In a quiet village, cut off from the outside world, the villagers lived peaceful lives—working from sunrise to sunset, resting when the day was done.
But one day, the arrival of a mysterious man shattered that peace. He slaughtered the villagers without mercy, and those weak, innocent people had no choice but to pray or fight back—even though their resistance was utterly futile.
Splurt!!
Duanmu Huai's massive fist smashed the head of the woman in front of him into pieces, his punch continuing straight through into the rotting wooden wall beside her. Then, with a single grab, he reached into the hole and dragged out another villager hiding inside. Before the man could react, Duanmu Huai twisted his neck, tearing his head clean off his shoulders.
Honk—hoooonk!!
Facing such a brutal and merciless killer, the villagers refused to give up. Soon, the blaring horn of a truck echoed down the slope. It plowed through several villagers on its way, speeding straight toward Duanmu Huai.
But Duanmu Huai didn't dodge. He stood right in the middle of the road, raised both hands, and braced himself.
Boom!!
The speeding truck slammed into his body, making him sway slightly—but only for an instant. The next moment, Duanmu Huai's arms tensed as he grabbed beneath the truck's front grill and flipped it over!
"Die, heretics!"
With a roar, he hurled the truck backward, sending it crashing into a group of approaching villagers. A second later, it exploded in a fiery blast, engulfing both vehicle and villagers alike in a blazing fireball.
Duanmu Huai didn't even glance at the burning corpses. He simply lifted his head and continued up the slope.
The village wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. By now, he had already killed nearly two hundred villagers—and yet, more kept coming, attacking him from every direction. Perhaps whoever was behind all this thought they could wear him down and exhaust his strength.
Unfortunately for them… they were dead wrong.
As Duanmu Huai advanced, the surviving villagers began to panic. They watched their kin die—ripped apart, crushed, their heads torn off and stomped into paste—while the monstrous man responsible strode forward like an unstoppable force of nature.
Bang!!
When Duanmu Huai crushed the skull of the last villager blocking his path, he found himself before the village church. The remaining survivors had fled inside, slamming the heavy steel doors shut in desperation, hoping the sacred place would shield them.
From the outside, it looked like a normal church, complete with a graveyard beside it. Its entrance was sealed with reinforced iron doors—but that was hardly a problem for Duanmu Huai. He examined the lock slot briefly, then pulled his gaze away.
Hmm. Normally, he'd have to find a key, unlock the door, then go in… but he had a simpler method.
He stepped back, creating some distance between himself and the church door. Then he crouched slightly, focused on his target, and charged.
DOOOOM!!!
His massive body crashed into the door, making it tremble violently.
"Milord!!"
Inside the church, frightened villagers stared wide-eyed at the shaking entrance, turning toward an old bald man standing at the center. The man looked to be in his sixties, tall and broad-shouldered, with a long beard and a filthy robe that made him resemble a priest.
"Do not panic!"
The bald old man shouted, trying to calm the terrified crowd.
"This door is forged from pure steel! That monster cannot possibly break through! Our god protects us! No evil shall—"
DOOOOM!!!
A louder impact cut him off. The villagers whimpered, huddling together, eyes fixed on the trembling metal doors. Fortunately, just as their leader said, the door still held strong—it hadn't bent or cracked even slightly.
"See?"
The bald priest raised his hands, his voice rising in triumph.
"Our god shelters us! No force of evil can breach the—"
DOOOOOOM!!!
Before he could finish, an earth-shattering crash rang out. The entire steel door ripped free from its hinges and flew inward, spinning through the air. It slammed into the group of villagers too slow to dodge, crushing them flat before embedding itself into the wall by the pulpit with a thunderous boom.
"What good's a sturdy lock," Duanmu Huai said as he stepped through the cloud of dust, "if it's attached to a wall of rotten stone?"
He strode into the ruined church, the doorway now a gaping hole. The door itself was mostly intact, but the surrounding stonework had shattered completely.
Idiots, he thought. Why bother unlocking a chest if you can just smash the whole thing open?
The church was silent now—except for one survivor. The bald priest, standing on the upper floor, glared down at him, eyes burning with fury.
"You… you monster! What are you?!"
"You don't need to know, heretic," Duanmu Huai replied, clenching his fists.
"All you need to understand is that you—and the twisted thing you worship—are going to die together."
"Blasphemy!!"
The priest roared and leapt down from the second floor, landing heavily before him.
"The power of our god is beyond your comprehension! Now, behold the true might of divinity!"
As he spoke, his robes began to bulge grotesquely. Two sharp, fleshy tendrils burst from his back. His body elongated, skin splitting open as a centipede-like form emerged, writhing and expanding.
"How pitiful."
Duanmu Huai's voice dripped with contempt.
"In the name of the Inquisition—die, heretic!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
The mutated priest lunged forward, his two tendrils stabbing straight toward Duanmu Huai. But Duanmu Huai merely stood his ground, caught both tendrils mid-thrust, and twisted sharply—ripping them off with a wet, tearing sound.
"N-no, no, no!!"
The priest howled in agony. But Duanmu Huai ignored him, stepping in close and driving a powerful punch straight into his centipede-like torso. The blow shattered the creature's spine, severing its upper and lower halves completely.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!"
The priest flailed helplessly, trying to grab onto something—but Duanmu Huai seized his twisted body and slammed it to the ground with bone-cracking force. Before the creature could recover, Duanmu Huai's massive boot came down, crushing his skull into mush.
"Even if your 'god' grants mutations, you're no different from the plague apostles," he muttered coldly, staring at the corpse beneath his feet. "At least the Adeptus Mechanicus know how to modify themselves without looking disgusting."
But it seemed someone else was still alive in the church.
Duanmu Huai sensed a faint human presence deeper inside. He followed it to a side door barred with iron grating. With one hand, he tore the bars apart and marched down the corridor, punching open the locked door at the end.
"Stay away!"
A wooden stick struck his shoulder. He turned—and saw a blonde girl, face pale with fear, clutching the makeshift weapon.
"W-who are you?! Don't come closer! Stay away!!"
She backed away, trembling. Duanmu Huai only glanced at her once and instantly recognized her.
Oh. Ashley—the president's daughter.
So Leon hadn't arrived yet?
Guess I moved faster than expected, he thought, then shook his head and looked at her again. The girl was pressed into a corner, eyes wide with terror.
"You can stay here if you want," he said flatly. "But I'm burning this damn church to the ground. If you'd rather be roasted alive, that's your choice."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
Ashley stared after him, stunned.
What's going on?
He's… not one of them?
At first glance, she had nearly fainted. The man looked terrifying—huge, covered in blood, radiating death itself. She had assumed he was one of those lunatics, maybe even planning to cut her into pieces. But now… it didn't seem that way.
"…?"
Hesitant, Ashley peeked out the open door.
The hallway was silent—no guards, no sound. She crept toward the end and looked down from the upper floor… and froze.
The church's main hall was a massacre. Corpses littered the floor, shredded and torn apart. And that terrifying man was splashing gasoline over everything—clearly intent on erasing all evidence.
Wait—he's really going to burn this place down?!
The sharp smell of fuel hit her nose, making her shiver. No way was she dying here with the rest of them!
"W-wait for me, big guy!!"
She screamed, rushing down the stairs. Duanmu Huai looked at her once, then, as she reached the doorway, tipped over a candelabrum.
The flames roared to life, spreading across the church in an instant.
By the time they stepped outside, the entire building was ablaze, the firelight painting the night sky red.
"Ugh…"
In the glow of the flames, Ashley finally saw the extent of the carnage—the mangled bodies strewn about the ground. Her face turned pale as she collapsed to her knees, vomiting uncontrollably. She had never seen such horror before.
When she finally had nothing left to throw up, she looked up weakly—just in time to see Duanmu Huai's broad back as he walked away.
"Hey! Big guy, where are you going?!"
Her survival instinct overcame her fear. Wiping her mouth, Ashley staggered to her feet and chased after him. She didn't know who he was—but at least for now, he didn't seem like someone who would hurt her.
"I have my own mission," Duanmu Huai said, glancing at her. "You can stay here. Someone might come for you."
By his estimate, Leon should be arriving soon.
Stay here?
Ashley turned to look at the burning church, the graveyard beyond, the scattered corpses, and the wind that carried the stench of charred flesh. A chill ran through her.
"No way! I'm not staying here! I'm going with you! You're… you're not with those people, right?"
"Of course not. I came here to destroy these wicked heretics."
"Uh…"
Ashley was speechless. Who the hell still talks like that in this day and age?
Still, it was a chance—a slim one, but a chance to escape.
"I-I can go with you… right?"
She asked cautiously, eyes pleading. Duanmu Huai looked at her for a long moment before replying.
"Don't get in the way."
With that, he turned and walked on. Ashley hesitated for only a second before following close behind.
At that moment, to her, the terrifying giant in front of her was the only lifeline she had left.
(End of Chapter)