Temple Raid

By now, it was deep into the night.

Torrential rain poured from the sky, shrouding the entire city. There wasn't a single light shining anywhere, making it look like a dead cemetery.

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

Duanmu Huai held his Thunder Warhammer and walked forward along the road. The searchlight mounted on the side of his head emitted a dazzling white radiance, tearing through the darkness and illuminating everything before him.

As he watched the road ahead, Duanmu Huai 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.

It was indeed a useful aid for Duanmu Huai.

If it had any flaw, it was that all Servo-skulls looked far too ugly.

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

All Servo-skulls were made from human skulls. They retained the human head and part of the cervical spine, then underwent mechanized modifications to become devices resembling drones.

Putting everything else aside, this thing at least gave off an intense villainous aura on the surface. A white skull floating beside a black knight—anyone who didn't know the truth would easily mistake it for some creation of an undead creature...

But it was genuinely useful. Servo-skulls were small and difficult to detect, and they could fly silently. They were practically the best reconnaissance drone units. Even places like ventilation ducts posed no obstacle to them.

In fact, with the help of the Recon Servo-skull, Duanmu Huai had discovered enemies lying in ambush several times in advance. When they foolishly charged out, what greeted them was the blow of a Thunder Warhammer flashing with lightning.

"tsk, this guy is amazing."

Watching Duanmu Huai once again mercilessly smash a group of Ratmen into minced meat, the Elf Scout muttered under her breath.

She wasn't acting together with Duanmu Huai, after all. The Elf Scout excelled at reconnaissance and exploration. Although she also possessed decent swordsmanship, it seemed that he truly didn't need her standing at his side.

The Elf Scout had dealt with Ratmen more than once, so she knew how powerful they were. Yet before this Steel Knight, these monsters were like figures made of mud, utterly incapable of fighting back.

But what was the deal with that little girl...?

The Elf Scout turned around and looked at Okegis, who was following behind her. Duanmu Huai had said that she was his final trump card and wouldn't let her fight unless they encountered a troublesome enemy. The Elf Scout had therefore instinctively assumed that Okegis was a mage. Quite a few mages possessed powerful spells, but their physical combat abilities were average, which was why Duanmu Huai had kept protecting her.

What puzzled the Elf Scout was that she couldn't sense the aura of a living person from the girl. Yet she didn't look like an undead creature such as a Vampire, either...

Both of them were mysterious and strange.

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

The temple's main entrance had already been sealed shut, with wooden crates and other objects piled up outside. It was clearly meant to keep anyone from entering.

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

The Elf Scout approached and asked in a low voice. Duanmu Huai glanced at the map displayed on his panel and shook his head.

"No need."

With that, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the Thunder Warhammer, lowered his body, and charged straight toward the entrance blocked by the debris. The pack on his back immediately erupted with blazing blue-white flames. Under the tremendous thrust, Duanmu Huai shot forward like a cannonball and slammed headfirst through the entrance!

"Boom!!!!"

A door sealed with wooden crates and debris naturally couldn't withstand Duanmu Huai's impact. In an instant, the fragile door was sent flying, and Duanmu Huai charged straight into the temple. At the same time, he swiftly scanned his surroundings, taking in the entire temple.

All temples had more or less the same layout. The front was a spacious hall used for preaching and prayer, while the clergy's quarters were located farther back. This one was no exception. However, the figures surrounding the God Statue were not devout worshippers, but a group of filthy, stench-ridden Ratmen and Evil God Believers. They were gathered around the God Statue, seemingly conducting some kind of blasphemous ritual.

Duanmu Huai's appearance was clearly beyond the Ratmen's expectations. But by the time they turned around and tried to figure out what was happening, Duanmu Huai had already flown across the entire hall and arrived before the warlock conducting the ritual. Their fat bodies were filled with plague and poison. These evil warlocks were also the God of Filth's most loyal "children."

None of that mattered to Duanmu Huai.

"Whoosh-----!!"

The Thunder Warhammer came crashing down toward one of the Fat Warlocks. At the same time, a dark green barrier appeared beside the Fat Warlock, attempting to block the attack.

However, not just any shield could withstand a full-powered strike from a Space Marine.

The instant the Thunder Warhammer struck the barrier, it began to twist and deform before abruptly exploding.

Material Misalignment!

The Thunder Warhammer pierced through the shield without losing momentum and smashed directly into the Fat Warlock's head, turning it into a bloody mess. The impact sent the Fat Warlock flying. It slammed into the nearby wall with a wet smack, like a cockroach being swatted away, and went still.

"Roarrrr!!!"

As Duanmu Huai killed one Fat Warlock with his backhand, the other Ratmen and Evil God Believers surged toward him like a tide, surrounding him the moment he landed. Their strength might not have been enough to injure Duanmu Huai, but their numbers could still hinder his movements for a time.

Fortunately, Duanmu Huai wasn't fighting alone.

Psychic Shock!!

Dazzling blue radiance erupted from Duanmu Huai and spread in every direction. The Ratmen and Evil God Believers that had been lunging at him with bared claws were immediately knocked to the ground by the overwhelming psychic force. Then Duanmu Huai shifted his body, and dozens of Puppet Assassins suddenly appeared from thin air, pouncing on the enemies who had fallen and hadn't yet managed to rise. Duanmu Huai himself charged straight toward another Fat Warlock and smashed it into minced meat once more.

Just as Duanmu Huai turned around, preparing to kill the last warlock, something unexpected happened.

The instant Duanmu Huai's Thunder Warhammer broke through the Fat Warlock's barrier, the Fat Warlock's body suddenly swelled and expanded. In the next moment, its entire body shot upward by several meters, becoming even taller than Duanmu Huai. Its formerly fragile-looking body was now wrapped in layer upon layer of fat, making it look like a gigantic fat pig three or four meters tall.

"Boom!!"

The previously unstoppable Thunder Warhammer was finally obstructed. Duanmu Huai's full-powered strike failed to break through as it had before. Instead, he felt as if his warhammer had struck a massive tire. It didn't react in the slightest.

At the same time, the Fat Warlock's belly suddenly split open, revealing a vicious, cavernous mouth. At some point, a greatsword had appeared in its hands, and it brought it crashing down toward Duanmu Huai!

"Damn!"

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai cursed inwardly and hurriedly pulled back his warhammer to block beside him. In the next instant, the descending greatsword struck him directly and sent him flying!

"Apostle of Plague?!!"

The Elf Scout, who had just arrived, let out a shriek when she saw this. She never expected such a creature to be here!

Damn, I knew this wouldn't be easy.

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

Apostle of Plague (Elite)
LV35

This thing is fifteen levels higher than me!

Fortunately, Duanmu Huai had prepared for situations like this.

As the Apostle of Plague charged toward him, Duanmu Huai played the trump card he had kept hidden in his hand!

"Okegis!!"

"Whoosh---!!"

At Duanmu Huai's call, the Traveling Case beside the silver-haired girl suddenly opened. A huge Masked Puppet flew out and landed in front of Duanmu Huai. With its arms crossed, it met the Apostle of Plague's greatsword head-on!

"Crack---!!!"

This time, the artificial puppet failed to block the Apostle of Plague's attack. The greatsword smashed straight through the Masked Puppet's body, reducing it to a pile of fragments. At the same time, Okegis raised both hands. Shining threads silently emerged from every direction and tightly wrapped around the Apostle of Plague's body.

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

Damn it. This is why I hate fighting virus users!

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai spat inwardly. Among the four Evil Gods, the followers of the God of Filth were the most disgusting to deal with. It wasn't only the things they did that were revolting—even they themselves were revolting. Take the Apostle of Plague before him. Although it appeared to be a single entity on the surface, strictly speaking, its body was more like a mass formed from some kind of viral substance. Unless its core was damaged, creatures like this wouldn't die easily.

If Okegis's attack had landed on any other Evil God Believer, it would have already cut them into seven or eight pieces. Only a creature that looked like a slime monster could withstand her assault.

There was nothing they could do about it. Their resistances were different. Against an enemy like this, necromancy or elemental spells would be the most effective. Unfortunately, both Duanmu Huai and Okegis relied on physical attacks, making them somewhat ill-suited to deal with such a disgusting creature.

But that didn't mean it couldn't be defeated.

The Apostle of Plague, still bound by the threads, didn't give up its attack. It opened the cavernous mouth in its belly and sprayed poisonous slime toward Duanmu Huai. However, Duanmu Huai didn't dodge the pathogens and venom. Instead, he took a single step forward and drove the Steel Knight's warhammer in his hand directly into the huge mouth on the Apostle of Plague's belly.

Then lightning flashed and thunder roared.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Brilliant lightning instantly enveloped the Apostle of Plague's entire body, making it tremble and howl in agony. Duanmu Huai took the opportunity to release the Thunder Warhammer, reach behind him, and draw his Chainsaw Sword. He leaped into the air, raised the Chainsaw Sword high, and swung it down with all his strength at the Apostle of Plague!

"Buzzzzz---!!"

The wildly spinning Chainsaw Sword cleaved through the Apostle of Plague's head and continued downward. Yet the sensation was nothing like cutting flesh or bone. It felt more as if he were hacking into a pile of sponges. The Chainsaw Sword suddenly stopped when it reached the creature's chest.

Found it!!

Feeling the change in the Chainsaw Sword's resistance, Duanmu Huai's eyes narrowed. The muscles in both his arms bulged as he unleashed tremendous strength once more, forcing the Chainsaw Sword downward. In the next moment, the blade cleaved through the Apostle of Plague's core. Immediately afterward, the Apostle of Plague's body swelled like a balloon before bursting apart with a bang.

A violent wave of air struck him head-on. Even Duanmu Huai, clad in Power Armor, was forced several steps backward. Seeing that things were going badly, the Elf Scout had already grabbed Okegis and fled the temple. She didn't possess Duanmu Huai's abilities. If she were caught in the Apostle of Plague's self-destruction, she might not die, but she would certainly lose a layer of skin.

"This wretched thing..."

Duanmu Huai, covered from head to toe in plague-ridden flesh, was deeply annoyed. If he hadn't had this fully enclosed Power Armor, fighting this thing would have been unbearable. He had fought one of these before, in a team battle. In the end, the Apostle of Plague's self-destruction had wiped out all the melee fighters, leaving only a few healers and damage dealers in the backline alive.

As expected, magic is still necessary...

Looking at the blasted corpse before him, Duanmu Huai shook his head. Units like the Apostle of Plague had relatively strong physical resistance, while both he and Okegis relied on physical attacks. It looks like I need to visit some other ruins and see if I can find any magic-oriented Soul Cards.

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

The Elf Scout entered as well and looked at the hall in astonishment. To be honest, if she hadn't witnessed it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed that anyone could single-handedly kill such powerful servants of an Evil God...

No, he hadn't been fighting alone, either.

Thinking of this, the Elf Scout glanced at Okegis beside her. The Puppet Girl still wore an utterly expressionless, calm look. 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 that knight had been right—this girl truly hid her abilities well.

"All right, the monsters here are cleared out."

Duanmu Huai lowered his Chainsaw Sword and glanced around.

"Where's that Holy Relic?"

"I know."

At Duanmu Huai's words, the Elf Scout's eyes lit up. She quickly went to the God Statue in the depths of the hall, then softly recited several phrases that sounded like incantations. Soon, the polluted God Statue began to emit a gentle light. Its hands, which had originally been clasped together, slowly opened, revealing a white, glowing pearl about the size of an apple.

Seeing this, the Elf Scout breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew... thank goodness nothing happened..."

However, before the Elf Scout could finish speaking, Duanmu Huai's Chainsaw Sword was already pressed against her throat.

"As a scout, you certainly know a lot."

Duanmu Huai stared at the Elf Scout before him and spoke coldly.