Chapter 12: Barbarian Invasion

When Duanmu Huai stepped through the city gate, he immediately attracted the enemies' attention—which was to be expected. A two-and-a-half-meter-tall giant in black power armor was as conspicuous as a firefly in the night in this world. Anyone who couldn't see him must be blind!

"Awooo—————!!!"

Soon, accompanied by beast-like howls, several monster-like creatures rushed in from all directions. They looked like walking, human-sized rats, wielding spears and scimitars, charging straight at Duanmu Huai.

"Skaven!"

Seeing these monsters, Duanmu Huai was inwardly startled. Skaven were common fodder that players often encountered in the early to mid-stages of Star Sea Online. Although their attack power was negligible, their numbers were astonishing.

Imagine hundreds or even thousands of rats walking upright like humans and charging at you—that was definitely not a beautiful sight.

Duanmu Huai had no patience for these Skaven. His cloak flickered behind him, and dozens of puppets instantly appeared out of thin air, rushing to intercept the horde.

Duanmu Huai himself raised his warhammer and charged into the swarm like a rampaging dump truck.

These Skaven were fast, darting about with knives and swords, but such weapons had no effect on his power armor. They might be able to kill ordinary guards, but against Duanmu Huai—encased in full power armor—their attacks were completely useless. He didn't even need to react; their weapons shattered on contact with his armor.

The lightning-flashing power hammer spun like a whirlwind, smashing one Skaven after another into pulp. Duanmu Huai strode down the ruined street, unimpeded. Skaven leaped at him from shadows, rooftops, and behind broken walls, trying to mount an ambush.

But their attacks were meaningless. They couldn't even slow him down. Every time Duanmu Huai swung his warhammer, lightning burst forth, frying several of the vermin where they stood.

Behind him, dozens of puppets silently appeared and pounced on the other Skaven, pinning them to the ground, stabbing blades through their brains and hearts with cold efficiency.

A perfect war machine.

No wonder the king of that country dared to launch a war. These puppets were nearly cost-free, yet their lethality was incredibly high. Forget one-for-one—even ten-for-one was a massive profit.

Duanmu Huai wasn't running around aimlessly. As he advanced, he carefully observed his surroundings, trying to locate signs of ongoing combat. As long as there was still fighting, it meant there was still hope. If the city had gone silent... then it had already completely fallen, beyond saving.

Fortunately, he heard the unmistakable sound of weapons clashing in the distance. Hearing that, Duanmu Huai's spirits lifted and he rushed toward the sound.

When he reached the end of the road, Duanmu Huai saw a group of soldiers locked in combat at a square up ahead. They were defending a fortress at the far end of the plaza.

Fighting alongside the Skaven was a massive rat ogre, its huge form wreaking havoc across the battlefield.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly and strode out from the alley, charging directly toward the rat ogre.

When Duanmu Huai appeared, both sides fighting in the square were momentarily stunned, unsure which side this massive black-armored giant belonged to. But the moment Duanmu Huai swung his warhammer down hard on the rat ogre, the answer became self-evident.

"Bang!!!"

The leading rat ogre, over two meters tall, charged straight at Duanmu Huai. But before it could land its blow, Duanmu Huai smashed it down with a single strike, splattering its brains and ending its life.

Seeing this, the surrounding Skaven immediately swarmed forward—only to be turned to ash by the lightning unleashed from the warhammer. Duanmu Huai's arrival instantly broke the balance of the battlefield.

The advancing Skaven army had to turn around to deal with this new enemy who was slaughtering them en masse. Freed from the threat of the rat ogre, the human soldiers quickly re-formed their defensive line and resumed blocking the Skaven's assault.

For a moment, the Skaven were caught in a dilemma. They had never expected someone to attack them from behind, and the previously collapsing human defense line, seeing renewed hope, mustered their courage and held the enemy back.

However, these monsters weren't so easily deterred.

Just as Duanmu Huai was swinging his warhammer, taking down Skaven wave after wave, a Skaven armed with a multi-barreled gun emerged from behind. It raised the weapon, aimed at Duanmu Huai, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang bang bang—————!!!"

In the next moment, countless stone bullets burst forth, flying straight at Duanmu Huai. Even the Skaven in front were mowed down by the barrage.

However, this level of firepower wasn't nearly enough to break through the defenses of his power armor.

Feeling the impact of the attack, Duanmu Huai's eyes flashed coldly. He gripped his warhammer, and the jetpack on his back ignited, spewing powerful air currents that scattered the nearby Skaven.

At the same time, Duanmu Huai leapt into the air like a meteor, soaring across the sky before descending in a crashing arc—his hammer coming down with him—straight into the Skaven Gatling gun team.

"Boom!!!"

Dazzling lightning erupted, sweeping through the area and obliterating everything around it.

This time, the Skaven finally couldn't hold on any longer. Screaming, they turned to flee, disappearing into the city's broken walls and ruined alleyways in an instant.

Just like a swarm of frightened rats... though, to be fair, they were rats.

"A bunch of scum."

Standing up from the pile of Skaven corpses, Duanmu Huai glanced at the fleeing enemies, saying nothing more.

He walked to the side, found a piece of debris, and sat down. A moment later, his backpack quietly opened, and several repair skulls floated out. They began scanning his armor up and down, promptly repairing the damage from the recent battle.

While Duanmu Huai rested, the human soldiers behind the defensive line stared at him uneasily. Although his appearance had undoubtedly repelled the Skaven's attack, they still didn't know which side this massive, terrifying giant belonged to.

After all, the dazzling white skull and blood-red cross insignia on Duanmu Huai's power armor didn't exactly scream "good guy." Finally, an old knight who looked like a commander, accompanied by a few guards, stepped forward and approached Duanmu Huai, staring intently at him.

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

"No problem." Duanmu Huai waved his hand, saying nothing more.

He didn't intend to engage in conversation with these people right now—he'd leave that to Alisa once she arrived.

Hearing Duanmu Huai's reply, the old knight's expression relaxed considerably. Although he still had no idea what kind of terrifying existence this man was, at least he could communicate. The armor radiated a fierce and ominous aura, but the commander wasn't overly concerned with appearances.

After all, the barbarians in the northern lands wore human skulls as necklaces. Compared to that, this wasn't so bad.

Just as the old knight took a deep breath, preparing to say more, Alisa's voice rang out from the street.

"Sir, Sir Knight! What happened? What's going on here?!"

At that moment, Alisa came running from the other side of the street, panting and soaked with sweat. Behind her, Olgis remained as calm as ever, holding her parasol in one hand and carrying luggage in the other, as if she were simply out for a stroll.

"Lady Alisa!?"

Seeing Alisa, the old knight's eyes widened in shock.

"Uncle Cardo!!!"

With a joyful cry, Alisa rushed over and hugged the knight commander tightly. It was the first time in so long that she'd seen someone familiar, and her heart overflowed with emotion.

The old knight, however, looked flustered and quickly waved his hands.

"Lady Alisa, I'm filthy...!"

Cardo wasn't exaggerating. His body was covered in the Skaven's black blood, and he reeked of foul stench. But Alisa didn't care. She just hugged him tighter.

Watching this, Duanmu Huai silently nodded.

At that moment, the quest [Escort] finally updated—

Quest Complete.

(End of this chapter)