"...…."
It had to be said, looking at the robot before him, Duanmu Huai was utterly dumbfounded. He glanced at the robot, then at the young man beside it.
"So, you're letting a robot command you?"
"No, no, no."
The young man frantically shook his head.
"Dr. Hayden… he used to be human. Later, because his body started failing, he had no choice but to transfer his mind into a machine body…"
Oh… a knockoff Necron.
Duanmu Huai withdrew his gaze and once again fixed his eyes on the robot in front of him.
"So, what do you want from me?"
"Stranger, I have already seen all that you have done…"
A flat, emotionless mechanical voice rang in Duanmu Huai's ear.
"You defeated the Mech Queen, but that is not enough. There is only one way to truly solve these problems… you must go to the Sanctuary and obtain the Life Sphere of the All-Father, so that the All-Father may be reborn. Only when the All-Father once again possesses a material body will he be able to completely annihilate the demons and seal them back into Hell."
"Oh?"
Hearing Dr. Hayden's words, Duanmu Huai narrowed his eyes.
"You know where the All-Father's Life Sphere is?"
"Of course. It lies in the Sanctuary deep within Hell… for countless centuries, many Night Sentinels have tried to walk that trial road to meet the All-Father, and you will follow in their footsteps, treading the same path."
"Hmm...…"
Duanmu Huai thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, give me the coordinates. I'll take a look. Anything else?"
"Of course. In this trial, you cannot carry weapons."
"Oh?"
Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow at Dr. Hayden's demand.
"Why?"
"Because this is a trial bestowed by God. Only by passing this trial will you earn the right to meet the All-Father."
"Fine, I got it."
Duanmu Huai shrugged, then as if remembering something, he stared at Dr. Hayden.
"By the way, I have a question."
"What question?"
"Why didn't the All-Father kill that traitor back then? I remember the legend said he only sealed him away, because he couldn't bear to kill his own creation?"
"Indeed."
For the first time, Hayden's tone carried a ripple.
"To the All-Father, all creations are his children. He could not bear to kill a single one with his own hands. So in the end, he merely sealed Davos away in the Void."
"Alright, I understand."
Duanmu Huai nodded, then turned and left.
By this point, he already knew what to do.
When the girls learned that Duanmu Huai would be going to Hell alone and unarmed, they were all shocked.
"Master, please allow me to accompany you."
Olgis's tone remained calm, yet it carried an unyielding determination. Lorena, on the other hand, frowned.
"Why is carrying weapons forbidden? That must be an extremely dangerous place, Sir Knight. Can we really trust that man called Dr. Hayden?"
"Heh, I trust him my ass."
Duanmu Huai immediately gave his answer.
"I don't know what he used to be, but there's no way he's just some simple 'doctor.' He knows all these secrets about Hell… who the hell knows what he really is."
If not for the intel Duanmu Huai had gained from the Mech Queen's memories, as well as the fact that he had logged in through UAC's alien research base, he might really have been fooled. In truth, even the UAC, those 'traitors to humanity,' only had a vague understanding of Hell. They were mostly bewitched by the demons' lies, assisting them in their schemes.
So how exactly did Dr. Hayden learn all these secrets?
The ARC recruit said that Hayden had even once led the ARC army deep into Hell, trying to end the demons' threat in one strike. Though he failed, the question remained: what exactly did Hayden learn that made him launch such a kamikaze suicide attack?
It was impossible he had just gone to his death willingly.
"So, Sir Knight, do you really plan to resurrect this so-called All-Father?"
"Hmph, we'll see soon enough."
Duanmu Huai did not directly answer Anne's question. But in truth, he had already made up his mind.
After deciding, Duanmu Huai returned to Hell once more, charging toward the Sanctuary. The girls, though not physically accompanying him, watched the battlefield through Duanmu Huai's scouting servo-skull live feed. After all, if something happened to him, perhaps they could still rush in to help…
Except…
"Can Sir Knight really fight those demons barehanded?"
Guleya raised the question, doubt written on her face. She had of course seen Duanmu Huai wielding the Thunder Warhammer and Chainsword to obliterate foes in front of him. But now he didn't even carry a dagger—teleporting into Hell completely unarmed was worrisome.
"I don't know either… but I think maybe Sir Knight will be fine…"
Lorena shook her head, unable to give a firm answer. Anne, however, was calm.
"Don't worry. After all, Sir Knight is also a capable mage. Who cares if he can't use weapons? Nobody said he can't use magic, right?"
"Uh...…"
"I guess that's true?"
At this, everyone froze, then remembered—Duanmu Huai wasn't only a warrior, he was a mage too!
It was just that his behavior and his imposing figure made it far too easy to forget.
Realizing this, the girls quickly looked back at the screen.
So, what would Sir Knight—their master—do?
To Duanmu Huai, Hell's scenery was no different from before.
Dark red, desolate, withered trees everywhere, and in the distance, rotten, evil structures resembling bones. But he paid them no mind, striding straight toward the direction of the Sanctuary Hayden had spoken of.
Of course, Duanmu Huai's journey was far from smooth. Soon, accompanied by roars filled with fear and rage, glowing red demons emerged before him, blocking his path. Their eyes blazed with fury as they sought to stop him.
But Duanmu Huai suddenly quickened his pace. At the same time, the jetpack on his back fired, propelling his massive body like a boulder crashing into the demons!
"Boom!!!"
The frail demons didn't even have time to display their power before the shockwave blasted them away. Others scrambled back, but then two massive hands burst from the smoke, seizing a demon's skull and smashing it down hard against Duanmu Huai's raised knee. With a wet crack, its head shattered like a watermelon.
Then, like a demon himself, Duanmu Huai charged out of the smoke. A towering demon roared and swung a fist at him—only for Duanmu Huai to grab its arm, snap it clean in half, then drive the jagged bone stump straight through its eye, killing it instantly.
Without pause, he grabbed a third demon's ribs, ripped its chest open, and tore it in half.
But it didn't end there. Soon, the lumbering Fat Demons wielding massive steel cannons appeared, roaring as they swung their weapons down at him. Yet Duanmu Huai didn't dodge—he took the blow head-on, clenched his fist, and drove it straight through the Fat Demon's chest!
"Splurt!!!"
His gauntleted hand pierced through like a hammer, then withdrew clutching a golden, heartlike orb. He shoved it into the Fat Demon's shrieking mouth. The creature froze for a moment, then collapsed into a corpse.
"Die, you bastard!!"
The gruesome deaths left the other demons hesitating. Yet a few fearless ones roared and charged, swinging rune axes—their wielders were none other than the Fallen Night Sentinels.
Unfortunately for them, such attacks were meaningless to Duanmu Huai.
In his past life's game, he had taken part in a hidden mission called [Underground Arena], where players fought barehanded, no weapons allowed. Whoever won the championship gained a lavish prize. Duanmu Huai had set his sights on the champion's robe, entered the arena, and won.
So to him, this kind of unarmed combat was nothing unusual. If anything, it was easy. After all, the final fight in the [Underground Arena] forced players to face a dragon with their bare hands—that was far harder than fighting demons!
As for these demons before him… they weren't worth mentioning!
Duanmu Huai dodged a swing, grabbed a Fallen Sentinel's arm, and fired his jetpack. In an instant, the two shot skyward. Duanmu Huai flipped midair, pinning the Sentinel beneath him, then triggered his jetpack again—slamming both of them into the ground!
"Boom!!!"
He stomped down hard on the body, then seized the Sentinel's head and wrenched—tearing it and the spine clean from the body!
At the sight of this bloody scene, the surrounding demons recoiled, fear finally flashing in their eyes.
Duanmu Huai simply flung the severed head aside and swept his murderous gaze across them.
"Who's next to die?"
He bellowed the challenge.
"...…."
In front of the screen, the girls fell silent at the carnage.
"…We really don't need to worry about Sir Knight at all."
(The End of this Chapter)