No matter what kind of battle it was, Duanmu Huai's creed was always fast, precise, ruthless. His size didn't allow him to sneak or strike from the shadows—his best option was always to charge straight in, overwhelm his foes, and smash everything before they had time to react.
As for everything else… deal with it after smashing!!
Facts proved his method worked. The cultists conducting their ritual had never expected the massive stone door to be blown open by sheer brute force. They were caught completely off guard.
Before they could recover, Duanmu Huai, with the aid of his jetpack, leapt high into the air like a catapulted boulder and slammed down into the ritual circle. His warhammer swung once—several cultists were flung screaming into the walls, falling silent.
The remaining robed men finally reacted. They dashed forward, weapons raised, lunging at him. But though they were quick, their weapons were laughably weak. Blades and axes clanged uselessly against the heavy power armor, not even leaving a scratch.
Duanmu Huai took the opening, gripped the hammer in both hands, and swept the rest aside in one brutal arc.
At the same time, snarling black hounds lunged from all directions. But before they could show their savagery, Duanmu Huai stomped them into bloody pulp underfoot.
With the ritual circle cleared, the blood that had been flowing through its runes boiled violently, and the blood-red crystal suspended in the center dimmed, tumbling to the floor.
"You damned wretch!!"
On the dais, a robed figure roared. His eyes flared with blinding light, hands raised high. Around them, tombs burst open, spewing forth pale horrors—ghastly hybrids of man and bat, their flesh stretched thin, blue veins writhing beneath bloodless skin.
Their faces were twisted human-bat abominations, fangs and ears warped like a predator's.
"That's… Karl!!"
Old Bent shrieked, clutching Guleya with one hand and pointing with the other, his face deathly pale.
He had guessed long ago that the missing villagers had met terrible fates, but never imagined they'd be transformed into monsters like these!
As the creatures emerged, skeletal soldiers also formed—the scattered bones on the floor snapping together under some sinister force until a ring of skeleton warriors surrounded Duanmu Huai.
The robed man's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Foolish mortal, you dare disrupt my ritual? Then I'll show you true—"
But his words were cut short.
Duanmu Huai only glanced at the horde encircling him and sneered. He raised his foot and stomped hard.
[Soul Flame]!!
Pure white fire, holy and blinding, erupted outward. In an instant, the blaze filled the hall, sweeping through the undead and monsters. They collapsed where they stood, consumed by its radiance.
The robed man, caught unprepared, flung his hands up to shield his face, but the brilliance scorched him mercilessly.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!"
He fell to his knees, screaming. A shroud of black fog enveloped him, dissolving his robes. From within emerged a towering form with a goat's head, bat wings, and black, muscular flesh. Its maw gaped wide, lined with jagged fangs.
"You—you dare…!!"
But his fury ended there.
Duanmu Huai was already upon him. The warhammer rose, then crashed down.
Squelch!!
The monster's head burst like a watermelon, its body convulsed, then melted into a puddle of blood.
"Good. That's done."
Duanmu Huai slung the hammer over his shoulder and nodded with satisfaction. The hall was silent now. The mutated villagers and skeletal warriors lay as charred husks, and the mastermind's crushed corpse bled into the stones. Whatever they were planning, it was over—for now.
"Are you alright, Sir Knight?"
Guleya and Old Bent crept into the chamber, gasping at the carnage. Corpses carpeted the floor, the air thick with death. To think—all of this was the work of one man—it was beyond belief.
"I'm fine. Tricks like that can't touch me."
Duanmu Huai shook his head. To him, enemies on this continent barely posed a challenge. If he wanted a real fight, he'd need to march into the Oblivion realms and brawl with the Daedric Princes themselves.
"But still… what were they trying to do, setting all this up?"
He eyed the shattered remains of the transformed cultist. Just as he began to search for clues, a weak voice called out.
"If you seek answers, I can help you, mighty warrior of steel."
"Oh?"
Duanmu Huai looked up. In a corner, inside an iron cell, a man in a deep blue robe leaned weakly against the bars. His face was gaunt, his body drained.
"Praise Stendarr… it seems my fate isn't sealed after all."
"Who are you?"
Duanmu Huai strode to the cell, studying him.
"I am Guley Past, a Vigilant of Stendarr."
"A Vigilant of Stendarr, huh… oh, I see."
The title clicked.
On this continent, the Empire recognized nine official gods—the Nine Divines:
The Dragon God of Time, Akatosh.
The God of Life and Death, Arkay.
The Goddess of Beauty, Dibella.
The God of Wisdom, Julianos.
The God of Air, Kynareth.
The Goddess of Compassion, Mara.
The God of Justice, Stendarr.
The God of Wealth, Zenithar.
And… the ill-fated Talos, the forbidden God of Man and War.
Besides these Nine Divines, there were sixteen Daedric Princes—but those were another matter.
The Vigilants of Stendarr were the god's holy hand, sworn to hunt monsters—vampires, undead, werewolves. Not too different from inquisitors, really.
Guley explained how he ended up here. Like all Vigilants, he hunted vampires. But ambushed by a coven, his companions were slain, and he was dragged to this place. The vampires needed the heart of a devout worshipper to fuel their blasphemous ritual. But now, thanks to Duanmu Huai, that ritual lay in ruins.
"You know what they were planning?"
"That I do not. But I know what that artifact is."
Guley's eyes turned to the object lying in the ruined circle—a carved stone like a miniature sun, with a crystal core glowing faintly red.
"That is Azura's Star, a Daedric artifact. It can contain and imprison souls."
"So… the vampires wanted to trap human souls?"
"It isn't so simple."
Guley shook his head.
"From what I saw, they were trying to remake Azura's Star into some special vessel. This ritual was part of that. What their true aim was… no one can say."
"So what now?"
Duanmu Huai bent down, lifting the fallen Azura's Star. Its glow pulsed red, like flowing blood.
"My advice: return it to Azura. Let her purify it. Whatever those vampires intended, she would never allow it."
"You sure? Azura's a Daedric Prince, isn't she?"
Duanmu Huai remembered—the Daedric Princes numbered sixteen.
"Azura may be a Daedra, but she is not an evil one. Whatever those vampires sought, Azura would never permit it."
"…I see."
He considered, then nodded.
"Then let's go meet this Daedric Prince."
Worst case, I'll just fight her.
(End of Chapter)