"You people are insane…"
Walking beside Duanmu Huai, Kate stared in disbelief at the towering armored warriors. Humanity had been at war with the Beastkin for more than a decade, and even on the surface, humans never held any real advantage. They could only rely on weapons like the Hammer of Dawn to take the enemy down with them. Yet these steel giants—whoever they were—wanted to storm underground and attack the Beastkin's lair directly?
At first, Kate thought these armored warriors were new-generation soldiers from the Vayun Government Alliance. In her memory, only that alliance possessed such power. But as it turned out, these soldiers belonged neither to the Vayun Government nor to the Independent Republican Alliance that lost the Pendulum Wars. According to the terrifying black-armored giant leading them, they were under the command of an organization called the Inquisition.
And they were here for one reason only: because the Beastkin had endangered humankind. Their mission was to wipe them out completely.
Frankly, Kate couldn't make sense of their logic or motives—she had never even heard of any "Inquisition." But their existence was undeniable. She'd seen them herself, slaughtering an entire Beastkin strike force as easily as crushing ants. If this wasn't some dying hallucination, then—whatever they were—they had come here to destroy the Beastkin.
That alone was enough for Kate.
So she volunteered to guide them to the Beastkin-infested region. She didn't know if their mad mission would succeed, but she didn't care. She was already a walking corpse, tired of the meaningless, fearful life of a wanderer. If death was inevitable, she'd rather face it head-on—with a weapon in hand.
At least this way… she could choose how she died.
Duanmu Huai halted and glanced at her. "This is it?"
"Yes… right there."
Kate looked toward the dark valley ahead, unease twisting in her gut. As a wanderer's guard, she knew this area well. Rumors told of ancient ruins within the valley—specifically, a massive fortress built against the mountainside.
Long ago, when gold was discovered here, a ruler had constructed the stronghold to defend the mines. Centuries later, when the gold veins were exhausted, the fortress was abandoned. It had been too remote to see combat during the Pendulum Wars, and so it survived—relatively intact.
One wanderer tribe once tried to settle there. Almost all were slaughtered. Those few who escaped claimed that shortly after entering the fortress, the Beastkin had tunneled up from below and massacred everyone.
Since then, the ruins had become the Beastkin's den, and no wanderer dared approach.
Now, under the blood-red light of dusk, the fortress loomed like a mountain of stone and shadow, its walls soaked in scarlet radiance—like blood spilled across its surface.
Not a sound could be heard. The silence was so complete it felt like a graveyard.
Duanmu Huai led the Astral Army to the gates. The massive doors had already fallen, and not a single living creature stirred within. Not even a Beastkin sentry.
"This… I don't understand…"
Kate gripped her rifle, scanning the shadows in confusion.
"My information said there should be many of them here…"
Duanmu Huai didn't reply. He snapped his fingers. From the supply crate behind him, two servo-skulls floated out, glowing faintly as they drifted silently into the dark halls ahead. Then he turned to a nearby Night Watcher.
"There's only one order—kill on sight. Exterminate all hostiles. This place will serve as our forward base."
"Yes, my lord."
The Night Watcher bowed and began issuing orders. The Astral Army quickly formed ranks and advanced, vanishing one squad after another into the fortress's silent maw.
Duanmu Huai stood outside, watching. He wasn't planning to enter first—this was, after all, meant to be a training exercise. The Beastkin's strength was hardly impressive. In truth, they were little more than a degraded version of Orks—without the sheer breeding rate or the fanatical WAAAGH! instinct. They had some intelligence, yes, but compared to the green menace, these beasts were pitifully lacking.
Still, they'd serve well enough for his soldiers' combat drills.
Kate had no idea what he was thinking. She only felt a gnawing dread as she stared at the fortress, fearing she'd led them into a trap. Wanderers knew well that the Beastkin weren't as stupid as the propaganda claimed. They could be cunning—frighteningly so.
Then—
"Ratatatatatatatat!!"
Gunfire erupted from inside the fortress. Kate's heart seized. That distinct metallic roar—she knew it well. It was the Beastkin's weaponry.
Moments later, the battle intensified. Even without seeing it, she could imagine the chaos inside—the Beastkin hurling themselves at the armored warriors.
It was a trap!
"—!!"
She spun toward Duanmu Huai—but he didn't move. Neither did the two girls beside him. Olgis sat on his shoulder, reading a book under his helmet's spotlight as though nothing were happening.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"
Then came another sound—deep, thunderous bursts. The Astral Army's bolters. Each shot resounded like an artillery shell, heavy enough to make Kate's chest ache from the sheer pressure.
Minutes passed. The gunfire died down. Duanmu Huai finally glanced at his helmet display.
"Ten minutes… still too slow."
He shook his head. By his standards, they should have cleared the place in five. The Night Watchers were right—his new troops still needed more practice.
"Let's go."
He strode forward, the others following him into the fortress.
The battle was over. The corridors were littered with corpses—Beastkin torn apart, their blood soaking the stone. Kate stared, stunned. Humanity had fought the Beastkin for years without ever winning ground. Yet these steel soldiers had wiped them out in mere minutes.
"Have we confirmed the entrance?"
Without glancing at the bodies, Duanmu Huai looked to a Night Watcher.
"Yes, my lord."
"Good. Leave a detachment to fortify this site. The rest—press on. I want to see where these beasts are hiding."
While Duanmu Huai led his forces down into the mining tunnels, deep within the underground stronghold, the Beastkin received word of disaster.
The humans had annihilated their surface garrison.
A Beastkin general, massive and scarred, roared in disbelief.
"What?! The humans wiped out our troops? Impossible! Are you mocking the honor of the Beastkin?!"
He slammed a clawed fist onto the stone table.
"Find them! I'll kill those wretched humans myself!"
Before his words had even finished echoing, a panicked soldier burst into the chamber.
"Report! A group of humans has already breached the tunnels! They're attacking our forces underground!"
"What—?!"
These Beastkin were completely outmatched.
Kate had never imagined she would think such a thing—but watching it unfold, she couldn't deny it.
"Die!!"
With a thunderous roar, Duanmu Huai charged like a raging bull through the tunnels. Beastkin warriors fired wildly, bullets hammering his armor, but the rounds bounced off harmlessly. Even a mounted turret's barrage failed to stop him.
He slammed into the emplacement, shattering the gun and its operator in one bone-crushing impact. Then he swung his warhammer in a wide arc, sending bodies flying like broken dolls.
"Keep advancing! Track their trail and find their nest! We'll annihilate every last one of them!"
His voice rolled through the cavern like thunder. The Astral soldiers surged forward.
Then—a deafening roar echoed from the shadows.
Kate's blood ran cold.
"Be careful! It's a berserker she-Beastkin!!"
"Hm?"
Duanmu Huai turned his head just as the stone wall beside him exploded. A massive Beastkin, as huge and broad as he was, burst through the rubble and lunged.
It never landed a blow. Duanmu Huai caught its head mid-leap, slammed it into the ground, and—with a sharp twist—tore it clean off.
"…"
Kate stood frozen, face pale. Duanmu Huai held up the severed, tusked head, inspecting it with mild curiosity before glancing at her.
"This thing's supposed to be female?" he asked flatly.
(End of Chapter)