Barbarian Invasion

When Duanmu Huai stepped through the city gates, he immediately drew the enemies' attention—well, that was obvious. A two-and-a-half-meter-tall giant clad in black Power Armor stood out in this world like a Firefly in the night. Anyone who failed to see him had to be blind!

"Awooo—!!!"

Soon, accompanied by beastlike howls, several monsters rushed in from all directions. They looked like man-sized rats walking on two legs, gripping spears and scimitars as they charged straight at Duanmu Huai.

"Ratmen!"

The sight of those monsters startled Duanmu Huai as well. Ratmen were common early-game fodder that players often encountered in Star Sea Online. Their attacks were nothing worth mentioning, but their numbers were terrifying. Just imagine hundreds or thousands of human-sized rats charging at you on two legs—that was definitely not a pretty sight.

Duanmu Huai had no patience for these Ratmen. His cloak flickered, and dozens of dolls instantly appeared from thin air, rushing to meet the Ratmen before them. Duanmu Huai himself raised his Warhammer and charged headfirst into the Ratmen like an out-of-control dump truck.

The Ratmen were quick, armed with blades and swords, but such weapons were utterly useless against Power Armor. They might have been able to kill guards in ordinary armor, but against Duanmu Huai, encased from head to toe in Power Armor, their attacks had no effect whatsoever. He did not even need to move; the Ratmen's weapons snapped the instant they touched his armor. His lightning-wreathed Power Hammer became a raging storm, smashing Ratman after Ratman into pulp.

Duanmu Huai strode down the street as Ratmen emerged from the shadows, rooftops, and ruins around him, launching attacks. But those attacks were meaningless. They could not even slow his advance, while every swing of his Warhammer erupted with lightning and swept away several foolhardy Ratmen who dared block his path.

Behind him, dozens of dolls appeared without a sound and pounced on the other Ratmen, pinning them to the ground and piercing their brains and hearts.

A perfect war machine.

No wonder that country's King had started a war. These dolls consumed almost nothing, yet possessed immense killing power. Forget one-for-one exchanges—even ten for one would have been an incredible bargain.

Duanmu Huai was not running around aimlessly. As he advanced, he carefully observed his surroundings, searching for signs of battle. As long as there was fighting, there was still hope. If there was no fighting at all, it meant the city had completely fallen and could no longer be saved.

Fortunately, he really did hear the distant sound of weapons clashing. At once, Duanmu Huai perked up and hurried toward it.

At the end of the road, Duanmu Huai soon spotted a group of Pawns battling the enemy in the square. They were defending a fortress at the far end of the plaza. Besides the Ratmen, they were also fighting a massive Rat Ogre that was rampaging across the battlefield.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai snorted and strode out of the street, charging toward the Rat Ogre.

For a moment, both sides fighting in the square froze, unable to tell which faction this enormous black giant belonged to. But when Duanmu Huai swung his Warhammer down at the Rat Ogre with all his strength, the answer became obvious.

"Bang!!!"

The lead Rat Ogre charged directly at Duanmu Huai, its over-two-meter-tall body crashing toward him. But before it could strike, Duanmu Huai smashed it to the ground with a single blow, splattering its brains and leaving it breathless. At that sight, the surrounding Ratmen swarmed forward—only to be reduced to ash in the lightning erupting from the Warhammer.

Duanmu Huai's appearance instantly shattered the balance of the battlefield. The Ratman army, which had been advancing, was forced to turn around and face the enemy who had inflicted such heavy losses upon them. With the Rat Ogre no longer a threat, the Pawns immediately reformed their defensive line and once again held back the Ratmen's assault.

For a time, the Ratmen were caught between advance and retreat. They had never expected anyone to attack from behind, while the human defensive line, which had been on the verge of collapse, found courage again upon seeing hope and shut them out. Clearly, however, these monsters were not about to retreat so easily. As Duanmu Huai swung his Warhammer, mowing down wave after wave of Ratmen, a Ratman carrying a multi-barreled firearm suddenly emerged from the rear. It raised its weapon, aimed at Duanmu Huai, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang bang bang—!!!"

The next moment, countless stone rounds sprayed forth, streaking toward Duanmu Huai. Even the Ratmen standing in front fell beneath the powerful barrage.

But an attack of that level was clearly insufficient to breach the protection of his Power Armor. A sharp glint flashed through Duanmu Huai's eyes as he sensed the attack. He tightened his grip on the Warhammer, and his Jetpack blasted out a powerful torrent of air, scattering the surrounding Ratmen in every direction. At the same time, Duanmu Huai leaped into the air, streaking across the sky like a meteor before descending with both man and hammer, smashing directly into the Rat Gatling Gun squad.

"Boom!!!"

Blazing lightning exploded outward, sweeping away everything nearby. This time, the Ratmen could no longer hold on. Screaming, they turned and fled, disappearing into the city's shattered ruins moments later.

Like a pack of terrified rats... though they really were rats.

"A bunch of trash."

Rising from the pile of Ratman corpses, Duanmu Huai glanced at the fleeing Ratmen without another word. He walked to one side, found a piece of wreckage, and sat down. Then his backpack silently opened, and the Repair Skull that flew from within began scanning his armor up and down, repairing the damage it had suffered in the previous battle.

While Duanmu Huai rested, the human Pawns behind the defensive line watched him uneasily. Although his appearance had indeed driven back the Ratmen, they were not sure which side this terrifying giant belonged to. After all, the glaring white skull and blood-red cross insignia on Duanmu Huai's Power Armor—no matter how they looked at them, they did not seem to belong to any benevolent faction.

At last, an Old Knight who looked like a commander approached Duanmu Huai with several guards and stared at him.

"Hello, Sir Knight. Thank you for rescuing us..."

"It's nothing."

Duanmu Huai waved a hand and said nothing more. He had no intention of talking much with these people right now. Once Elisa arrived, he could leave everything to her.

Hearing Duanmu Huai's response, the Old Knight visibly relaxed. He had no idea what this fellow was, but at least he could communicate. The armor on this man radiated a vicious aura no matter how one looked at it, but the commander did not care about such minor matters. After all, Barbarians from the Northern Lands even strung human skulls into necklaces and wore them around their necks. Compared to that, this was nothing.

With that thought, the Old Knight took a deep breath and was about to say something else when Elisa's voice rang out.

"S-Sir Knight! What happened? What is going on here?"

Elisa came running over from the other side of the street, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. Behind her, Okegis remained as calm as ever, holding an umbrella and carrying the luggage as she followed along. She looked as though she were merely taking a stroll.

"Miss Elisa!?"

Seeing Elisa, the Old Knight's eyes widened in surprise as he shouted. When Elisa saw the knight commander, an excited smile appeared on her face.

"Uncle Kado!!!"

With that cry, Elisa rushed forward and threw her arms tightly around the knight commander. After all this time, this was the first familiar face she had seen, and she was overwhelmed with emotion. The Old Knight, on the other hand, looked flustered and hurriedly waved his hands.

"Miss Elisa, I'm filthy...!"

Kado was not lying. His body was covered in the black blood of Ratmen, and he even gave off a foul stench. But Elisa did not care in the slightest, merely holding the Old Knight tightly.

Duanmu Huai silently nodded at the sight.

Only then did the mission before his eyes, "Escort," finally display its completion notification.