Barbarian Invasion

When Duanmu Huai stepped through the city gate, 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 notice him had to be blind!

"Awoooo—!!!"

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

"Ratmen!"

Duanmu Huai was startled when he saw these monsters. Ratmen were also common early-game fodder players often encountered in Star Sea Online. Their attacks were nothing worth mentioning, but their numbers were horrifying. Just imagine hundreds or thousands of rats walking on two legs like humans charging at you—it was definitely not a pretty sight.

Duanmu Huai had no patience for these Ratmen. With a flick of the cloak behind him, dozens of dolls suddenly appeared out of thin air and rushed to meet them. At the same time, Duanmu Huai raised his war hammer and plunged headfirst into the Ratmen like an out-of-control dump truck.

These Ratmen were fast and wielded blades and swords, but such weapons were useless against Power Armor. They might have been able to kill guards wearing ordinary armor, but against Duanmu Huai, fully protected by Power Armor, their attacks did nothing. He did not even need to move; the instant their weapons touched the armor's surface, they snapped apart. The lightning-wreathed Power Hammer became a violent gale, smashing Ratman after Ratman into pulp.

Duanmu Huai strode down the road. Ratmen emerged from the shadows, rooftops, and ruins around him, launching attacks. Yet all of them were meaningless. Their attacks could not even slow his advance, while every swing of his war hammer unleashed a burst of lightning that took out several stubborn Ratmen foolish enough to block his path.

Behind him, dozens of dolls silently appeared and pounced upon 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 launched a war. These dolls cost almost nothing, yet their killing power was immense. Forget trading one for one—even ten for one would be a bargain.

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

Fortunately, he really did hear the distant sound of weapons clashing. His spirits lifted at once, and he hurried toward it.

At the end of the road, Duanmu Huai quickly saw a group of soldiers battling the enemy in a plaza. They were defending a fortress at the far end of the square. Besides Ratmen, a gigantic Rat Ogre was also rampaging across the battlefield.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai snorted and strode out from the street, charging straight at the Rat Ogre.

At the sight of Duanmu Huai, both sides fighting in the plaza froze for a moment, unsure which faction this enormous black giant belonged to. But when Duanmu Huai swung his war hammer down at the Rat Ogre with all his strength, the answer became obvious.

"Bang!!!"

The leading Rat Ogre charged directly at Duanmu Huai, its more-than-two-meter-tall body barreling toward him. But before it could land a blow, Duanmu Huai smashed it to the ground with one hammer strike, splattering its brains and ending its breath. At that sight, the surrounding Ratmen swarmed forward—only to be reduced to ash amid the lightning erupting from the war hammer.

Duanmu Huai's arrival instantly shattered the balance on the battlefield. The Ratman army, which had been advancing, had no choice but to turn and face this enemy who was inflicting devastating losses upon them. With the Rat Ogre no longer a threat, the soldiers quickly re-formed their defensive line and once again blocked the Ratmen's assault.

For a moment, the Ratmen were trapped between advancing and retreating. They had never expected someone to slaughter his way in from behind them, while the human line that had been on the verge of collapse found courage again after seeing hope and kept them at bay. But these monsters were clearly not so quick to retreat. Just as Duanmu Huai swung his war hammer, cutting down swath after swath of Ratmen, a Ratman holding 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 instant, countless stone bullets burst from the weapon and streaked toward Duanmu Huai. Even the Ratmen standing in front of it fell under the powerful barrage.

But an attack of this level was clearly not enough to breach the Power Armor's defenses. A sharp glint flashed through Duanmu Huai's eyes as he sensed the attack. He gripped his war hammer tightly, and the Jetpack on his back blasted out a powerful stream 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 crashing down, hammer and all, straight into the Rat Gatling Gun squad.

"Boom!!!"

Brilliant lightning erupted in all directions, sweeping away everything nearby. This time, the Ratmen could no longer hold out. Screaming, they turned and fled, disappearing into the ruined remains of the city moments later.

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

"A bunch of trash."

Duanmu Huai rose from the pile of Ratman corpses and glanced at the fleeing Ratmen without saying anything more. He walked to one side, found a piece of rubble, and sat down. Then his backpack quietly opened, and the Repair Skull flew out, scanning his armor up and down as it repaired the portions damaged in the earlier battle.

While Duanmu Huai rested, the human soldiers behind the defensive line watched him uneasily. His arrival had indeed driven back the Ratmen's attack, but they still had no idea whose side this terrifyingly huge giant was on. After all, the glaring white skull and blood-red cross insignia on Duanmu Huai's Power Armor did not look like the markings of any benevolent faction.

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

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

"It's nothing."

Duanmu Huai waved his hand and said no more. He had no intention of chatting much with these people right now. Once Elisa arrived, he could leave everything to her.

Hearing Duanmu Huai's reply, the Old Knight visibly relaxed. He did not know what exactly this thing before him was, but at least it could speak and communicate. The armor on this fellow radiated a savage, vicious air no matter how he looked at it, but the commander did not care about such trivial matters. After all, barbarians in the northern lands even strung human skulls into necklaces and wore them around their necks. Compared to that, this was nothing.

Thinking this, 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?"

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

"Lady Elisa!?"

The Old Knight's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Elisa, and he cried out. Seeing the knight commander, Elisa also broke into an excited smile.

"Uncle Kado!!!"

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

"Lady Elisa, I'm very dirty...!"

Kado was not lying. His body was covered in the black blood of Ratmen, and he even gave off an unpleasant stench. But Elisa did not care in the slightest and simply held the Old Knight tightly.

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai nodded silently.

Only then did the "Escort" quest before his eyes finally notify him that it had been completed.