Rampage

"Aaaaargh!!!!!"

With a roar like a Demon from the depths of Hell, the entire mansion began to shake violently. The wallpaper peeled away, and the surroundings became decrepit and ruined. At the same time, the hard floor suddenly shattered, and Skeleton Soldiers clutching weapons and shields crawled out, surrounding Duanmu Huai and Okegis.

"Don't, don't hurt Father!!!!!"

As the roar rang out, the quest prompt before Duanmu Huai changed once again.

"Investigate Fallen Moon Forest" Phase One Complete

Quest Triggered: "Angry Soul"

Quest Objective: Destroy the source of the rage

The Angry Soul was venting its darkness and hatred. Pass through this Forbidden Land of the Dead, find the source of the curse, and destroy it!

"Why am I not surprised at all...?"

Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the Thunder Warhammer and silently grumbled.

Then he charged straight at the Undead Soldiers before him.

To Duanmu Huai, these Undead Soldiers were no harder to deal with than Ratmen. He gripped the Warhammer with both hands and swung it forcefully like a spinning windmill. Wherever it passed, the Skeleton Undead were smashed directly into pulp. The Undead Soldiers had no emotions and did not fear death, but once they were crushed into fragments, they posed no threat whatsoever.

"Bang!!"

The Skeleton Soldier blocking Duanmu Huai's path, armed with sword, shield, and blade, was sent flying by the Thunder Warhammer. Like a figurine casually tossed aside by a brat, it crashed into the wall and scattered into a heap of bones. Just as those bones stirred, preparing to reassemble themselves, a massive, sturdy power boot stomped them into pieces.

Okegis, following behind Duanmu Huai, began to act as well. She spread her hands, and countless sharp Puppet Strings streaked through the air in a crisscrossing web, slicing the Skeleton Soldiers before them into neat pieces with the sharpness of a bone saw.

Maybe I could ask Okegis to help next time I bought big bones for soup.

While turning that utterly inappropriate thought over in his mind, Duanmu Huai smashed through the Undead army and rushed out of the hall. He remembered that before dying, the man had told his daughter to hide in the basement. The source of all this should be down there.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!!!"

However, just as Duanmu Huai rushed into the corridor, rapid hoofbeats rang out. A ghostly Knight mounted on a warhorse and wielding a lance charged toward him from the other end of the hall. Duanmu Huai hurriedly turned, raised his Warhammer high, and brought it down on the Knight with all his strength!

"Boom!!!"

The lightning-wreathed Thunder Warhammer struck the warhorse directly in the head, smashing it into a bloody mess. Yet the headless horse showed no intention of stopping and continued charging at Duanmu Huai. At the same time, the Knight's lance flashed forth like lightning, stabbing toward Duanmu Huai's chest.

A bone-piercing chill rushed toward him. Even within his Power Armor, Duanmu Huai could feel icy coldness sweep over his body, as though all the strength in him was draining away with the freezing wind.

"Damn it!"

Feeling this, Duanmu Huai cursed inwardly. This was what made Undead so troublesome. His Power Armor could withstand rifle fire and even machine-gun bullets, but against these Undead, it was practically the same as being naked—offering no protection at all.

Fortunately, Duanmu Huai had prepared for this.

Psychic Shock!

Just as the ghostly Knight's lance was about to pierce Duanmu Huai's chest, a dazzling burst of Psychic Power suddenly erupted from Duanmu Huai's body, blasting both the ghostly Knight and his headless warhorse away. As the Knight lost his balance, Duanmu Huai strode forward and brought down his Warhammer again with all his strength!

"Bang!!!"

Under the Thunder Warhammer's blow, the ghostly Knight shattered and vanished like a popped ball. But soon, a large group of ghosts emerged from the corridor. Floating through the air with their arms spread wide, they lunged at Duanmu Huai.

"What a pain!"

At present, Duanmu Huai only had this Thunder Warhammer to deal with Undead. His Power Armor offered absolutely no defense against the spiritual attacks of the Undead. If he had been facing Ratmen or Evil God Believers, he could have relied on his thick armor to withstand their attacks. But these Undead were different.

In their eyes, Duanmu Huai's Power Armor might as well not have existed.

This was the greatest problem melee fighters faced against mages. At least for now, Duanmu Huai had no solution. The Doll Style he had drawn before, including Okegis herself, relied entirely on physical attacks and had little resistance to Psychic Power.

At that thought, Duanmu Huai frowned. Then he surged forward again. As the ghosts closed in around him, Duanmu Huai unleashed another Psychic Shock, knocking them back. Immediately afterward, the flight pack on his back burst into acceleration. In the next instant, Duanmu Huai became an afterimage, passing through the ghost-filled corridor and reaching its end! Then he gripped his Warhammer tightly and smashed it down at the floor!

"Boom!!!!"

With a single blow from Duanmu Huai, the floor before him exploded apart, revealing a pitch-black hole. Without hesitation, he leaped into it—he needed to end this quickly and had no time to look for the basement entrance. But it did not matter to Duanmu Huai. If he could not find a door... he could just smash one open.

There were no doors in this world to begin with. Smash enough walls, and doors would appear.

"Whoosh——!!"

The moment Duanmu Huai landed, a sudden gust of wind sounded. He instinctively turned and raised his Warhammer. The next moment, a violent collision erupted, and a powerful force crashed into him head-on, making even Duanmu Huai, clad in Power Armor, stagger slightly.

But that made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the opponent had a physical form.

If it had been a completely incorporeal evil spirit, this would have been really hard to fight.

"You... you actually dared to hurt Father!!!"

The one who appeared before Duanmu Huai was the Purple-Haired Maiden from earlier. She held an iron wrench taller than she was herself and glared viciously at Duanmu Huai. Her entire body radiated a blood-red aura, making her look just like an evil spirit.

"I won't forgive you!!"

"Hey, I'm not your enemy, little girl!!"

"Leave this place!!!"

Although Duanmu Huai tried to calm the girl before him, she had clearly fallen into a frenzy. She swung that enormous wrench, nearly as large as a Power Axe, and charged at Duanmu Huai again.

There was no choice. Looking at the fierce girl before him, Duanmu Huai shook his head and raised his Warhammer.

If his Charm were higher, he could try putting a point into Persuasion. But with his current Charm of one...

He could only reason with her using force.