question, the girl called Haida slowly raised her head. Her eyes were covered with a bandage, she wore a thin robe and looked very weak. However, at this moment, her tone was incredibly fanatical and firm. Did I make a mistake¡­¡­? Looking at Haida in front of her, Mistelina began to regret. For Mistelina, her experience is equally unimaginable. After parting with Duanmu Huai, Mistelina found herself teleported to a strange ce. While she was searching around, she saw a blind girl sitting by the road. Being the Guardian of the Forest, Mistelina couldn¡¯t ignore her. So, she greeted the girl who then told her that her name was Eleina. Her father was the Lord of the nearby Morne City, where the servants were rebelling, and her father led the soldiers to resist. Eleina was very worried about her father, so she asked Mistelina to deliver a letter to him. Kind-hearted Mistelina naturally did not refuse Eleina¡¯s request. She took Eleina¡¯s letter to Morne City and helped the Lord eliminate those mad enemies. But when Mistelina returned to Eleina¡¯s side with her father, she found that Eleina was already killed. Not only was the father, the city¡¯s Lord, overwhelmed with grief, but also Mistelina felt greatly guilty. She felt it was her responsibility since she knew the ce was dangerous yet she didn¡¯t do enough to protect Eleina. The father, distraught at the loss of his daughter, gave a ¡°Shabolili Grape¡± to Mistelina before he left, hoping she would deliver it to a witch named Haida. Out of responsibility and guilt, Mistelina promised to do as he asked. Then, she watched as he, tired and injured, slowly walked away with his daughter¡¯s body in his arms. After that, Mistelina followed the father¡¯s instructions and went through Stonewell City ¡ª although she also wanted to find Duanmu Huai here, it was a pity that Duanmu Huai had already gone to the Magic Academy, so Mistelina¡¯s effort was in vain. But at the back gate of Stonewell City, Mistelina met the finger witch named Haida. She was dressed very simrly to Eleina and was also blind. ording to Haida, she was travelling in search of the Far Side me and asked Mistelina if she had Shabolili Grapes. It wasn¡¯t until Mistelina took out the ¡°grape¡± that she was shocked to discover that the so-called ¡°grape¡± was actually a human eyeball! What was even more unbelievable to Mistelina was that Haida ate it! It seemed she truly believed that what she had eaten was just a grape! Although Haida learned the truth about the Shabolili Grape afterwards, she did not stop, saying that as long as she ate the grape, she could clearly sense the location of the Far Side me. Seeing the weak Haida, Mistelina decided to not repeat the same mistake. This time, she would protect this girl properly and would not let her meet an untimely death like before! And so, Mistelina became Haida¡¯s bodyguard, protecting her along the way and searching for Shabolili Grapes. However, looking at Haida now, Mistelina was growing more uneasy. She did not know what the Far Side me that Haida was searching for was, but she had a feeling that it was not something good. ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am, I have felt the Far Side me, it is waiting for me up ahead¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± As she spoke, Haida once again stepped forward, and Mistelina hesitated for a moment before following her. No matter what, she must protect this girl until the end. Chapter 271 - 217 Complete_1 Chapter 271: Chapter 217 Complete_1 I made a mistake, it¡¯s Chapter 218 ¡°Is this Lani¡¯s corpse?¡±@@novelbin@@ Standing at the top of Leyenia¡¯s Divine Tower, looking down at the charred body before him, Duanmu Huai too bore a grave expression. Lani did what she had to, she had no other choice. Gedwin¡¯s situation had made it clear to her, when the Death Rune shed with the Golden Law, the general choice was to protect one and forfeit another. For instance, the Death Rune killed Gedwin, but under the Golden Law, the divine humans do not die. So what happens then? In the end, the Golden Law safeguarded Gedwin¡¯s body while the Death Rune annihted Gedwin¡¯s soul. A body without a soul is no better than a living corpse, and so, not wanting to repeat the same mistake, Lani transferred her own soul into a puppet, then killed her own body ¨C thus Lani was no longer divine and was free from the bondage of the Golden Law. Duanmu Huai reached out and lightly touched Lani¡¯s charred body before him. Immediately, he saw the brand of the other half of the Hundred Feet Ring emerging before falling onto his own palm. Then, Duanmu Huai felt a piercing paining from the back of his left hand while a system prompt appeared in front of him. [Rune Fragments 3/3] [Death Rune Completed] [Activating¡­¡­] ¡°Boom!!!¡± At this moment, Duanmu Huai suddenly felt a powerful force erupting from the back of his hand. The chillingly cold power of death spread throughout his body in a blink, reaching every part of him. Duanmu Huai only felt an extreme cold from head to toe, he could even feel the strong power seeping into every part of his body like blood. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah!!!¡± Along with the screams, triad colored mes ascended covering Duanmu Huaipletely. ¡°Ugh¡­ Aah¡­¡± Now, Duanmu Huai was kneeling on the ground, clenched fists, gritted teeth. At this time, Lani¡¯s admonish also echoed in Duanmu Huai¡¯s mind. ¡°The Golden Law only took shape after removing the Death Rune. Conversely, the Death Rune is the shadow of the Golden Law¡­ its power is equivalent to aplete version of the Golden Law. Controlling this power is very dangerous and equally difficult¡­¡± As anticipated, Lani was right. Duanmu Huai could feel the steady and unrelenting seepage of the Death Rune¡¯s power into every corner of his body, including his Power Armor and his soul, as though they werepletely merging with this power of death. Simultaneous with this, the system¡¯s rapidly flickering information was before his eyes. [Death Rune Activated] [Merging¡­¡­10%¡­¡­20%¡­¡­25%¡­¡­] [Detected the Demon God¡¯s Heart, Merge progress doubled] [Detected simr divine domain ¨C Evolving] [Please answer the following questions] [What do you wish to destroy?] [What does death mean to you?] What kind of philosophical question was this? Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth and endured the pain from his body, all the while staring at the questions in front of him. What to destroy? Was there even a need to ask? The duty of the Tribunal was to guard humans, any threats to human existence were the enemy, and the enemy should naturally be destroyed. However, the second question made Duanmu Huai hesitate. What death meant to him, this question was heavily philosophical, and he was no philosopher. But Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t want to simply answer with ¡®death is the end of all things¡¯. Besides, judging by the system¡¯s habit, this could likely be a trap question. The answer to thisst question could have unimaginable effects on him! Generally speaking, all things will one day die, this is the value of death¡¯s existence, to prove the beauty and grandeur of life. Simrly, ording to fatalists, life and death are part of the world¡¯s cycle; where there is life, there is death, and where there is death, there is life¡­ At this moment, the merge progress bar was already at 85%, but Duanmu Huai was still pondering ¨C then he looked at the question again, and had a sudden realization. Dammit, this damned question trap, nearly led him astray again! What death exactly was isn¡¯t important, what¡¯s important are the first four words -¡®What does it mean to you!¡¯ Right, regarding death, books and philosophers provide various answers, but those are their answers! The key now was ¡°What does it mean to you¡±- what is death! Having found the crux, the answer then was simple. To Duanmu Huai, what is death? Death ¡ª¡ª The method to destroy any enemy that dares to stand in front of the Tribunal! Any enemy that dares to stand in front of the Tribunal and threatens humans has only one path ¡ª¡ª death! Death is the wrath and sanction of the Tribunal! No mercy! No sympathy! In order to survive, to defeat all the enemies of mankind! What the Judge brings is death and destruction! ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The moment the question in Duanmu Huai¡¯s mind was answered, the original 95% fusion progress bar instantly filled up, and the mes burst into the sky once again. At the same time, the interface in front of Duanmu Huai also changed rapidly. [Rune of Death sessfully fused] [Destroyer Warrior upgraded to God of Destruction] [Weak Divine Power +3] [Skill Fusion] [Matter Discement][Attack Weak Points][Winning With Few Against Many][Bullying the Weak]¡ª¡ª¡ª¡±[Death Essence] [Death Essence: When hit, there is a chance to cause 500% reflective damage, simultaneously effective within a 20-yard radius against enemies, and has a certain probability of instant death to enemies in a state of panic (be careful at all times when facing the envoy of death, your attacks may bring a storm-like counterattack).] [Wrath]¡ª¡ª¡ª¡±[Soul Devouring] [Soul Devouring: The enemy who dies because of you will provide 1/10 of their life value for your recovery. Absorbing enough soul power can fend off a lethal attack once (Sorrowful souls have nowhere to run, their final destination is topletely disappear in your palm).] [Subspace Armor upgraded to Armor of Eternal Death] [Fearful Aura promoted to LV3] Apanied by lines of information shing, the mes rapidly expand, explode, and then, Duanmu Huai strides out from the center. ¡°Ha¡­¡­Brilliant!¡± Duanmu Huai clenched his fists, he could feel a powerful force flowing in his body, Duanmu Huai felt like a main character in a martial arts novel who fell into an immortal abode and identally swallowed an icy m, obtaining two full cycles of internal energy. He felt as strong as a bull and could knock down a towering tree with one punch! At the same time, the battle armor worn by Duanmu Huai also underwent earth-shaking changes. Previously, when Duanmu Huai¡¯s power armor was upgraded, only the color scheme and decorations changed. But now, it haspletely transformed into another look. First is its volume, the power armor Duanmu Huai currently wears is almost one circlerger than before, not only that, its appearance also changed. And the shoulder armor on both sides of Duanmu Huai has also be much taller, even connected to the rear armor. Duanmu Huai¡¯s head is located in the groove in the middle. Meanwhile, his helmet turned into apletely ck shape, with only the face turned into a white skull. In addition, behind Duanmu Huai¡¯s head, a ck stone monument iid with the Tribunal symbol stands tall. The whole power armor is ck, with a golden border. On the chest part is a ck, wings-spread war eagle logo. The centers of the shoulder armor on both sides, and the waist, are covered by three white human skulls. In their ck eye sockets, crimson mes keep jumping, giving people the feeling as if these skulls have life in them. Behind Duanmu Huai, the lower part connected to the monument is a jetpack loaded with scout skulls and repair skulls. At the knees, there are also skull pattern armors. A pitch-ck cloak wraps around him, looking like the wings of the Shinigami. Even the Thunder Warhammer in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand has a different form ¡ª¡ª The once t top now has a dense, tooth-like spikes. With one swing, it can probably punch dozens of blood holes in the opponent¡¯s body. Well, in a word. It¡¯s scarier. Okay, Duanmu Huai is used to it. This paintwork alone is enough to scare people to death on the streets. But this skill¡­¡­It must be based on my answers. Duanmu Huai nced at the evolved skills. Many of them were merged and then givenpletely different effects. Obviously, from the skill effects of [Death Essence] and [Soul Devouring], this upgrade clearly wants Duanmu Huai to charge on the front line again. After all, [Death Essence] is a reflective damage skill and [Soul Devouring] can restore health and resist. It means the more enemies Duanmu Huai kills, the higher the attack power he can defend. If he can annihte a few of the evil god¡¯s troops before facing the evil god,bined with the power of [Destroyer Warrior] ¡ª¡ª oh, no, now it¡¯s [God of Destruction], then even facing a blow from the Chaos Evil God, he could possibly resist it without harm. This is very important for Duanmu Huai! To be an invincible Hearthstone, you first have to be invincible. If you can¡¯t beat them, just run. The premise is¡­you have to be able to run away. Therefore, in order to maximize the effect of my skills, it is important that Duanmu Huai takes the lead, charges into the enemy line, uses reflective damage to knock down as many enemies as possible, and absorbs souls to increase defense and resistance¡­ ¡°Very good.¡± Duanmu Huai simted it in his mind, then clenched the war hammer tightly and swung it casually. The gains from the Bordend this time were beyond Duanmu Huai¡¯s expectations. Now it seems that he has enough capital to confront the Eternal Divine Chosen. Chapter 272 - 219 Intermittent Journey_1 Chapter 272: Chapter 219 Intermittent Journey_1 Afterpletely gaining the power of the Rune of Death, Duanmu Huai immediately set off towards the giant elevator. ording to Lani¡¯s statements, the elevator required a key to be activated. However, Duanmu Huai, not particrly keen on searching for the hidden key,unched his jetpack and flew directly to Yatan teau. Just as Lani described, the periphery of the Royal City was aplete mess, with ruins of war strewn all around. There were even several enormous Steel Giants walking the earth, wielding longbows and moving slowly. However, Duanmu Huai had no interest in dealing with these dull puppets, he chose to bypass the battlefield, intending to head to the Volcano Manor from another side. However, as Duanmu Huai was halfway there, suddenly a familiar aroma wafted over. Hmm? This scent is¡­. Deducing the origin of the scent, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes lit up instantly. He promptly turned and started heading in the direction where the scent originated from. Before long, Duanmu Huai saw a man sitting by the river under the Royal City, in front of him was arge pot that was exuding a tantalizing aroma. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Hearing the sound of Duanmu Huai¡¯s footsteps, the man was startled and immediately got up. Spotting the ominous figure standing not too far behind him, the man drew out his little knife in fright. Noticing the man¡¯s reaction, Duanmu Huai quickly removed his helmet and greeted him. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s you. You scared me.¡± Recognizing Duanmu Huai¡¯s familiar face, the man finally let out a sigh of relief. Duanmu Huai came over and sat down next to the man, his eyes caught on the bright red crabs simmering in the pot. ¡°Changed your taste this time?¡± ¡°Hehe, crab isn¡¯t too bad either.¡± The man chuckled. As it turns out, he was none other than Brother Shrimp, who ate spicy crayfish with Duanmu Huai in Leyenia. He stared at the pot for a while, then looked up at Duanmu Huai, rubbing his hands nervously. ¡°Actually¡­I have a request, do you still have the seasoning you gave me earlier? I had collected the remaining portion after that time, but it was hard to preserve it¡­¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Duanmu Huai perceived that the spicy aroma in the pot was not strong, it seemed that Brother Shrimp had used the soup ingredients excessively after that day, so now the smell was not as intense. Without saying much, Duanmu Huai removed a packet of hot pot ingredients from his pocket, opened it, and handed it over. ¡°This is for you.¡± ¡°Hey, thanks a lot!!¡± Brother Shrimp was evidently excited. He extended his hand to receive the hot pot ingredients from Duanmu Huai and scooped out some into the pot. He then carefully stored the remaining portion. Soon after Brother Shrimp added the ingredients, a refreshing and spicy aroma wafted out of the pot once more. Looking at those juicy and plump crabs, one couldn¡¯t help but salivate. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± Soon, both of them reached out and started savoring the delicious crabs. No denying, Brother Shrimp really knew how to cook. At least, he knew how to prepare these dishes better than Duanmu Huai. When they had the crayfish before, Duanmu Huai had just dumped the seasonings in and the vor was somewhat heavy. However, since crayfish itself is quite rich, it didn¡¯t pose much of a problem. When ites to cooking crabs, Brother Shrimp clearly paid a lot of attention to the ingredient proportions. His cooking not only brought out the deliciousness of the crabs but also didn¡¯t fail to highlight the spicy kick and aroma. For a while, both enjoyed their hearty feast, savoring every bite. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Before long, the pot of crabs waspletely devoured by the two. Brother Shrimp sat there, patting his round belly. ¡°That was truly satisfying¡­¡± ¡°What are your ns next?¡± As Duanmu Huai enjoyed the crabs, he curiously looked at Brother Shrimp. He noticed that Brother Shrimp was just an ordinary person, he didn¡¯t seem to have any specific ns, and now he was roaming around this dangerous Bordend all by himself¡­ Could it be that he¡¯s nning on bing a gourmet food connoisseur? ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡± Brother Shrimp shrugged. ¡°I used to be a small-time hoodlum and was locked up in a cell before managing to escape. Who would have thought, the world is now like this¡­ I don¡¯t know where to go or what to do¡­ don¡¯t even know what the hell the world is turning into¡­¡± ¡°I think with your cooking skills, you could open a restaurant, it would certainly do well.¡± @@novelbin@@ ¡°Ha ha ha, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Listening to Duanmu Huai, Brother Shrimp burst intoughter. ¡°If you¡¯re interested, I can rmend a ce for you.¡± Duanmu Huai thought for a moment and then offered. He found Brother Shrimp to be quite amiable. Although they have only met a few times, they did share exquisite meals together. Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t want anything to harm Brother Shrimp. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Volcano Manor to find someone now, if you trust me, wait for me here. After I return, I¡¯ll take you to a ce. Although not particrly bustling, it¡¯s definitely better than this mad ce swarming with dangers.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s proposal, Brother Shrimp pondered a moment before nodding in agreement. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯d like to see what kind of good ce you¡¯re introducing me to¡­I¡¯ll wait here for you.¡± While chatting with Brother Shrimp and eating crab, Duanmu Huai remained in mental contact with Bambi and Melfy, checking on their progress. Bambi did indeed bring Duanmu Huai some news ¡ª¡ª they had not found any trace of Mistelina on the Sobbing Peninsr. However, a wandering merchant provided them with a clue. He had seen a girl resembling Mistelina heading towards Stonewell Castle¡­ Mistelina headed to Stonewell? Admittedly, hearing this, Duanmu Huai was somewhat surprised. But one thing was certain, he and Mistelina had crossed paths. Thus, Duanmu Huai told Bambi to continue the search based on this clue with Melfy. At the same time, Duanmu Huai felt a bit relieved. At least for now, it seemed that Mistelina was above the Bordend, not below ¡ª¡ª it would be harder to find her if she was further down. ¡°¡­Oh, I¡¯d better tell you.¡± Just as Duanmu Huai finished his contact with Bambi, Brother Shrimp, who had been eating, seemed to remember something and turned to Duanmu Huai. ¡°Do you know the Feces Eater?¡± ¡°We¡¯re eating, can you not talk about disgusting stuff?¡± Duanmu Huai nced at the crab roe in his hand¡­ You are not doing this on purpose, are you? ¡°Hahaha, sorry, that¡¯s a disgusting, god-forsakenly ugly, cursed loon in an armour.¡± At this point, Brother Shrimp¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°It¡¯s clear you¡¯re powerful, but I still have to tell you, if you encounter that guy, stay away from him¡­ I shared a cell with him once, so I know. He¡¯s not like me, a petty criminal, he¡¯s a terrifying man. He kills to ce an eternal curse on souls, then he uses his curse to cover the entire corpse¡­ defiling corpses¡­¡± As he was speaking, Brother Shrimp seemed to recall something and shivered uncontrobly. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve never seen such a disgusting scene. I saw defiled corpses around here before. That guy was here¡­ be careful, don¡¯t run into him, he¡¯s bad news.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks for your warning, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Naturally, Duanmu Huai wouldn¡¯t pay much attention to a mere¡­ well, it¡¯s mealtime, so let¡¯s not talk about this guy. However, seeing Brother Shrimp¡¯s disgusted expression, he made a mental note of this. It was clear that this was nothing good. If he encounters it, he might as well take it down. While Duanmu Huai was chatting and eating with Brother Shrimp, Mistelina was in the midst of the most terrifying adventure of her life. ¡°Miss Haida, should we continue forward?¡± With a sword in one hand and a shield in another, Mistelina looked at Haida uneasily. Afterward, she followed this blind witch to the Royal City. However, to her surprise, the location of the Beacon Fire sensed by Haida was the city¡¯s sewer. Indeed, Mistelina swore she had never been to such a filthy ce. The entire sewer was incredibly dark, filled with rotten rats the size of dogs, cursed human and nt mutants, not to mention the filthy water and repugnant smell. All of which was almost unbearable for Mistelina. She had never encountered anything like this in the forest. It was clear that the sewer was more than just a mass of decay and filth. She felt something even more¡­ ¡°¡­!!!¡± At this moment, Mistelina abruptly stopped, raising her shield in front of her, carefully watching ahead. A bizarre, twisted figure slowly appeared under her watchful gaze. He was cloaked in a dirty, ugly armour that reeked of decay and stench, appearing as if he had just emerged from a pool of feces, emitting an overwhelmingly nauseating smell. The pus and filth covering the surface of his armour was unbearable to look at. He slowly raised his head, ring maliciously at Mistelina. Feeling his gaze, Mistelina couldn¡¯t help but shudder. There was no good intention in it, only pure hatred, anger, and loathing for the world and everything in it. ¡°¡­I will kill you, defile you. I will devour all of you, I am¡­ the Feces Eater! The curse of you all!¡± As he shouted, he raised his sword. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill and utterly defile your corpses! Let the curse give birth to all, let the descendants carry the endless curse!! I¡¯ll kill¡ª!¡± No sooner had the words left his mouth than he dashed towards Mistelina! ¡°Miss Haida, please stay away from me!¡± Mistelina raised her shield, shouting loudly. She didn¡¯t know who this terrifying man was, but it was clear ¡ª¡ª he had set his sights on her. ¡°I am Forest Princess Mistelina! Evil one, meet your death!¡± Youn out loudly, Mistelina raised her shield and charged towards the monster in front of her. Chapter 273 - 220: Desperate Fate_1 Chapter 273: Chapter 220: Desperate Fate_1 Duanmu Huai was oblivious, that at this very moment, Mistelina was facing the most dangerous battle in her life. After having a hearty meal of spicy crabs with Brother Shrimp, Duanmu Huai hummed a song and set off again, heading towards Volcano Manor. As Lani had mentioned, the path to Volcano Manor was not an easy one. But for Duanmu Huai, this level of threat was not too much of a concern. As he arrived at the entrance of Volcano Manor, Miss Audrey, who had been in contact with Duanmu Huai already, was waiting there for his arrival. @@novelbin@@ ¡°Master, I¡¯m sorry for causing you trouble.¡± The moment Audrey saw Duanmu Huai, she lowered her head and bowed. ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s my duty¡­ umm, by the way, I intend to meet the master of this ce. After all, they have taken care of you for so long, I should formally express my gratitude.¡± ¡°Tha¡­That¡¯s fine.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Audrey hesitated a bit but eventually nodded and then led Duanmu Huai into the Volcano Manor. Soon, under Audrey¡¯s guidance, Duanmu Huai was introduced to the master of the Volcano Manor ¨C a woman in a white dress and a white mask. Behind her stood a heavily armored knight. ¡°Greetings knight sir.¡± Perhaps because she had heard about him from Audrey, the woman was not too surprised by Duanmu Huai¡¯s visit. She sat in the chair and nodded slightly towards him. ¡°My name is Tannis, the master of this mansion. I¡¯m d to meet you. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Miss Audrey¡­.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Madam Tannis.¡± Duanmu Huai also bowed to Tannis, then scanned the surroundings with a puzzled look. If he remembered correctly, Lani had once told him that Lacard was the master of the Volcano Manor. But Lacard is not here now¡­? That reminded him, Lani had mentioned that Duanmu Huai should retrieve Great Rune from Lacard¡­ How was he supposed to do that without causing a scene? Regardless, these people had taken Audrey in, he couldn¡¯t very much repay kindness with cruelty. ¡°I am grateful to you for sheltering Audrey. If there¡¯s anything I can assist with, please do not hesitate to say it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind, sir knight.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Tannis chuckled slightly. ¡°Layas has mentioned you to me, stating that you are a promising talent. So I would like to ask you, would you be willing to join Volcano Manor and fight alongside us? The divine guidance, empty talk of arrogance¡ª we have no intent toply with all that¡¯s been imposed on us¡­ We want to challenge the Golden Tree. What are your thoughts, sir knight?¡± If it were in the past, Duanmu Huai might have had to consider it, but now that he knows the truth about the Golden Tree and the Golden Law from Lani, this wasn¡¯t a question for him at all. ¡°Of course, no problem. What do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Great.¡± Upon hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s response, Tannis nodded, then reached into her bosom to take out a letter, which she handed over. Duanmu Huai read the letter, which contained a name and whereabouts. ¡°What is¡­?¡± ¡°This is a contract from the Volcano Manor, your task is to hunt down the warriors who sided with the Golden Tree. If you have any doubts, you can just leave here. I understand, this isn¡¯t easy¡­..¡± ¡°I understand, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle it.¡± When Duanmu Huai finished the contents of the letter, he instantly understood Tannis¡¯s intentions. Those Tannis instructed Duanmu Huai to hunt down were loyal to the Golden n ¨C of course, for Duanmu Huai himself, he would not spare those who interfered either. After all, this World Fragment is his territory in the future, and thepdogs of the Golden Law must be exterminated in advance to prevent any future troubles. Right now, Tannis had not only found their names but also indicated their location, which obviously made Duanmu Huai very happy. ¡°Master¡­¡± After bidding farewell to Tannis, Duanmu Huai left the Volcano Manor. Audrey had followed him out as well. ¡°You stay here for now.¡± Although Duanmu Huai wanted to take Audrey with him, he thought about it and decided to let Audrey stay for the time being. On one hand, it was more convenient for him to act alone, and on the other, he needed Audrey to help him investigate the situation in Volcano Manor. ¡°Listen, Audrey, there¡¯s something I need you to do¡­ Have you ever heard of someone named Lacard here in Volcano Manor?¡± ¡°Tha¡­That¡­¡± When Audrey heard Duanmu Huai¡¯s query, she furrowed her brow, pondered for a moment, and then shook her head. ¡°Sorry, master, I¡¯ve never heard of anyone named Lacard.¡± ¡°Then, are you familiar with Layas?¡± ¡°Yes, master. Layas¡­ she is very kind, she was the one who discovered me and brought me into the Volcano Manor and asked Madam Tannis to take me in. She¡¯s a very good girl.¡± Chapter 274 - 220 Desperate Fate_2 Chapter 274: Chapter 220 Desperate Fate_2 ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Duanmu Huai nodded his head. ¡°In any case, I need you to stay temporarily at Volcano Manor and not inquire or look for anything. Conduct yourself as usual, but if anything unusual urs at Volcano Manor, notify me immediately. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes, master, I understand.¡± Although Audrey didn¡¯t know what Duanmu Huai was going to do, she obediently nodded in agreement. Duanmu Huai was quite confident in Audrey. Although she wasn¡¯t as lively as Ann, she was very obedient. She would do as instructed and nothing beyond that, perhaps a result of past training. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Having said that, Duanmu Huai turned and left. Audrey bowed her head silently, looking at Duanmu Huai¡¯s retreating figure. ¡°May your journey be smooth, master.¡± Meanwhile, in the dark sewer, a different scene was unfolding. ¡°Uh¡­¡­!!!¡± Mistelina fell to her knees, her face pale and drenched in sweat. Her once lustrous golden hair lost all its usual sun-like glow. The girl¡¯s face was dark and shadowy, filled with gloom. What the hell¡­ happened to me? Breathing heavily, Mistelina got up. Since her victory over that repulsive and grotesque creature, she had felt as if she were under a curse. Her strength was fading gradually and not just that, she could smell a nauseating odor surrounding her, as if trying to corrupt her soulpletely. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, my king¡­¡± Walking alongside Mistelina, Haida said softly. @@novelbin@@ ¡°I can sense it, the fiery mes¡­ Rest assured. Once you get to that door and meet Lord Three-Fingers, they will grant you immense favor and the cursed state within you will disperse,¡± Haida added, moving forward. ¡°Favor¡­ Curse¡­¡± Mistelina was somewhat delirious at this point, Haida¡¯s whisper echoing in her ears. She got up and followed Haida. In this moment, Mistelina wasn¡¯t hoping for any blessings or favors, she just wanted to remove the curse from her body. She didn¡¯t want to be like that terrifying, filthy, disgusting monster! She absolutely would not! ¡°This is the door, my king.¡± Finally, Haida halted. In front of her was a giant stone door, on which were ck, burnt marks. ¡°Please enter¡­¡± Haida turned to face Mistelina. ¡°I am a witch, and you will be king. The door will open for you, and you will meet Lord Three-Fingers¡­ May the Chaos mes deeply embed themselves within you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± Mistelina slowly reached the stone door, removed her armor, and pressed a hand against the stone, pushing hard. Following her movement, the door began to open. And then, Mistelina walked into the door¡¯s passage. As she looked up, she saw three fingers aze with me, moving slowly. Sensing Mistelina¡¯s presence, the fingers widened into a grand disy of fiery brilliance. For a moment, Mistelina felt like a butterfly drawn to the me, advancing further step by step. As Mistelina approached those three fingers, they reached out and firmly grasped her body. Then, Mistelina felt an incredibly hot me engulfing her from within, searing her body and soul. Her consciousness then faded into a nk void¡­ When Mistelina regained consciousness, she had left the stone chamber; Haida was standing in front of her, staring at her. ¡°Ah¡­ The Chaos mes have deeply embedded themselves within you¡­ My king¡­¡± ¡°What have I be¡­?¡± Mistelina lowered her gaze, only to find her arms and body covered in burns. However, unbelievably, though the wounds looked severely charred, she felt no pain at all. Just as Mistelina was struggling with her confusion, Haida reached out, took hold of her hand. ¡°My king, use your mes to burn me and make me your witch¡­¡± As she spoke, Haida lifted Mistelina¡¯s hand, cing it on her own eyes. The next moment, the roaring me erupted, shooting directly into Haida¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah, my eyes¡­ My eyes are melting!!!¡± Feeling the burning mes, Haida put both hands over her eyes and shrieked. Immediately, she copsed on the ground. This spectacle left Mistelina dumbfounded. ¡°Miss Haida, what are you doing? What have I done?!¡± ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t worry.¡± Hearing Mistelina¡¯s voice, Haida lifted her head and looked at her. ¡°Thank you¡­ I¡¯ve gotten Lord Three-Fingers¡¯ message. As your witch, let me ry it¡­ All forms originated from one, which brought forth diversity. With diversity came life and consciousness, but this is the Supreme Will¡¯s mistake. Pain, despair, curse¡ª- all evils and suffering stem from this. Thus we must return to the start¡­¡± ¡°What¡­ are you talking about?¡± In this moment, Mistelina¡¯s face was ashen. Though she didn¡¯t fullyprehend what was happening, there was a terrifying forceden within Haida¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s simple, my king¡­¡± Haida lifted her hand, her face revealing a smile¡ª a smile filled with madness and wild joy. ¡°Use the mes of chaos to melt everything, reduce everything¡­ return the entire world back to its original form. Please be that king, be the Chaos King¡ª who can melt and dissolve all pain, despair, cursed states, and all forms of evil and suffering. Without distinctions, without birth¡­¡± With the final words of Haida, a yellow me gradually manifested from her body and swallowed her whole. ¡°No, no, this isn¡¯t right¡­¡± Watching the silhouette of the blind woman consumed by the fire, Mistelina stumbled back in shock. She had never contemted destroying the world, she just wished to protect others, to guard life, but why, why has she sustained such a fate? What should¡­ I do now? At this moment, what engulfed Mistelina was an unprecedented, immense fear. Chapter 275 - 221: The Secret of the Western Mansion_1 Chapter 275: Chapter 221: The Secret of the Western Mansion_1 Duanmu Huai remained ignorant of the events unfolding underneath the Royal City, continuing his duties at the Volcano Manor, while maintaining contact with hispanions. Ogis was still under Lani¡¯s guidance, limating to her body. Bambi and Melfy were still on Mistelina¡¯s trail, fortunately, they have learned from their previous efforts and have begun asking about her whereabouts from wanderers at each location. ording to the wanderers, Mistelina seems to have escorted a young girl to the Royal City¡­ Meanwhile, Lorena seemed the most at ease, iming to be training on the Sacred Snowfield¨Cording to her, this frigid and high-altitudendscape was ideal for training. As per Lorena¡¯s ount, she had also made an interesting friend on the Sacred Snowfield¡­ Well, Duanmu Huai could almost picture the young girl running a marathon on the snowfield. It did seem quite fitting. Concerning the enemies on the list, Duanmu Huai didn¡¯t encounter much difficulty in dealing with them. In fact, given his current strength, he could easily neutralize most of the warriors. Originally, Duanmu intended to bring back a severed head or ear as proof of his victories. However, his enemies would instantly crumble to ash after their defeat. He initially feared that Tannis would disregard his ims, but to his surprise, she didn¡¯t seem to doubt his reports. He presumed she must have her own means of confirmation. ¡°Ah, Master,¡± As Duanmu Huai epted another ¡°job¡± and left Tannis¡¯s side, he was called back by Audrey. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Upon hearing Audrey¡¯s voice, Duanmu Huai halted his steps, but Audrey simply shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not me, it¡¯s Miss Layas¡­ She seems to have something for you.¡± ¡°Layas?¡± Duanmu Huai curiously followed the direction Audrey pointed to and quickly spotted the young hunchbacked girl in a green robe, standing timidly in a corner as she always did. He walked to her and greeted her. ¡°Hello, Miss Layas.¡± ¡°Ah, hello¡­ Hero.¡± Layas hastily returned the greeting. ¡°I heard you needed my assistance?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± Upon Duanmu Huai¡¯s query, Layas hesitated for a moment. ¡°¡­¡­Hero, have you heard any strange noise within this mansion?¡± ¡°Strange noise?¡± Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow as Layas nervously continued. ¡°Yes, sometimes I hear it, the noisees from the other side of the wall, along with sounds that resemble breathing¡­.and scales rubbing against each other¡­.I¡¯m sorry for asking such an odd question¡­¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything like that¡­.¡± Duanmu Huai shook his head and turned to Audrey. ¡°Did you hear anything?¡± ¡°Um¡­.¡± Audrey hesitated for a moment. ¡°I seem to have heard something simr, but I thought it was just insects¡­ Maybe a snake?¡± @@novelbin@@ ¡°Have you discussed this with Tannis?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was appropriate to bother Lady Tannis with such a trivial matter¡­ Maybe¡­ I¡¯m just tired.¡± ¡°It seems quite intriguing.¡± Duanmu Huai seemed interested. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it, might stumble upon something.¡± Perhaps this was rted to Lacard. Certainly, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t dismantle the Volcano Manner to investigate (even though it would be the most efficient course of action), but he had his own methods. After all, the Judge¡¯s Power Armor offered numerous functions besides its prestige, one of which was scanning and analyzing the surrounding environment. Duanmu Huai hadn¡¯t done this initially due to propriety, but now that Layas had pleaded for his help, he activated the scanner and patrolled the corridor. As he suspected, he quickly discovered a hidden passage behind a guest room on another floor. Although he wasn¡¯t sure where the passage led, the sounds Layas had heard were likely rted to it. ¡°Alright, that should do it¡­ Where can we find Layas?¡± ¡°Ah, Miss Layas should be in her room over here.¡± As she spoke, Audrey led Duanmu Huai to a room in the inner section of the manor and delicately knocked on the door. ¡°Miss Layas, it¡¯s me. We¡¯ve found some clues. May wee in?¡± Shortly, Layas¡¯s voice answered from within. ¡°Ah, Miss Audrey, pleasee in.¡± ¡°Thank you, pardon our intrusion¡­¡± As she spoke, Audrey pushed the door open and entered. But as she stepped into the room, she seemed to have witnessed something startling and froze. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Audrey?¡± Seeing his maid¡¯s rare disorderly manner, Duanmu Huai curiously approached and entered the room, then¡­ ¡°Holy smokes, what is this creature?¡± There in the room stood a giant red lizard, nearly two meters tall. It had short limbs and wore a green robe¨Cwait, wasn¡¯t that Layas¡¯s robe? Did this creature eat Layas? Just when Duanmu Huai decided to step forward and take a swing, the lizard turned its head and looked at them curiously. ¡°Ah, Hero, Miss Audrey, you¡¯re here¡­ huh? Why do you look so horrified?¡± At that point, Layas seemed to notice something, looking down at herself, and then jumping in surprise. ¡°No way, am I still in the form of a snake? Ah¡­ how can this be¡­!!¡± ¡°Um¡­ Layas, is that you¡­ right?¡± Upon hearing Layas¡¯s familiar voice from the lizard¡¯s mouth and seeing her crouching down looking panicked, it was quite clear who she was. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Layas reluctantly stood up, looking truly disheartened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I panicked, but even with my appearance, neither of you lost yourposure, and I feel terribly rude.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just a bit of a surprise.¡± Duanmu Huai silently put away his Thunder Warhammer ¨C fortunately, Layas hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. This is my real form, and my real name is Zya Silk. I regret not presenting my true self to you when we first met, for this, I deeply apologize. But please believe, only my identity is false, everything I told you about the Volcano Manor¡­ every word spoken by Miss Tannis is true.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ alright, I don¡¯t really get hung up on little things like this¡­¡± Duanmu Huai coughed. ¡°So¡­ is Tannis your mother?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Little Layas nodded obediently. ¡°My mother was blessed by the great king which resulted in my birth. Therefore, my appearance is a symbol of my mother¡¯s joy¡­ my appearance is also my honor.¡± ¡°¡­.???¡± Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai and Audrey looked at each other in confusion. Tannis lookspletely human. If she, as a human, gave birth to a half-human, half-snake creature like Layas, that looks more like a curse than a blessing. However, considering that Layas might be lying tofort herself, Duanmu Huai had no intention of exposing her. ¡°However, not everyone sees it that way.¡± Layas sullenly lowered her head as she spoke. ¡°If I show my snake form, they refuse to listen to me. That¡¯s why I have to disguise my true form to adequately perform my role as a recruiter.¡± Of course! Duanmu Huai admitted that if he encountered such a big lizard in the wild, he would definitely attack it with his war hammer without a second¡¯s hesitation. ¡°This matter and my real name is a secret between Miss Tannis and me. I hope both of you can keep this secret for me too.¡± ¡°Of course, no problem.¡± Duanmu Huai snapped back to reality quite quickly. In contrast, Audrey seemed shocked until Duanmu Huai nudged her and she nodded. ¡°I will also keep it a secret, Miss Layas. Rest assured.¡± ¡°Thank you both, well¡­ I¡¯m going to try to transform into human form now, so¡­¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll leave.¡± Duanmu Huai had clearly understood Layas¡¯s hidden meaning, so he took Audrey and left, closing the door behind them. Audrey remained silent throughout the process. It wasn¡¯t until they got back to her room and she pushed the door open that Duanmu Huai saw Audrey copse onto the floor. ¡°What the hell, what just happened?¡± Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was taken aback and quickly asked. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Master, I was so scared¡­¡± ¡°Alright, I can understand that¡­ but isn¡¯t your reaction a little dyed?¡± Duanmu Huai wasn¡¯t surprised that Audrey was shaken. Any normal person would react simrly at the sight of a two-meter-tall walking lizard. What baffled him, however¡­ ¡°You seemed fine when you were talking to Layas?¡± As Duanmu Huai carefully recalled, aside from her initial fright when the door opened, Audrey seemed generally calm for the rest of the time. Even though her reactions may have been a little dyed, she did not show any signs of abnormality. ¡°I¡­ I received an education for this.¡± Putting her hand on her chest, Audrey let out a sigh of relief and slowly began to calm down. ¡°As a noblewoman, I must remain calm in all situations. I absolutely cannot give in to hysteria or indulge in my emotions. As a wife, I cannot let my extreme emotions harm the reputation of our family or my husband¡­¡± ¡°¡­Well, it seems that at least some of what you¡¯ve learned came in handy.¡± Duanmu Huai muttered under his breath. ¡°So, master, what do you n to do next?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m quite curious about this Layas.¡± Duanmu Huai rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°So, I n to talk to Tannis to find out what¡¯s really going on.¡± Chapter 276 - 222 The Secret of Layas_1 Chapter 276: Chapter 222 The Secret of Layas_1 ¡°It seems you already know about the child¡­Layas¡¯s true identity.¡± Although wearing a mask, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t see Tannis¡¯s expression, but her tone was quite calm. ¡°Since she voluntarily told you her name, I don¡¯t want to say much about this. However, as her mother who raised her, please allow me to say one thing¡ªI hope you continue to treat Zya Silk well from now on. No matter what the reason for her appearance, she is still a good child¡­ it makes me, as a mother, feel guilty.¡± ¡°Indeed, the little girl is quite well-behaved, but I think you also know that she has some troubles in her heart.¡± Even though Layas looks a bit odd, she herself is not a bad person, and for that, Duanmu Huai doesn¡¯t object. Despite being a Judge, he only targets alien races that pose a threat to humans. For Layas, who is weak inbat¡­he wouldn¡¯t bully her, would he? ¡°Really¡­ She has been acting a bit strangetely, so she does have troubles.¡± When she said this, Tannis sighed. ¡°I hope you can understand that sometimes knowing the truth is not necessarily a good thing. How one¡¯s background is, should not me the person involved. What we should do is to fight against the Golden Law,pared to it, one¡¯s background is worthless.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer, Tannis smiled slightly, and then her tone became serious. ¡°¡­Since you already know so much, and you¡¯ve perfectly fulfilled mymission, it seems it¡¯s time to tell you about the real master of Volcano Manor, My King Rakard.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Being faced with Tannis¡¯s speech, Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes were focused. Tannis sighed and continued speaking. ¡°The Golden Tree gives blessings to Blighters, butpared to the responsibility and mission guided alongside, the blessings seem too measly¡­ Therefore, to fulfill the mission, Blighters are forced to thirst for strength. Just like when the Elven Ring was shattered, the king who possessed the Great Rune faced a dilemma. Forced to rob each other¡¯s divided strength¡ªMy King was very angry about this, he couldn¡¯t ept such shallow behavior. Since the Golden Tree, the deity, intends to trample on us, we will rise up against it, even if wemit sphemy against thew. We are obliged to maintain our dignity, this is the consensus among all the inhabitants of Volcano Manor, and it is the determination of My King.¡± I see. In his heart, Duanmu Huai silently nodded. He had previously heard Lani saying that she had coborated with Rakard. Now it seems that although Rakard and Lani¡¯s objectives are not the same, their target aligns. Saying this, Tannis once again looked towards Duanmu Huai. ¡°¡­As long as you continue on the path of a hero, one day, you will meet My King.¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡­look forward to it.¡± The conversation ended here, and Duanmu Huai also nned to leave. But before he left¡­he suddenly remembered something. ¡°By the way, Ms. Tannis.¡± ¡°What else is there?¡± ¡°Why do you say Layas is a Naga? That form¡­it¡¯s clearly a lizard, isn¡¯t it?¡± Duanmu Huai was perplexed, in fact, the first time he saw Layas, he thought that she must be a lizard. The reason was simple, Duanmu Huai had previously watched some pet lizard videos on a video sharing site. The lizards in those videos, just like Layas, had a pair of short, tiny hands and feet, a somewhat chubby body and a head like a snake¡¯s. At least in Duanmu Huai¡¯s view, no matter how you look at it, Layas¡¯s true form appears to be a small lizard that has been magnified to two meters. ¡°No, she¡¯s a Naga.¡± ¡°It¡¯s clearly a lizard¡­¡± Duanmu Huai and Tannis then spent an entire hour discussing this question. It seems both of them have quite a lot of time on their hands. After ending this discussion, which produced no result and was simply a time pass, Duanmu Huai suddenly remembered that they were supposed to find Layas to tell her about the situation at the Volcano Manor, but he had forgotten this due to the sight of arge lizard¡ªso now he went back to Layas and told her what he had found out. ¡°As I expected¡­¡± After listening to Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Layas seemed a bit uneasy. Then she thought for a moment and looked at Duanmu Huai. ¡°I must tell you the truth, Hero. At night, I see a ck shadow wriggling in the corridor¡­ that ck shadow entered the room next door and never came out. And, if I¡¯m not mistaken, that shadow, like me, has the silhouette of a snake.¡± It¡¯s obviously a lizard, though. ¡°¡­ This Volcano Manor has secrets I don¡¯t know¡­ I think Ms. Tannis must have hidden something from me.¡± ¡°So what do you n to do?¡± Duanmu Huai asked curiously as he looked at Layas, who then lowered her head. ¡°Although I shouldn¡¯t be asking you this, but¡­can you tell me if you find out anything?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± @@novelbin@@ As Duanmu Huai stared at Layas, he couldn¡¯t help but ponder. Although he didn¡¯t know Layas¡¯s real identity yet, ording to Tannis¡¯s insinuating words earlier, it was very possible that Tannis wasn¡¯t actually Layas¡¯s mother, and Layas¡¯s identity might not be as good as she thought¡­ ¡°Are you sure? Knowing secretses at a cost. You should know that there¡¯s a reason why secrets are secrets. If you want to know the secrets, you must pay the price. Perhaps ¡­ the price is something you cannot afford.¡± Chapter 277 - 222 Laya’s Secret_2 Chapter 277: Chapter 222 Laya¡¯s Secret_2 ¡°I¡­¡± Faced with Duanmu Huai¡¯s stern gaze, Layas involuntarily shrank back and lowered her head. She was someone whocked confidence to begin with, and this serious question resulted in an apparent increase in her anxiety. ¡°I¡­¡­¡± However, after a moment, Layas raised her head to look at Duanmu Huai again. ¡°I¡­ I want to know, I want to understand all of this, I want to find out what secret Lady Tannis is keeping from me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Alright, I¡¯ll try.¡± Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders; it wasn¡¯t surprising that despite Layas being a docile and sensible girl, she wasn¡¯t na?ve. Any normal person in her situation would have doubts about their origin. Perhaps Layas has long held some level of suspicion about her background, butcked someone to share it with, so she concealed it. It wasn¡¯t until she and Audrey saw Layas¡¯ true form¡­ well, anyway, this is a good time to check. With no effort at all, Duanmu Huai found the hidden door in the adjacent room and followed the passage to an abandoned chapel in the back. Upon opening the door, he discovered a small town hidden behind the chapel ¨C alright, it seemed that Tannis has indeed hidden something from Layas, especially since Layas never mentioned this ce. Exiting the chapel, Duanmu Huai quickly spotted a Lizardman standing with his back towards him near the edge of a cliff in the distance. The creature held a sword and shield, appearing guard-like in stature. But speaking of which¡­¡­ ¡°This really is a lizard.¡± Looking at the creature before him, Duanmu Huai couldn¡¯t help butment. He had already nned to knock it unconscious and capture it for further discussion with Tannis. However, at that moment, an unexpected thing happened. The lizardman soldier suddenly bent forward, seeming to stretch, and in the next instant, it grew from two meters to four or five meters in length! ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Alright, I take back my words, this is undoubtedly a Naga. No, maybe it¡¯s an earthworm¡­ snakes don¡¯t do this¡­ ¡°Hiss¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The creature noticed Duanmu Huai at this moment. It opened its mouth to let out a shrill scream, coiled its body and then extended rapidly, lunging towards Duanmu Huai. It was about to swing its sword down¡ª¡ª¡ªwhen it suddenly screamed and fell to the ground, bing a corpse. ¡°What in the world is this thing¡­¡­¡­¡± Duanmu Huai silently retracted his fist and speechlessly looked at the corpse on the ground. He had assumed that Layas could converse with the Nagas here, but they turned out to be just as mad as the ones outside¡­¡­ Hmm, Melfy once mentioned that many races had established their own civilizations¡­ Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai immediately contacted Bambi and instructed her to ask Melfy if she had ever seen creatures that resembled lizards and could stretch their bodies significantly. Bambi¡¯s response came quickly. ¡°Ah, that must be the Spirit Snake Tribe. Melfy says they used to inhabit volcanoes, but they went silent after a while.¡± ¡°I see, thank you.¡± By now, Duanmu Huai had reached a chapel situated on high ground and was staring at a statue before him. It was a stone sculpture of a being with a serpentine head and wings. It looked like an angelic statue of the Naga tribe. Which meant¡­Layas is actually a descendant of this race? Or is it that Tannis, like Layas, is actually a Naga? After all, Tannis is often seen wearing a mask; one can¡¯t tell if she chose to do so because her human form is as wed as Layas¡¯¡­¡­Though she doesn¡¯t seem to have a tail. Pondering this, Duanmu Huai shook his head and pushed open the chapel door to walk in. The chapel was filled with a crimson glow; a massive snake statue was disyed up front, and beneath it stood a character who was extremely¡­ obese! Yes, that was the first thought Duanmu Huai had upon seeing him. This figure resembled an extremely obese individual he had once seen in a video; he looked like a giant ball, bulging with fat, and his limbs were short. Upon careful inspection, it seemed he was wearing some strange white leathery outfit, and he had a tail. Yes, it¡¯s definitely a Naga. But who knew Nagas could get this fat? Is it hibernation weight or something? ¡°Woo¡­ woo¡­¡± At that moment, the chubby guy noticed Duanmu Huai. He lifted his head, staring at Duanmu Huai, and his eyes lit up. Then, Duanmu Huai saw him shout and run directly towards him. And then¡­ he ¡°fell st¡± in front of him. Uh¡­ what¡¯s going on? ¡°Woo¡­ woo¡­!!¡± Just as Duanmu Huai was hesitating whether to directly smash him with a hammer, the chubby guy raised his head, tears streaming down his face, but he lowered his head again, crawling in front of him, as if worshipping Duanmu Huai as a deity. No, although I am indeed a god, I have nothing to do with you chubby nerds! ¡°You¡­ what do you mean by this?¡± Duanmu Huai uncertainly stared at the kneeling chubby guy and asked, to which he nodded fiercely. Then it seemed he understood Duanmu Huai¡¯s meaning and Duanmu Huai then saw him stretch out his hands and lift them towards him. Following that, a ck me emerged from his hands. Isn¡¯t this¡­ ck me? Seeing this, Duanmu Huai twitched. He certainly wouldn¡¯t forget, after obtaining the Rune of Death, his special ability was the ck me. He recalled the information at the time stated ¨C ck me is the fire of the Hunting God, controlled by the nobleman serving the Predetermined Death¡­ ¡­ Are you that nobleman?! Looking at the chubby guy in front of him, Duanmu Huai was speechless. No, can¡¯t you be more good looking? How could the nobleman serving the Predetermined Death be something like you?! Okay, from some perspective, he does look quite noble. Especially like those evil noblemen frequently appearing in anime and games¡­ @@novelbin@@ ¡°Ha¡­¡± For the sake of Predetermined Death, Duanmu Huai finally resisted the urge to knock him dead with a hammer. He rolled his eyes, sighed in resignation, and changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯m searching for a Naga¡­ know of it? A young girl Naga who can transform into a human¡­ her name is Zyas¡­¡± ¡°Woo¡­ woo¡­¡± The chubby guy appeared to understand Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, he nodded, then turned around leading Duanmu Huai to the altar in front of the church. Subsequently, he respectfully took something from the altar and handed it to Duanmu Huai. What is this? Duanmu Huai epted it uncertainly, scrutinizing it. It looked like some kind of transparent organ, and there was a small gap visible within. It looked as if something small had once lived there, but it was now gone. At the same time, a system notification appeared before Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. [Snake¡¯s Amnion obtained] [Snake¡¯s Amnion: It¡¯s a discarded object from a horrifying birth ritual, an amnion which had wrapped around it inside the mother¡¯s body. Regardless of the passage of time, it remains moist and never dries.] ¡°Um¡­ so¡­ did Layas born from it?¡± Looking at the thing before him, Duanmu Huai had no idea what to say. But wait a moment. If he remembered correctly, aren¡¯t snakes oviparous animals? Only viviparous creatures have the amnion, right! Isn¡¯t an eggshell more credible than this?!? No matter how it is¡­ for the time being, he should take it back and show it to Layas. Chapter 278 - 223: Betrayal_1 Chapter 278: Chapter 223: Betrayal_1 ¡°Bambi always has a terrible premonition¡­¡± Navigating through the pitch-dark well path, Bambi anxiously looked at Melfy, who sat on her shoulder, and spoke. Melfy also gave a serious nod in return. ¡°I feel the same way¡­ I hope nothing happens to Lady Mistelina¡­¡± The reason for their unease was not unfounded. In fact, they had followed Mistelina¡¯s trail the whole way and eventually arrived at the Royal City. The wandering merchant they met there stunned them with some news: he had indeed seen Mistelina and a witch enter the city, but to the merchant, the witch was a dangerous entity¡­ ¡°She worships Three-Fingers, and aims for Wildfire trying to break the ancient seal buried beneath the Royal City¡­ You guys need to be careful, this is extremely dangerous.¡± While both girls didn¡¯t understand what Wildfire was, they once heard Lani with Duanmu Huai mention the term Three-Fingers ¨C as the legend goes, there was a dispute among representatives of the Supreme Will years ago, in which one faction wanted topletely destroy the Bordends and restore this ce to the Melting Pot of Life. However, this faction failed and was sealed underneath the Royal City. This was the legend of the Three-Fingers. But why¡­ Why is Mistelina with the witch of the Three-Fingers? ¡°Lady Mistelina would never want to destroy the Bordend, she must have been deceived!!¡± Melfy tightens her grip on the slim sword subtly whispering to herself in anxiety. Bambi, however, remained silent, when suddenly she caught sight of a sh of red light passing before her eyes. ¡°Found it!¡± As Bambi¡¯s words fell, in the blink of an eye, the Vampire Princess transformed into a multitude of bats, enclosing Melfy, and sped towards the depths of the sewer. The mass of bats swarmed through the rotting and reeking sewer, reaching the deepestyers. Following this, the swarm condensed once again, transforming back into Bambi. ¡°Lady Mistelina!!¡± Simultaneously, Melfy and Bambiid eyes on Mistelina. At this point, the Forest Princess didn¡¯t seem her usual lively self, her armory scattered all around, burn marks covered her body. The Forest Princessy on the ground, her eyes dim and lifeless, as if death had imed her. ¡°Your Highness, are you okay?!¡± Seeing this, Melfy screamed. She rushed to Mistelina¡¯s side, gazing at her, her hand reaching out anxiously. ¡°Your Highness¡­¡­¡± @@novelbin@@ ¡°Stay back!!¡± However, as Melfy reached out, Mistelina suddenly swung upwards and leaped to her feet, distancing herself from Melfy and Bambi. ¡°Lady Mistelina??¡± ¡°Big sister??¡± Seeing Mistelina¡¯s state of agitation, both Melfy and Bambi be frantic. They had not expected Mistelina to be this terrifying entity ¡ª for a moment, they were confused and didn¡¯t know what to do. Melfy stared at Mistelina, her voice filled with surprise and unease. ¡°Your Highness, what¡­ what has happened to you¡­ what exactly is going on?¡± ¡°Stay away from me, Melfy¡­¡± Looking at the two before her, Mistelina bore a mournful expression. ¡°I made an idiotic decision that resulted in the Bordends being on the brink of obliteration¡­ I didn¡¯t want to do this, I was just¡­ No, this is just an excuse, the truth is that I did have an inkling that.. her intentions do not seem good. But I didn¡¯t heed the warnings, as I didn¡¯t want to face a failure just like before¡­¡± ¡°Lady Mistelina??¡± ¡°Big sister, what are you talking about??¡± Hearing Mistelina¡¯s broken speech left the two utterly confused. All the while, Mistelina lifted her shield and sword, her gaze fixed solely on them. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, go away, Melfy. It¡¯s mymand¡­ Assume I¡¯m already dead¡­¡± ¡°How¡­ how can that be?¡± ¡°My apologies to father for me. I¡¯m sorry, my foolish actions lead to this oue¡­ this is my punishment.¡± ¡°I truly do not understand what you¡¯re saying, Lady Mistelina!¡± Melfy once again approached her, only for Mistelina to raise her weapon, barring Melfy¡¯s path. ¡°Ugh¡­what a pain, let Bambi ask Sir Knight.¡± Seeing this, Bambi tilted her head slightly, closed her eyes, and made contact with Duanmu Huai. After a moment, Bambi opened her eyes. ¡°Bambi, what did Sir Knight say?¡± ¡°Sir¡¯s answer was pretty straightforward.¡± As she spoke, Bambi raised both hands. Along with her actions, the petite figure of the Night Princess slowly lifted into the air. A swarm of bats materialized from her surroundings. Simultaneously, a blood-red Iron Hammer appeared over Bambi¡¯s head. In the next instant, it turned into a beam of red light, enveloping Bambi. Next, a strong magic power suddenly erupted. ¡°If she will notply, then we shall knock her unconscious and take her back! Leave it to Bambi!¡± As Bambi¡¯s words echoed, the next moment an innumerable number of bats emerged from behind the Night Princess and swooped directly towards Mistelina! Chapter 279 - 223 Betrayal_2 Chapter 279: Chapter 223 Betrayal_2 ¡°¡­Sigh, honestly, what on earth is going on?¡± Duanmu Huai put his thoughts aside, shaking his head helplessly. He hadn¡¯t expected that Bambi and her crew did find Mistelina, the Forest Princess, but the princess seemed to have run into some trouble. Judging from Bambi¡¯s description, the princess wasn¡¯t dressed¡­ Uh, she wouldn¡¯t have fallen prey to some mountain bandit, would she? That would be trouble if it was attributed to him. And he couldn¡¯t simply say it had nothing to do with him. However, Duanmu Huai had already summoned Bambi¡¯s Soul Card and granted her an Armed Enhancement and Pdin¡¯s Blessing, at least her attack power was now high enough ¨C it should be sufficient to knock out Mistelina and bring her back. Fortunately, his work was almostplete. Duanmu Huai refocused his mind, looking at Layas kneeling on the ground. After that, Duanmu Huai handed her something he had gotten from the church. Layas imed she could detect her mother¡¯s scent from it. Subsequently, she asked Duanmu Huai to take her to the church to seek the truth. So, Duanmu Huai took her back to the church behind Volcano Manor. Under the guidance of a divine nobleman, they arrived in a remote room. Layas then closed her eyes, as if sensing something here. As she opened her eyes again, she copsed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡± I¡­¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s query, Layas let out a bitter smile. ¡°I¡¯m not okay. You may not know it, I am a forsaken child, born not from graces but from a horrifying ritual. Such existence is not epted by humans, nor by snakes¡­ not even by Lady Tannis. Saying this, Layas closed her eyes, a strand of tears flowing down her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve made many unreasonable requests to you, but please, this is thest time¡­ could you kill me? I thought I was determined, but¡­ I am still afraid. Please free me from this cursed body.¡± Speaking, Layas lifted her head. Facing her, Duanmu Huai¡¯s answer was¡­ @@novelbin@@ ¡°Is there a need for that?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing Duanmu Huai¡¯s words, Layas opened her eyes in surprise, staring at him. ¡°Hero?¡± ¡°To be honest, I think you might be overthinking. Regardless of your origin, you were still raised by Tannis, right? Raising a child isn¡¯t easy. I think if Tannis didn¡¯t want to raise you, she¡¯d have let you die by now. She wouldn¡¯t have spent so much time and energy to raise you that big. Also¡­ is a birth mother important? If they abandoned you for some unavoidable reasons, that would be a different story. But from what you said, your birth mother didn¡¯t seem to have put you in her heart at all, so why bother about such a woman?¡± Duanmu Huai found it difficult toprehend this kind of scenario, simr to those TV shows about family searching. The biological parents searched for their lost child for over a decade, then they found the child, hugged each other, and cried. Every time Duanmu Huai saw such a scene, he felt it was fake. Of course, the emotions of the biological parents who had searched for a dozen years might be genuine. But for the child, they were strangers from the child¡¯s point of understanding. Suddenly, they appeared and imed to be his biological parents ¨C could their feelings override those towards the foster parents who had been together for a dozen years? From the child¡¯s point of view, those were just two strangersing up and hugging him, why should he cry with them? It was way too fake! Of course, unless the foster parents were abusive. So Duanmu Huai believed that Layas, just because of knowing her origin wanted to die¡­ was utterly unreasonable. If Tannis had abused her and treated her like a step-daughter, and Layas, in utter despair, wanted tomit suicide then it would make sense. But Tannis has been good to her, at least from the few conversations that Duanmu Huai had with Tannis, thetter showed genuine concern for her daughter. Even if it were a dog, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to let go after a decade of care. Or, let¡¯s say, being able to care for it for over a decade was enough to prove deep emotions, otherwise, they would have abandoned it long ago. ¡°I think there¡¯s no need to rush to die. Think about it, you¡¯re still young, life is long.¡± Duanmu Huai reached out and patted Layas on the shoulder. She lowered her head, without uttering a word. ¡°Alright, think it over.¡± Duanmu Huai knew that Layas needed some time to calm down. So, he didn¡¯t say anything else, turned around, and left Layas. He went back to the Volcano Manor and sought out Tannis. ¡°Is the child alright?¡± ¡°I believe she should be able to figure things out if she gives it some thought.¡± Seeing that Tannis¡¯ first question upon seeing him concerns Layas, Duanmu Huai feels that this stepmother is quite decent, even better than many biological mothers. ¡°Is that so¡­¡­¡± Tannis sighed, then she took a potion out of her pocket and handed it over. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°This is a Forgetting Elixir, if the child really can¡¯t emerge from her pain, I beg you¡­let the child be relieved.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be needed, but I¡¯ll keep it for now.¡± Although Duanmu Huai feels that Layas probably won¡¯t need this, he still puts the Forgetting Elixir in his pocket. There are many ways to use this thing after all. For example, Duanmu Huai once read a book where the female lead was pursued by the male lead and eventually fell for him. They got married, and it was only when the female lead identally leafed through the male lead¡¯s diary that she realized she had actually known the male lead for a long time. The male lead had invented a forgetting potion, and in order to win the female lead, he used all sorts of methods. Initially, the male lead captured her, interrogated her thoroughly, then after knowing everything about the female lead, he gave her the elixir, making her forget about her past experiences. Then the second time, the male lead again captured the female lead, yed all sorts of games with her, and when he got bored, he continued to feed her the elixir. In the end, the male lead also finally got bored of torturing her and decided to take the route of pure love. So, he gave the female lead the elixir once again, and with the intelligence he obtained from her before and his understanding of her body, the male lead easily captured the female lead¡¯s heart and yed the route of pure love. The ending was that the male lead came back to find that the female lead had already discovered the truth, so he gave her another dose of the potion¡­ Of course, Duanmu Huai would not use it this way, only believers of the God of Lust would y such games, and they would be loyal to Duanmu Huai if they ever met him. ¡°So next¡­¡­¡± Arriving at this point, Tannis returned to the main topic, and with her eyes focussed on Duanmu Huai, she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to meet with our King, what do you think?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time.¡± Duanmu Huai naturally won¡¯t refuse. ¡°Alright, I understand, please close your eyes for a moment, I will lead you to our King.¡± Hearing Tannis speak, Duanmu Huai closed his eyes as instructed, then the next moment, he suddenly felt nothing beneath his feet. Then, the voice of Tannis came to Duanmu Huai¡¯s ears. ¡°¡­Farewell, I hope it will be a perfect encounter.¡± The next instant, when Duanmu Huai opened his eyes, hended heavily on the ground, standing before him was a monster with numerous heads, much like the Nine-Headed Hydra. Realizing the presence of Duanmu Huai, the Nine-Headed Snake lifted its head and opened its mouth widely towards him. Clearly, it¡¯s not in a weing mood. However, on the other hand, Duanmu Huai breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you very much, Ms. Tannis.¡± Looking at the Nine-Headed Snake in front of him, Duanmu Huai gripped the War Hammer tightly and soon, a ck me burst out of him. ¡°Now I don¡¯t have to worry about being polite!¡± Without missing a beat, Duanmu Huai raised his War Hammer and swung it towards the giant snake¡¯s head! Chapter 280 - 234: Only Flames Can Destroy the Giant Serpent_1 Chapter 280: Chapter 234: Only mes Can Destroy the Giant Serpent_1 Chapter 224 I Wrote the Wrong Chapter Number Again Duanmu Huai, in this world, has already taken down quite a few demigods. He then identified a pattern ¡ª¡ª the Golden n seem to relish merging with animals. Gerrick aspired to merge with a dragon. Ratain sat atop a horse. Now, this Lacard is arge snake wrapped around a head¡­ that being said, what on earth kind of thing is this? ¡°Join my tribe of the Snakening, let¡¯s devour gods together!!¡± Looking at the monster before him, a snake with arge face wielding a disgusting giant sword, Duanmu Huai furrowed his brow. Truth be told, he never expected the king to be this lisp-talking, snake-person¡­. ¡°This is the destiny of Lacard.¡± At the same time, Lani¡¯s voice rang out. Turning his head, Duanmu Huai saw her figure, which had stealthily appeared beside him, looking at Lacard with a touch of sadness. ¡°The once Lacard was a hero who desired to raise his g against the Golden Tree and would rather walk the path of deliberate sphemy than give up his will. However, after devouring the giant snake, his soul gradually merged with its wicked entity. The Lacard of now is long gone ¡ª¡ª all that remains is but a wild beast with Lacard¡¯s memories.¡± Having said this, Lani turned her head to look at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Finish him. Just like Ratain, grant him a mourned and worthy death.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± While talking, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the Warhammer. Looking up, he then fixed his gaze on the giant snake. ¡°Lacard, let me confer upon you ¡ª¡ª Predetermined Death!¡± The moment Duanmu Huai roared, ck mes erupted from the Warhammer in his grasp. He lifted the Warhammer high and brought it down firmly onto the giant snake before him. Sensing the fiery power of the Hunting God, the snake shrieked and raised its giant sword. At the same time, theva around the snake surged, propelling itself upward towards the raging ck mes. ¡°BOOM!!!!!!¡± The red and ck mes collided, the burstingva was instantaneously shattered by the ck mes, transforming into a rain of fire spreading in all directions. Soon after, the spinning, coagting ck mes assumed the form of a giant sword, chopping straight onto the snake¡¯s body. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Under the firm strike of the sword of fire, the snake wailed as it fell onto the ground. And simultaneously, Duanmu Huai activated his jet-pack, leaping into the air and rushed at the snake¡¯s head, Warhammer in hand. ¡°You, you stay away ah ah ah!!¡± Seeing Duanmu Huai charging towards himself, the giant snake let out a terror-stricken shriek. It wouldn¡¯t have been so fearful had this been a normal battle. But Predetermined Death was different; it was the horrifying existence that brutally and fully assassinated everything. Lacard had once joined forces with Lani due to this and the snake, having inherited his memories, naturally knew the horror of these ck mes. @@novelbin@@ The moment it kills you, there¡¯s no chance for you anymore! It yelled while brandishing its giant sword, the surroundingva exploded again, shooting up into the sky, engulfing the vast dark figure in the blink of an eye. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Seeing this, the snake broke intoughter, thinking that regardless of what type of creature that guy was, once engulfed by this high-temperatureva, death was inevitable! ¡°Thud!!¡± However, before the serpent could fully enjoy the moment of victory, theva before it exploded abruptly. Duanmu Huai stormed out, swinging the hammer straight at the serpent¡¯s face! ¡°No, impossible! Why? Why are you unscathed?¡± Seeing this, the serpent panicked badly. Unfortunately, it was toote for it to dodge. Left stunned, the snake could do nothing but watch the Thunder Warhammer, engulfed in ck mes, trace an arc in the sky before¡­nding a heavy blow on its face. ¡°Thud!!¡± Compared to the size of the serpent, the Thunder Warhammer in Duanmu Huai¡¯s hand seemed as small as a toothpick. Yet, the moment Duanmu Huai¡¯s Warhammer hit the snake¡¯s face, its cheek cracked just like a mirror does upon impact with a stone. Following a shrill scream, in the next moment, the serpent¡¯s cheek burst open, and it copsed onto the ground with a thud. ¡°No, don¡¯te closer! Don¡¯t!!!¡± The mes that could ughter a god, that was too much for the serpent as these mes were as deathly poisonous to it. The hot mes mercilessly pierced the serpent¡¯s body and the snake could feel the cold, intruding power gradually disintegrating its being. The terrified snake cried out, wriggling its body in a futile attempt to flee from it all. However, just as the snake lifted its head, it saw Duanmu Huai leap into the air, hammering down onto its head, again! ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!!¡± Along with the snake¡¯s tragic wailing, a ck me shot into the sky, enveloping the snake in its mes. When the mes finally extinguished, the snake that previously upied the spot hadpletely vanished without a trace. ¡°Compared to Ratain, you¡¯re just too weak.¡± Duanmu Huai emerged from the mes. Upon ncing at the Great Rune on the back of his hand, he helplessly shook his head. Compared to Ratain, Lacard was indeed insignificant. Perhaps due to his consciousness merging with the snake, it caused Lacard to act more like a wild beast during battle. But then again, thinking carefully, Gerrick was even weaker than him¡­¡­well, at least he wasn¡¯t bottom of the pack. But what¡¯sing next¡­ Duanmu Huai lifted his head, looking skyward. Wouldn¡¯t it be awkward to go back to Volcano Manor and meet Tannis now??? Although Duanmu Huai felt somewhat awkward, in actuality, he didn¡¯t have the chance to meet Tannis. When Duanmu Huai returned to Volcano Manor, only Audrey and Lorena were present. Oh by the way, Lorena is the Missionary Priest Duanmu Huai met on the snowfield when he went to carry out the Volcano Manor¡¯smission. She might be the only one in the world who does aerobics in the snowynd. ¡°Master, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Mmm, I already see, but I still wanted to ask, where is everyone?¡± ¡°Everyone has left.¡± Audrey shook her head, then extended her hand, giving a letter to Duanmu Huai. ¡°This is a letter Layas requested me to deliver to you before she departed.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± With curiosity, Duanmu Huai opened the letter, and luckily, in it, Layas did not speak of seeking death, but her intention to travel everywhere to search for the meaning of her life. Hmm¡­ An eptable choice for Layas. Traveling and seeing the world isn¡¯t a bad idea, considering its vastness. ¡°Alright, let us also get going.¡± Duanmu Huai packed up the letter and nced at Audrey. After all, a more challenging matter was waiting for him. Afterwards, Duanmu Huai, Audrey, Lorena, and Brother Shrimp together returned to Lani¡¯s Magic Tower. There, they met an anxious Melfy and Bambi. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know either.¡± In response to Duanmu¡¯s inquiry, a pale-faced Melfy shook his head emphatically. ¡°Miss Lani is upstairs, examining Miss Mistelina¡­¡± As everyone was in an anxious state, Ogis came down, nodded at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Master, Miss Lani wants you toe up.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Guided by Ogis, Duanmu Huai arrived at the top of the Magic Tower, where he immediately saw Lani sitting on a chair, and on the side, lying unconscious with her entire body charred, was Mistelina. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± As he looked at Mistelina, Duanmu Huai asked. He had no reason to hold back. Lani answered his question with a grave expression. ¡°She is cursed by Three-Fingers.¡± ¡°Cursed?¡± ¡°Yes, Three-Fingers chose her as his envoy and sealed the Wildfire within her body.¡± ¡°Three-Fingers¡­ The one who wanted to restore the entire Bordend back into one, is he still alive? Never mind, that¡¯s not what matters now¡­ What¡¯s going to happen to Mistelina?¡± ¡°She will die, sooner orter.¡± Lani made the judgement with a t, yet ruthless tone. ¡°The moment she was consumed by the Wildfire, her fate was sealed. Like a lit candle, it¡¯s bound to burn out one day. When all the objects restraining the Wildfire are burned to ashes, that¡¯s when the Wildfire will erupt from her body, devouring the entire Bordend.¡± ¡°So, in other words, Three-Fingers turned her into a time bomb that will destroy the entire world.¡± When he heard Lani¡¯s exnation, Duanmu Huai¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Is there a remedy?¡± ¡°Valkyrie Marlynia once forged a golden needle tobat foreign threats. In theory, if used correctly, the golden needle could suppress the Wildfire within the body. But the problem is, that needle has long been lost. I don¡¯t know where it went, so I have no way to find it.¡± ¡°Are there any other alternatives?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Indeed, there is one.¡± this time, after a long contemtion, Lani finally gave an answer. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Predetermined Death.¡± As she spoke, Lani pointed a finger at Duanmu Huai. ¡°Predetermined Death is the end of all things. In theory, it should also be able to eliminate Wildfire. Of course, this is only theoretical. If you can¡¯t control the power of Predetermined Death, this girl too will be killed by you along with the Wildfire.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I understand what you mean¡­¡± Duanmu Huai knitted his brows. Although Lani¡¯s exnation was not clear, Duanmu Huai understood her meaning. He remembered a character he had read about in a novel who was a young girl that possessed a simr power, with the ability to both see and kill everything. This meant not only physical death, but also specifying certain ¡°illnesses¡±, and even ¡°curses¡± and ¡°magic¡±. If the power of Predetermined Death was simr, then Duanmu Huai could indeed try to eliminate the Wildfire inside Mistelina without harming her. ¡°So, what should I do?¡± Duanmu Huai quickly decided to take up this solution. Even though Lani had warned him that a small mistake could kill Mistelina, for Duanmu Huai, killing her did not seem like that big of a sacrifice. Because, after all, this was the World Fragment, and as long as this piece of world became a belonging of Duanmu Huai, he could directly convert Mistelina into a Soul Card, then employ certain means to retrieve her from the graveyard. It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. ¡°Very simple.¡± For some reason, Lani was wearing a cunning smile as she looked at Duanmu Huai. ¡°You just need to inject it into her body.¡± ¡°¡­ How do I inject it?¡± ¡°However you want. From above or below, do it however you like.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Chapter 283 - 227: Deja Vu_1 Chapter 283: Chapter 227: Deja Vu_1 After defeating Godfrey, no obstacles were left in Duanmu Huai¡¯s path. He walked through the pce and reached the inside of the Golden Tree, but it was not over yet because at the entrance of the Golden Tree, thorn-like barriers had been set up to seal the gate. Duanmu Huai was not surprised. He had heard from Lani that since Marika¡¯s disappearance, the entrance to the whole Golden Tree has been sealed off, with no one able to enter, not even the King Elden. But now ¡­¡­ Duanmu Huai gripped his War Hammer tightly, and very quickly, the ck me billowed out. He then lifted his War Hammer and forcefully smashed the wall of thorns in front of him! ¡°Bang!!¡± The War Hammer heavily hit the wall of thorns. Soon, the ck me exploded out, spreading along the Golden Tree. The Golden Tree, originally glowing with golden light, was now set ame by the ck me. The burning fire started from the inside and moved from bottom to top, gradually consuming the entire tree. At the same time, patches of crimson points, like burning Mars, started to appear between the leaves, spreading to every corner of the Bordend. ... Under the veil of Mars, all those creatures that were unable to die in the Bordend fell one after another. The Golden Law that was associated with the Golden Tree began to fade away, along with death¡ªthe natural eternally unchangingw returned to its ce, and the twisted order formed by the Golden Law began to gradually disappear from the Bordend. ¡°Crack¡­ Crack¡­¡± The originally sealed wall of thorns burned out in the mes. Duanmu Huai, carrying his War Hammer, boldly walked into the interior of the Golden Tree. At this moment, the interior of the Golden Tree was inplete darkness. The ck me ruthlessly devoured the body of the Golden Tree. Duanmu Huai seemed to be able to hear the painful cries and screams of the Golden Tree. However, it was meaningless because the one who was destroying the Golden Tree was the power of the Rune of Death, a force expelled from thew, which exists as the shadow of the world. For it, the Golden Tree in front of it had neither value nor meaning. For Duanmu Huai, the only valuable thing in front of him was¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Is that the Eternal Queen?¡± Duanmu Huai lifted his head, looking at the only shining existence in the tree hollow. It was a battered female figure. Her head was now drooping down as if she waspletely dead. Her hands were restricted by golden arcs, hanging like a prisoner in the air. As expected, it seems that Lani¡¯s conjecture was correct. Marika ultimately failed in her fight against the Supreme Will, and her body was now suspended¡ªhowever, this would now end. But soon Duanmu Huai realized that things were not over just yet. ¡°Clink¡­¡± The arc that was imprisoning Marika shattered, and the now-restrained Marika¡¯s broken body fell from the air and fell to the ground. Immediately afterwards, a weirdrge hand stretched out from the ground and grabbed Marika¡¯s body, pulling it into the Golden Tree. What was that? Looking at the strange hand in front of him, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face tightened. He initially thought that was the Finger on stage now, but a strange-lookingrge alien-like entity slowly emerged from the ground. It had a semi-transparent body, with the inside clearly visible like golden-glowing root fments. However, this creature had no face, nor were there any facial features visible. Moreover, Duanmu noticed that within the body of this creature, many of the glowing fments have started to dim. I see, this is the Beast of Aleden? ording to Lani¡¯s statement, initially, the Supreme Will from the sky brought the seeds of the Golden Tree, the beast guarding the Golden Tree, and the finger expressing the will of the Supreme Will to the Bordend. Now it seems that this guy is most likely the Gardener of the Golden Tree. If a Gardener sees his hard-cultivated tree being burned down by someone, he would definitely be furious¡ªand indeed, the behavior of the Beast of Aleden quickly confirmed this point. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The Beast of Aleden threw its head back and flew into the air. The world became a star-like universe, and with the motions of the Beast, hundreds of golden meteors appeared at its side, roaring towards Duanmu Huai. However, at this moment, Duanmu Huai did not take action immediately, instead, standing still. It wasn¡¯t that Duanmu Huai was scared, but¡­ this creature, he had seen it before! As a matter of fact, this so-called Beast of Aleden was the subordinate of some overwhelmingly powerful existence in the universe¡­¡­ Wait, if this creature is here to protect the Golden Tree, then the Supreme Will behind it is¡­¡­ Upon realizing this, Duanmu Huai turned pale. He felt cold sweat pouring down. No! He must destroy the Golden Tree! He mustpletely cut off the connection between this world and the Supreme Will, or else he¡¯ll be in big trouble! At this moment, Duanmu Huai decisively made up his mind. Then, gripping his War Hammer, he charged straight at the Beast of Aleden! ¡°Bang Bang Bang Bang!!¡± Golden bursts of light hit Duanmu Huai. However, he had no intentions of dodging them at this moment. If previously Duanmu Huai still nned to y with this beast, upon discovering the true nature of this creature, he was now in a mode ofplete tension. Screw the games, if he doesn¡¯t kill it now, he¡¯ll be in big trouble!! The jetpack, boosted once more, breaks through the Beast of Alden¡¯s torrent of me. At this moment, Duanmu Huai was entirely enshrouded in towering ck mes. Staring at the massive Beast of Alden before his eyes, he roars, raising his War Hammer and charges forward¡ªin the next instant, trailing a long, dark shadow, he shoots through the body of the Beast of Alden. Without any hesitation, the War Hammer in his hand smashes into a certain light source within the beast¡¯s body. What follows is a terrible scream from the Beast of Alden as its entire body swell up and burst like a balloon, crashing heavily onto the ground. On the other side, Duanmu Huai, having passed through the Beast of Alden¡¯s body,nds heavily on the ground. After a few tumbles, he barely manages to stabilize himself. He had poured nearly all of his strength into that strike, and the reactive force from such an explosion, even for someone as robust as Duanmu Huai, was somewhat overwhelming. No, it should be said that¡­ ¡°Damn.¡± Duanmu Huai extends a hand and rubs his waist. To think that the Princess, who looks so innocent, romantic, lively, and cute, would be so terrifying¨C nearly sucked him dry! @@novelbin@@ Well, of course, hisck of experience was also a contributing factor¡­ Regardless, experience is critically important in any situation. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± At this moment, the heavily wounded Beast of Alden is standing before Duanmu Huai. A massive gaping hole has been blown into its body, the light-like branches within its body gradually dimming. Duanmu Huai, however, isn¡¯t concerned about this minor detail. He knows¡ªit¡¯s not over yet! Sure enough, as the Beast of Alden struggles, the ground suddenly splits, and a massive hand reaches out, grabbing the body of the Beast of Alden, and gives it a powerful squeeze. The massive beast disintegrates, turning into golden sparkles that fade away. The giant hand then extends its five fingers, pointing towards Duanmu Huai. After dealing with the guard doges the owner, right¡­ ¡°Ogis, Lorena, Bambi! Together!!¡± Apanying Duanmu Huai¡¯s yell, the girls hiding by the side, already prepared, quickly spring into action. ¡°Wow, they¡¯reing down!!¡± Countless ck bats descend from the sky, fully engulfing the giant hand. But it is quickly evident as the fingers engulfed by the swarm of bats suddenly expand, and a golden me bursts out, instantly incinerating most of Bambi¡¯s summoned bats. ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± As the bats concealing her figure are wiped out, Bambi¡¯s figure is revealed. She quickly screams and backs away, but the giant hand has no intention of letting her go. It extends its five fingers and stretches them out towards Bambi. ¡°Attack!!!!!!!!!¡± Between a moment and the next, Lorena, holding the Sacred Book, descends from the sky, and wielding the brick-thick Sacred Book, she smashes it onto a finger of the giant hand, altering its course. Immediately after, Ogis appears on the other side. Her hands spread out and the slender puppet strings extend, wrapping around the finger of the giant hand. To the giant hand, Ogis¡¯s puppet strings are as fragile as the webs of a spider and nearly irrelevant¡ªmostly, they just pause it for a second. But that¡¯s enough. Just as the giant hand is being bound by Ogis¡¯s puppet strings, Lani silently appears from amongst the shadows. She tightly grips the ¡°Finger Killing Knife¡± in her hand, and attacks the giant hand in front of her!! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± At this moment, the hand seems to sense Lani¡¯s threat. Instantly, the golden me bursts out again and, spiralling together with the yellow Wildfire, rushes towards Lani. However, quickly, ck mes descend from the sky. Duanmu Huai, holding the War Hammer, turns into a meteor crossing the sky,nding in front of Lani. The ck mes erupt from his body, forming a shield that blocks the golden me of the Supreme Will. At that moment, when the golden fire shows a sign of weakness, Lani seizes the opportunity. With a sh, she passes through it. Then, the small knife forcefully cuts down, striking the junction between the middle and index fingers. ¡°!!!¡± Theoretically, for such a giant finger, a knife smaller than its nail, it shouldn¡¯t cause any damage. However, the reality is that after Lani¡¯s knife pierces it, the hand reacted as if it had received severe damage, iling wildly about. It flings Lani and Ogis away. Duanmu Huai also leaps away, grabbing the two of them, and under the protection of Bambi¡¯s bats, they quickly evacuate. Then, under everyone¡¯s gaze, the giant hand thrashes about and strikes wildly like it¡¯s been poisoned. But in the end¡ª¡ª it squirts a dark red blood, and its entire finger turns an eerie dark blue, fully copsing without a sound, bing utterly lifeless, transforming into apletely dead corpse. ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡­¡± Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai quietly breathes a sigh of relief, silently praying in his heart. This time it died so fast, it shouldn¡¯t¡­ However, as if to specifically counteract Duanmu Huai, just as he¡¯s forming a thought in his mind, the system¡¯s notification chimes, and then, a system alert appears before Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. [Your actions have captured the attention of a great being] [Attention level +10] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡­ justpletely lost for words. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 283 - 227: Deja Vu_1 Chapter 283: Chapter 227: Deja Vu_1 After defeating Godfrey, no obstacles were left in Duanmu Huai¡¯s path. He walked through the pce and reached the inside of the Golden Tree, but it was not over yet because at the entrance of the Golden Tree, thorn-like barriers had been set up to seal the gate. Duanmu Huai was not surprised. He had heard from Lani that since Marika¡¯s disappearance, the entrance to the whole Golden Tree has been sealed off, with no one able to enter, not even the King Elden. But now ¡­¡­ Duanmu Huai gripped his War Hammer tightly, and very quickly, the ck me billowed out. He then lifted his War Hammer and forcefully smashed the wall of thorns in front of him! ¡°Bang!!¡± The War Hammer heavily hit the wall of thorns. Soon, the ck me exploded out, spreading along the Golden Tree. The Golden Tree, originally glowing with golden light, was now set ame by the ck me. The burning fire started from the inside and moved from bottom to top, gradually consuming the entire tree. At the same time, patches of crimson points, like burning Mars, started to appear between the leaves, spreading to every corner of the Bordend. ... Under the veil of Mars, all those creatures that were unable to die in the Bordend fell one after another. The Golden Law that was associated with the Golden Tree began to fade away, along with death¡ªthe natural eternally unchangingw returned to its ce, and the twisted order formed by the Golden Law began to gradually disappear from the Bordend. ¡°Crack¡­ Crack¡­¡± The originally sealed wall of thorns burned out in the mes. Duanmu Huai, carrying his War Hammer, boldly walked into the interior of the Golden Tree. At this moment, the interior of the Golden Tree was inplete darkness. The ck me ruthlessly devoured the body of the Golden Tree. Duanmu Huai seemed to be able to hear the painful cries and screams of the Golden Tree. However, it was meaningless because the one who was destroying the Golden Tree was the power of the Rune of Death, a force expelled from thew, which exists as the shadow of the world. For it, the Golden Tree in front of it had neither value nor meaning. For Duanmu Huai, the only valuable thing in front of him was¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Is that the Eternal Queen?¡± Duanmu Huai lifted his head, looking at the only shining existence in the tree hollow. It was a battered female figure. Her head was now drooping down as if she waspletely dead. Her hands were restricted by golden arcs, hanging like a prisoner in the air. As expected, it seems that Lani¡¯s conjecture was correct. Marika ultimately failed in her fight against the Supreme Will, and her body was now suspended¡ªhowever, this would now end. But soon Duanmu Huai realized that things were not over just yet. ¡°Clink¡­¡± The arc that was imprisoning Marika shattered, and the now-restrained Marika¡¯s broken body fell from the air and fell to the ground. Immediately afterwards, a weirdrge hand stretched out from the ground and grabbed Marika¡¯s body, pulling it into the Golden Tree. What was that? Looking at the strange hand in front of him, Duanmu Huai¡¯s face tightened. He initially thought that was the Finger on stage now, but a strange-lookingrge alien-like entity slowly emerged from the ground. It had a semi-transparent body, with the inside clearly visible like golden-glowing root fments. However, this creature had no face, nor were there any facial features visible. Moreover, Duanmu noticed that within the body of this creature, many of the glowing fments have started to dim. I see, this is the Beast of Aleden? ording to Lani¡¯s statement, initially, the Supreme Will from the sky brought the seeds of the Golden Tree, the beast guarding the Golden Tree, and the finger expressing the will of the Supreme Will to the Bordend. Now it seems that this guy is most likely the Gardener of the Golden Tree. If a Gardener sees his hard-cultivated tree being burned down by someone, he would definitely be furious¡ªand indeed, the behavior of the Beast of Aleden quickly confirmed this point. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The Beast of Aleden threw its head back and flew into the air. The world became a star-like universe, and with the motions of the Beast, hundreds of golden meteors appeared at its side, roaring towards Duanmu Huai. However, at this moment, Duanmu Huai did not take action immediately, instead, standing still. It wasn¡¯t that Duanmu Huai was scared, but¡­ this creature, he had seen it before! As a matter of fact, this so-called Beast of Aleden was the subordinate of some overwhelmingly powerful existence in the universe¡­¡­ Wait, if this creature is here to protect the Golden Tree, then the Supreme Will behind it is¡­¡­ Upon realizing this, Duanmu Huai turned pale. He felt cold sweat pouring down. No! He must destroy the Golden Tree! He mustpletely cut off the connection between this world and the Supreme Will, or else he¡¯ll be in big trouble! At this moment, Duanmu Huai decisively made up his mind. Then, gripping his War Hammer, he charged straight at the Beast of Aleden! ¡°Bang Bang Bang Bang!!¡± Golden bursts of light hit Duanmu Huai. However, he had no intentions of dodging them at this moment. If previously Duanmu Huai still nned to y with this beast, upon discovering the true nature of this creature, he was now in a mode ofplete tension. Screw the games, if he doesn¡¯t kill it now, he¡¯ll be in big trouble!! The jetpack, boosted once more, breaks through the Beast of Alden¡¯s torrent of me. At this moment, Duanmu Huai was entirely enshrouded in towering ck mes. Staring at the massive Beast of Alden before his eyes, he roars, raising his War Hammer and charges forward¡ªin the next instant, trailing a long, dark shadow, he shoots through the body of the Beast of Alden. Without any hesitation, the War Hammer in his hand smashes into a certain light source within the beast¡¯s body. What follows is a terrible scream from the Beast of Alden as its entire body swell up and burst like a balloon, crashing heavily onto the ground. On the other side, Duanmu Huai, having passed through the Beast of Alden¡¯s body,nds heavily on the ground. After a few tumbles, he barely manages to stabilize himself. He had poured nearly all of his strength into that strike, and the reactive force from such an explosion, even for someone as robust as Duanmu Huai, was somewhat overwhelming. No, it should be said that¡­ ¡°Damn.¡± Duanmu Huai extends a hand and rubs his waist. To think that the Princess, who looks so innocent, romantic, lively, and cute, would be so terrifying¨C nearly sucked him dry! Well, of course, hisck of experience was also a contributing factor¡­ Regardless, experience is critically important in any situation. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± At this moment, the heavily wounded Beast of Alden is standing before Duanmu Huai. A massive gaping hole has been blown into its body, the light-like branches within its body gradually dimming. Duanmu Huai, however, isn¡¯t concerned about this minor detail. He knows¡ªit¡¯s not over yet! Sure enough, as the Beast of Alden struggles, the ground suddenly splits, and a massive hand reaches out, grabbing the body of the Beast of Alden, and gives it a powerful squeeze. The massive beast disintegrates, turning into golden sparkles that fade away. The giant hand then extends its five fingers, pointing towards Duanmu Huai. After dealing with the guard doges the owner, right¡­ ¡°Ogis, Lorena, Bambi! Together!!¡± Apanying Duanmu Huai¡¯s yell, the girls hiding by the side, already prepared, quickly spring into action. ¡°Wow, they¡¯reing down!!¡± Countless ck bats descend from the sky, fully engulfing the giant hand. But it is quickly evident as the fingers engulfed by the swarm of bats suddenly expand, and a golden me bursts out, instantly incinerating most of Bambi¡¯s summoned bats. ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± As the bats concealing her figure are wiped out, Bambi¡¯s figure is revealed. She quickly screams and backs away, but the giant hand has no intention of letting her go. It extends its five fingers and stretches them out towards Bambi. ¡°Attack!!!!!!!!!¡± Between a moment and the next, Lorena, holding the Sacred Book, descends from the sky, and wielding the brick-thick Sacred Book, she smashes it onto a finger of the giant hand, altering its course. Immediately after, Ogis appears on the other side. Her hands spread out and the slender puppet strings extend, wrapping around the finger of the giant hand. To the giant hand, Ogis¡¯s puppet strings are as fragile as the webs of a spider and nearly irrelevant¡ªmostly, they just pause it for a second. But that¡¯s enough. Just as the giant hand is being bound by Ogis¡¯s puppet strings, Lani silently appears from amongst the shadows. She tightly grips the ¡°Finger Killing Knife¡± in her hand, and attacks the giant hand in front of her!! ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± At this moment, the hand seems to sense Lani¡¯s threat. Instantly, the golden me bursts out again and, spiralling together with the yellow Wildfire, rushes towards Lani. However, quickly, ck mes descend from the sky. Duanmu Huai, holding the War Hammer, turns into a meteor crossing the sky,nding in front of Lani. The ck mes erupt from his body, forming a shield that blocks the golden me of the Supreme Will. At that moment, when the golden fire shows a sign of weakness, Lani seizes the opportunity. With a sh, she passes through it. Then, the small knife forcefully cuts down, striking the junction between the middle and index fingers. ¡°!!!¡± Theoretically, for such a giant finger, a knife smaller than its nail, it shouldn¡¯t cause any damage. However, the reality is that after Lani¡¯s knife pierces it, the hand reacted as if it had received severe damage, iling wildly about. It flings Lani and Ogis away. Duanmu Huai also leaps away, grabbing the two of them, and under the protection of Bambi¡¯s bats, they quickly evacuate. Then, under everyone¡¯s gaze, the giant hand thrashes about and strikes wildly like it¡¯s been poisoned. But in the end¡ª¡ª it squirts a dark red blood, and its entire finger turns an eerie dark blue, fully copsing without a sound, bing utterly lifeless, transforming into apletely dead corpse. ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡­¡± Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai quietly breathes a sigh of relief, silently praying in his heart. This time it died so fast, it shouldn¡¯t¡­ However, as if to specifically counteract Duanmu Huai, just as he¡¯s forming a thought in his mind, the system¡¯s notification chimes, and then, a system alert appears before Duanmu Huai¡¯s eyes. [Your actions have captured the attention of a great being] [Attention level +10] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon seeing this, Duanmu Huai¡­ justpletely lost for words.@@novelbin@@ The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!