To the white-armored pig-faced brute, his scheme had seemed flawless. Even if the Colossus Dreadnought was lost, as long as he could seize the Traveler, nothing else mattered.
As for whether the Guardians still had the power to resist, he was not concerned in the slightest. He had sealed the Traveler's Light. Without its blessing, the Guardians had lost their strength. Against the Cabal fleet, they should have been utterly powerless…
That was how it should have been.
But what was this?
Looking at the Last City, engulfed in fire and explosions, the brute's face was darker than coal. He had not expected, upon leading his fleet to the city, a swarm of strange anti-aircraft vehicles to suddenly emerge and attack them. The Cabal fleet, caught off guard that the enemy could even fight back, suffered heavy losses.
Though the defenders were few and were soon suppressed, though the battle tilted back toward the Cabal, this did little to ease his rage. Those damned ground vehicles slowed his advance toward the Traveler. Worse, the enemy dared to use the Traveler itself as cover for their attacks.
The brute was furious. Yet he dared not order a full bombardment, for if they accidentally destroyed the restraints—or worse, damaged the Traveler—his entire campaign would be wasted.
He had never imagined the wretches would stoop to such shameless tactics!
And just as he was gritting his teeth, forced to order his troops to press forward regardless, news from his subordinates made his heart sink to the abyss.
"The Colossus Dreadnought has been captured by the enemy?!"
At those words, he lashed out and grabbed his subordinate by the throat, lifting it furiously.
"Say that again! Captured? Not destroyed?!"
If it had been destroyed, he could have understood. That human battleship's firepower was terrifying, beyond anything the Cabal Empire had faced. If the Dreadnought had been annihilated, it would have made sense.
But captured?
To capture a warship was far harder than destroying one!
And this was the Cabal's largest warship—how could it fall so quickly?!
"Damnation! Impossible! What was that fool doing?! Did he not understand the importance of safeguarding the Empire's property?!"
The Dreadnought's captain had been his trusted subordinate. He should have known to trigger self-destruct the instant the ship could not be held. How could he have made such a blunder?!
"Is the report accurate?"
"I… I don't know. Communications were cut afterward. It could be a false alarm…"
"Damn it!!"
Shoving the soldier aside, the brute clenched his teeth and glared at the Traveler, bound in restraints. He had hoped for more time, but now… it seemed he had no choice!
"Full speed ahead! Prepare the energy conversion device!"
There was no retreat now. As long as he gained the Light, any price was worth it.
At his command, the Cabal fleet surged forward again. They paid heavily in blood, but still pressed on until they stood before the Traveler. The defenders beneath, who had fought using the Traveler as cover, fell back.
The flagship drew close. Before the vast blackened sphere, the brute raised his hand. The restraints covering the Traveler glowed crimson. Power surged forth, channeled through the flagship's transmitters and into his body.
"OHHHHHHHHH!!!"
He clenched his fists, roaring as the energy flooded him. He could feel it—the Guardians' power, the Light! With this power, the Cabal Empire would rise again, would conquer the galaxy itself…!
But his dream ended there.
For at that moment, a colossal black figure plummeted like a meteor onto the flagship's deck.
BOOOOM!!!
The armored plates buckled under the impact. Duanmu Huai rose from the crater, staring coldly at the brute bathed in searing energy.
"Yo, sorry to interrupt. But this is the end for you, wretched xeno."
"Foolishness…"
The brute stood slowly, his body wreathed in blazing power. His voice was deep and heavy.
"Raise your head and behold me! I am Dominus of the Red Legion, the breaker of suns, the destroyer of countless wor—"
Who the hell wants to hear your monologue?!
Before he could finish, Duanmu Huai launched himself forward, warhammer crackling. Why do these idiots always have this same bug? Just fight! Who's watching your opening cutscene? At least make a death cutscene worth watching!
Anyway, you're dead either way. Who cares about your name?
SKIP!
"You…!!!"
The brute's face twisted with rage as Duanmu Huai struck before his speech was finished.
"You are already too late!!"
He roared, raising his hand. Light blazed into a sword of fire, and he swung at the charging Duanmu Huai. A flaming arc tore across the air. But Huai's jump pack flared, hurling him past the strike. He dove down, hammer clashing against the fireblade.
BOOM!!!
The brute's eyes reflected the black-armored Inquisitor, and terror welled from the depths of his soul. His grip faltered. The strike he tried to block smashed him backward.
Shock, then fury filled him. How dare a mere human resist the Dominus?!
"You will regret this, human!!"
With a roar, he lunged again, sword blazing.
"Your Traveler should have chosen me! But now it is too late! Look at your dying god—it cannot save you! Wretches like you do not deserve to exist!"
Duanmu Huai swung his hammer, colliding once more with the burning blade.
"I will kill you, destroy your fleet, your empire, your civilization! In the name of the Inquisition! Any who threaten humanity shall be annihilated! Your end marks the beginning. The Cabal will be purged!"
BOOM!!!
Hammer and blade clashed, sparks and fury flying. Huai grinned savagely, eyes locked on his foe.
"I will use your Dreadnought to burn your world. Your bloodline, your empire, your everything will turn to ash in the eternal stars. This is the price your kind must pay for your stupidity!"
"RAAAAAH!!"
The brute's eyes turned blood-red with rage. He stomped forward, trying to drive Huai back. But Huai did not yield an inch.
"You… you know nothing of sacrifice, nothing of worth!!"
Light exploded from him in a surge. This time, Huai was blasted back, hurled across the deck.
"Humanity is unworthy of this power! Only I! Only I am worthy of the Light's blessing!!!"
Leaping high, he raised the fireblade and cleaved down.
"Die!!!"
But he did not see the glimmer at Huai's fingertips.
Invisible threads suddenly wove around him like a web. Augis appeared at his back, her guardian doll's massive hands seizing him, binding him in midair.
"This… what—?!"
He froze in shock at the ambush. But Huai cared nothing for his thoughts. An Inquisitor never hesitated to use any means to fulfill the mission.
"HRAAAH!!"
Taking the chance, Duanmu Huai drew his [chainsword] and cleaved downward with all his might.
VRRRRRRMMMM!!!
The roaring teeth bit through flesh, muscle, bone, and organ without pause. Landing on the deck, Huai saw the brute's body split clean in two. Augis released her threads, and the corpse fell apart, entrails and blood spilling across the steel.
But then, his body flared with searing brilliance. From the corpse burst a figure of white light, winged, shaped like shadow and radiance intertwined.
"The Traveler!!!"
The brute's soul lifted its hands toward the sphere.
"Do you see me now?! I am eternal! I have become a god—!!!"
But his words were cut short. A thunder hammer roared past, smashing through his spectral form and into the Traveler's restraints.
Crack.
It was a tiny fracture.
But it spread quickly. The bindings split, fissures racing outward from the impact. Pure white radiance burst forth, solid as blades, piercing the brute's soul.
"No—NOOOOO!!!"
As the Light erupted, shattering the dark shell around the Traveler, the brute's soul dissolved into nothing.
"Well, well."
Duanmu Huai looked at the vast white sphere glowing like a sun-sized lamp.
"Guess this guy finally woke up."
(End of Chapter)