A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 16: Chapter 11 Barbarians Invasion_1

When Duanmu Huai stepped into the city gate, he instantly attracted the attention of the enemy-–of course he did, standing at a towering height of two and a half meters, armored in jet black Power Armor like he was. In this world, he stood out as brilliantly as a firefly in the night. Anyone who couldn’t see him was blind!

“Aaaaargh——!”

Soon, monster-like creatures brandishing spears and scimitars came running at Duanmu Huai from all directions, squealing like wild beasts. They looked like depictions of monstrous rats, standing as tall as humans.

“Ratmen!”

Seeing these monsters, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. Ratmen were common foot soldiers encountered by early-phase players in the game Star Ocean Online. Although their attacks weren’t anything to write home about, their numbers could be overwhelming. Imagine hundreds or thousands of rats, walking on their hind legs, charging at you—it was far from a beautiful sight.

Duanmu didn’t have any patience for them. A swift flash of his cloak caused dozens of puppets to manifest out of nowhere, meeting the Ratmen head-on. Meanwhile, Duahmu Huai lifted his War Hammer and charged full-throttle into the swarm ahead.

Although these Ratmen were quite swift, wielding swords and daggers, such weapons were futile against the Power Armor. Perhaps they could kill ordinary soldiers in regular armor, but before Duanmu Huai, clad in full Power Armor, their attacks were completely useless. Their weapons would simply break upon contact with his impenetrable left. In his hand, the lethal Power Hammer transformed into a hurricane, smashing through the rat creatures, reducing them to pulp.

Stride by stride, Duanmu Huai progressed along the road, with the Ratmen either scurrying out from the shadows, rooftops or ruins to assault him. However, all such assaults were futile. They couldn’t even hinder his progress. Each swing of his War Hammer blasted out bolts of thunder, decimating the obstinate Ratmen that dared to stand in his way.

Meanwhile, behind him, dozens of silent puppets materialized and pounced onto other Ratmen, pinning them down and piercing through their skulls and hearts.

A perfect war machine.

No wonder the King of that nation waged a war. These puppets had almost zero consumption, but their lethality was immense. Even trading ten to one would be a bloody bargain.

Duanmu Huai wasn’t running around aimlessly. He was moving while scrutinizing his surroundings, looking for signs of battle. If there was fighting, it meant there was hope. If there was no fighting, it meant the city was completely overrun and beyond salvation.

Fortunately, he heard the sound of clashing armaments coming from the distance. Upon hearing it, Duanmu Huai rallied his spirits and rushed towards the noise.

Reaching the end of the road, he soon saw a group of soldiers fighting off against the enemy in the square, trying to guard a fortress at the end of it. Apart from Ratmen, there was also a monstrous rat-house troll wreaking havoc on the battlefield.

“Hmph!”

Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai let out a cold snort, charging out from the street and running towards the Mouse Troll before him.

The sudden appearance of Duanmu Huai, a colossal Black Giant, made both sides of the fighting forces pause in their tracks, uncertain whose side he was on. However, when Duanmu Huai, wielding the War Hammer, took a powerful swing at the Mouse Troll, his intentions were clear.

“Bang!!!”

The head of the Mouse Troll led a frontal charge against Duanmu Huai. Despite its towering body, over two meters tall, it flipped over before it could even lay its hands on Duanmu Huai, due to a single blow of his hammer, causing brain matter to spatter and putting an end to its breath. Witnessing this scene, the surrounding Ratmen rushed to their fallen comrade, only to get reduced to ashes amidst the thunderous blows of Duanmu Huai’s War Hammer.

The appearance of Duanmu Huai instantly tipped the scales on the battlefield. The advancing Ratman Army had to turn around to deal with this formidable foe, who had caused them heavy losses. Without the threat of the Mouse Troll, the soldiers were able to regroup their defensive line, repelling the Ratmen’s onslaught once more.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the Ratmen hadn’t anticipated anyone attacking from their rear. However, having witnessed a glimmer of hope, the teetering human frontline regained their courage, successfully keeping the Ratmen at bay. But, it was pretty clear that these monsters were hardly the type to give up easily. As Duanmu Huai swung his War Hammer, sweeping away swathes of Ratmen, suddenly, a Ratman bearing multiple firearms emerged from the back. He raised his weapons, took aim at Duanmu Huai and pulled the trigger.

“Bang bang bang——!”

The next moment, a volley of bullets shot forth, headed towards Duanmu Huai. The force was so powerful that even the Ratmen, obstructing its path, were cut down in the crossfire.

However, this level of attack obviously wasn’t strong enough to break through the Power Armor’s defenses. Duanmu Huai, who had received the attack, showed a glint of brilliance in his eyes. He then gripped the War Hammer tightly as the jetpack on his back ejected a powerful stream of air, blowing the surrounding Ratmen into disarray. Simultaneously, Duanmu Huai leapt up, shooting across the sky like a meteor, then, man and hammer fell from the sky, directly smashing into the camp of the Ratman machine gun squad.

“Boom!!!”

Shining thunder exploded in all directions, sweeping away everything in the vicinity. This time, the Ratmen could no longer hold on. They screamed and turned to run, disappearing into the broken and ruined city in a moment.

Just like a bunch of panicked rats… even though they were indeed rats.

“A bunch of trash.”

Standing up from the pile of Ratman corpses, Duanmu Huai glanced at the retreating Ratmen, said no more, just walked to one side, found a piece of wreckage to sit on, and immediately his backpack quietly opened. The repairing skull that flew out began to scan Duanmu Huai’s armor up and down, repairing the parts that had been damaged during the previous fight.

Meanwhile, as Duanmu Huai rested, the human soldiers behind the defenses were uneasily watching him. Although Duanmu Huai’s appearance had indeed repelled the Ratman attack, they were not sure which side this towering, terrifying giant belonged to. After all, Duanmu Huai’s Power Armor, marked with the glaring White Skull Head and Bloody Red Cross Badge, didn’t look like something from a good faction no matter how you looked at it.

Finally, an elderly knight who looked like a commander, along with several guards, walked up to Duanmu Huai, watching him closely.

“Hello, Sir Knight, thank you for saving us…”

“No problem.”

Duanmu Huai waved his hand, saying nothing more. He didn’t intend to chat with these people at the moment. As long as Elisa arrived, he could hand everything over to her.

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s answer, the old knight’s face relaxed considerably. Although he didn’t know what this thing was in front of his eyes, at least he could communicate. This guy’s armor seemed to show a ferocious air, but the commander didn’t mind such small matters. After all, the Barbarians in the Northern Lands would even wear human skulls as necklaces, by comparison, this was nothing.

Thinking of this, the old knight took a deep breath, and was just about to say something else, when Elisa’s voice sounded.

“Sir, Sir Knight! What happened? What’s going on here?”

At this moment, Elisa was also panting heavily, running from the other side of the street. She was panting, sweating profusely, and behind her, Ogis was still as placid as ever, holding an umbrella and a suitcase, following behind. It looked like she was just taking a stroll.

“Miss Elisa!?”

Seeing Elisa’s appearance, the old knight widened his eyes in surprise and shouted out loud. Seeing the knight commander, Elisa also showed an excited smile.

“Uncle Kado!!!”

Accompanied by the cries, Elisa rushed over the next moment and hugged the knight commander tightly. After such a long time, this was the first time she had seen someone she knew, and she was beyond excited. On the other hand, the old knight looked flustered, waving his hands hurriedly.

“Miss Elisa, I’m very dirty…!”

Kado wasn’t lying, his whole body was covered in the blacks blood of the Ratmen, even emitting a foul smell. However, Elisa didn’t mind in the slightest, only holding onto the old knight in front of her tightly.

Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai silently nodded his head.

It was not until this moment that his task “Escort” finally showed as completed.