Temple Assault

It was already late at night.

Torrential rain poured from the sky, shrouding the entire city. The city lay in complete darkness, without a single light, looking like a graveyard of the dead.

Only a pale beam of light illuminated the ruined street ahead.

Duanmu Huai gripped his Warhammer and walked down the road. The searchlight mounted beside his helmet cast a dazzling white glow, tearing through the darkness and illuminating everything before him.

As Duanmu Huai watched the road ahead, he also glanced at the map data displayed on his helmet. This was the reward he had received after rescuing the captives in City Hall: a Recon Servo-skull. It could scan the surrounding environment and display all life signs on the map.

For Duanmu Huai, it was indeed quite useful.

If it had a drawback, it was that every Servo-skull was simply too ugly.

When he had first descended to the surface, shattered the Evil God ritual, and rescued Elisa, Duanmu Huai had obtained a Repair Servo-skull, mainly used to repair his Power Armor. Now he had acquired a Recon Servo-skull as well. Both were essentially very useful "external attachments" for an Inquisitor.

All Servo-skulls were made from human skulls. They retained a human head and part of the cervical spine, then underwent mechanical modification to become drone-like devices.

At the very least, the thing looked intensely villainous on the surface. A white skull floating beside a black Knight would easily be mistaken by uninformed onlookers for some creation of the Undead...

But it truly was useful. Servo-skulls were small and difficult to spot, and they flew silently, making them ideal reconnaissance drones. They could even enter places like ventilation shafts without obstruction.

In fact, with the Recon Servo-skull's help, Duanmu Huai had discovered enemy ambushes several times in advance. Whenever they foolishly rushed out, they were greeted by the blow of his lightning-wreathed Warhammer.

"Damn, this guy's amazing."

Watching Duanmu Huai mercilessly smash another group of Ratmen into pulp, the elf scout muttered under her breath.

She had not moved together with Duanmu Huai. After all, the elf scout specialized in reconnaissance and exploration. Though she was skilled with a sword, it now seemed that he truly did not need her at his side.

The elf scout had dealt with Ratmen more than once. She knew how formidable they were, yet before this Steel Knight, those monsters seemed to be made of clay, completely incapable of fighting back.

But what was with that little girl...

The elf scout turned around and looked at Okegis following behind her. Duanmu Huai had said that she was his final trump card and would not be allowed to act unless they encountered troublesome enemies. The elf scout had therefore instinctively assumed that Okegis was a mage—many mages possessed devastating spells but were weak in direct combat, so Duanmu Huai had been protecting her all along.

Yet what puzzled the elf scout was that she could not sense the aura of a living person from this girl. Still, she did not look like a Vampire or some other undead creature...

Both of them were mysterious and strange.

When they arrived at the entrance to the temple, Duanmu Huai stopped.

The temple doors ahead had been sealed shut, with wooden crates and other debris piled outside. It was obvious that they were meant to prevent anyone from entering.

"Looks like we can't get in. Should we find another way?"

The elf scout stepped closer and asked quietly. Duanmu Huai glanced at the map displayed on his panel and shook his head.

"No. No need."

With that, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the Warhammer, lowered his body, and charged toward the doorway blocked by debris. The pack on his back ignited in an instant, erupting with blazing blue-white flames. Propelled by the immense force, Duanmu Huai shot forward like a cannonball and slammed straight through it!

BOOM!!!!

The doorway sealed with crates and debris naturally could not withstand Duanmu Huai's impact. In an instant, the fragile doors were blown away, and Duanmu Huai burst directly into the temple. At the same time, he swiftly swept his gaze across the surroundings, taking in the entire temple.

All temples had roughly the same layout. A vast hall stood at the front for sermons and prayers, while the living quarters of the clergy were in the rear. This place was no exception. Yet gathered around the God Statue were not devout believers, but filthy, stinking Ratmen and Evil God Believers. They surrounded the statue as though conducting some blasphemous ritual.

Duanmu Huai's appearance clearly took the Ratmen by surprise. But when they turned, trying to understand what had happened, he had already flown across the entire hall and arrived before the wizards conducting the ritual. Their obese bodies were filled with plague and toxins. These evil wizards were the most loyal "children" of the God of Filth.

But none of that mattered to Duanmu Huai.

"Haaah—!!"

The Thunder Warhammer howled down at one of the Fat Warlocks. At the same time, however, a dark green barrier emerged around the Fat Warlock, attempting to block the Thunder Warhammer's attack.

But not just any shield could stop the full-force blow of a Space Marine.

The instant the Thunder Warhammer struck the barrier, it began to twist and deform before violently bursting apart.

Material Misalignment!

The Thunder Warhammer smashed through the shield without slowing, striking the Fat Warlock directly in the head and pulverizing it. The force of the blow sent him flying backward, and he splattered against the wall beside him with a wet smack like a swatted cockroach, falling still.

"Roarrr!!!"

As Duanmu Huai casually killed one Fat Warlock with a backhanded strike, the other Ratmen and Evil God Believers surged forward like a tide. The instant he landed, they surrounded him. Their strength might not have been enough to harm him, but their numbers could still impede his movement for a time.

Fortunately, Duanmu Huai was not fighting alone.

Psychic Shock!!

Dazzling blue radiance erupted from Duanmu Huai and spread in all directions. The Ratmen and Evil God Believers lunging at him with bared fangs and claws were instantly knocked to the ground by the overwhelming force of Psychic Power. Then Duanmu Huai shook his body, and dozens of Puppet Assassins flashed into existence from thin air, pouncing on the enemies who had fallen and had yet to rise. Duanmu Huai himself charged straight at another Fat Warlock and smashed him into pulp as well.

Just as Duanmu Huai turned around, preparing to eliminate the last Wizard, something unexpected happened.

At the same moment Duanmu Huai's Thunder Warhammer shattered the Fat Warlock's barrier, the Fat Warlock's body suddenly swelled and expanded. In the next instant, he shot upward several meters, becoming even taller than Duanmu Huai. Moreover, his formerly fragile-looking body was now wrapped in layer upon layer of fat, making him resemble an enormous bloated pig three or four meters tall.

THUD!!

Even the previously unstoppable Thunder Warhammer met resistance. Duanmu Huai's full-force strike did not shatter him as before. Instead, it felt as though his Warhammer had struck a massive, thick rubber tire, producing no effect whatsoever.

At the same time, the Fat Warlock's belly split open, revealing a savage, gaping maw. At some point, a massive sword had appeared in his hand, and he smashed it down at Duanmu Huai!

"Fuck!"

Duanmu Huai immediately realized something was wrong. He hurriedly pulled back his Warhammer and raised it to guard himself. The next moment, the howling greatsword struck Duanmu Huai and sent him flying!

"An Apostle of Plague?!!"

The elf scout, who had just arrived, screamed in shock at the sight. She had never expected to encounter such a being here!

Damn it, knew this wouldn't be easy.

Duanmu Huai rose to his feet and stared at the monster before him.

Apostle of Plague (Elites)

LV35

This thing was fifteen levels above him!

Fortunately, Duanmu Huai had prepared for this situation long ago.

As the Apostle of Plague charged at him, Duanmu Huai played the trump card he had kept hidden!

"Okegis!!"

"Crash—!!"

At Duanmu Huai's call, the Traveling Case beside the silver-haired girl suddenly sprang open. A gigantic Masked Puppet burst out and lunged forward, placing itself before Duanmu Huai. It crossed its hands and met the Apostle of Plague's greatsword!

CRACK—!!!

This time, the artificial puppet failed to withstand the Apostle of Plague's attack. The greatsword smashed straight through the Masked Puppet's body, reducing it to fragments scattered across the floor. At the same time, Okegis raised both hands, and shining threads silently emerged from every direction, tightly binding the Apostle of Plague's body.

However, unlike the Bloodthirsty Maniac, the Apostle of Plague seemed far less sensitive to this kind of attack. Although its movements were temporarily restrained by the threads, the Apostle of Plague paid it no mind and continued grinning viciously as it lunged toward Duanmu Huai.

Damn it, this was why he hated fighting things that played with viruses!

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai spat inwardly. Among the four Evil Gods, the followers of the God of Filth were the most disgusting. Not only were the things they did revolting, but they themselves were revolting as well. Like the Apostle of Plague before him: though it appeared to be a single whole from the outside, its body was, strictly speaking, more like a mass of viral components piled together. Unless its core was damaged, these creatures would not die easily.

If Okegis's attack had been used against followers of other Evil Gods, they would already have been sliced into seven or eight pieces. Only creatures resembling slime monsters could withstand Okegis's assault.

There was no helping it. Their resistances were different. The best way to deal with this sort of thing was necromancy or elemental magic, but Duanmu Huai and Okegis both relied on physical attacks. They were somewhat outmatched against such disgusting creatures.

But that did not mean they could not fight it.

The Apostle of Plague, bound by the threads, did not abandon its attack. It opened the huge mouth on its belly and sprayed poisonous slime at Duanmu Huai. Yet Duanmu Huai did not evade the germs and venom. Instead, he stepped forward and thrust his steel Warhammer directly into that gaping mouth on the Apostle of Plague's belly.

Then came lightning and thunder.

"Aaaaaaahhh!!!"

Blazing lightning instantly enveloped the Apostle of Plague's entire body, making it tremble as it let out a pained wail. Duanmu Huai took the opportunity to release the Thunder Warhammer, reached behind him for his Chainsaw Sword, and leaped high into the air. Raising the Chainsaw Sword overhead, he swung down with all his might at the Apostle of Plague!!

Vrrrmmm—!!

The wildly spinning Chainsaw Sword split open the Apostle of Plague's head and tore downward. Yet it did not feel like cutting through flesh or bone. Instead, it felt as though he were cutting into a pile of sponges. Only when it reached the chest did the Chainsaw Sword suddenly stop.

Found it!!

Feeling the feedback from the Chainsaw Sword, Duanmu Huai's eyes narrowed. The muscles in both arms bulged as immense strength erupted once more, forcing the Chainsaw Sword downward. The next instant, it cleaved open the Apostle of Plague's core. Its body immediately swelled like a balloon before exploding with a loud bang.

The violent shockwave slammed into him head-on. Even Duanmu Huai, clad in Power Armor, staggered back several steps. The elf scout, sensing danger, had already grabbed Okegis and fled from the church—she did not possess Duanmu Huai's resilience. If she were caught in the Apostle of Plague's self-destruction, even if it did not kill her, it would strip her raw.

"This piece of crap..."

Duanmu Huai was deeply annoyed as plague-ridden flesh and blood covered him from head to toe. If he had not been wearing fully sealed Power Armor, dealing with this thing would have been agonizing. He had fought one before, in a team battle. In the end, the Apostle of Plague's self-destruction had wiped out every melee fighter, leaving only a few healers and damage dealers in the backline alive.

Looks like he really needed magic after all...

Duanmu Huai looked at the blasted corpse before him and shook his head. Apostles of Plague possessed relatively strong physical resistance, while both he and Okegis specialized in physical attacks. It seemed he would need to visit other ruins and see whether he could find Soul Cards of the magic type.

"I never thought you could actually destroy an Apostle of Plague."

The elf scout walked in at that moment, staring at the hall in astonishment. To be honest, if she had not witnessed it herself, she would never have believed that someone could eliminate such a powerful servant of the Evil God alone...

No, he had not been fighting alone.

With that thought, the elf scout glanced at Okegis beside her. The puppet girl still looked calm and expressionless, but the elf scout knew that it was this girl who had used some kind of threads to restrain the Apostle of Plague's movements. It seemed the Knight had been right—this girl was truly hiding her abilities.

"All right, the monsters here have been cleared out."

Duanmu Huai lowered his Chainsaw Sword and scanned the area.

"Where's that Holy Relic?"

"I know."

At Duanmu Huai's words, the elf scout's eyes lit up. She hurried to the God Statue at the depths of the main hall and murmured several words that sounded like an incantation. Soon, the polluted statue gave off a gentle glow. Its previously clasped hands slowly opened, revealing a pearl about the size of an apple, radiating white light.

Seeing this, the elf scout breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew... Thank goodness it's fine..."

Before the elf scout could finish speaking, Duanmu Huai's Chainsaw Sword was already pressed against her throat.

"For a scout, you sure know a lot."

Duanmu Huai stared at the elf scout and spoke coldly.