In fact, by this point, Duanmu Huai had more or less already guessed what the cause of the incident here was.
If my guess is correct, then there should be a desecrated relic here!
A so-called desecrated relic does not refer to a holy artifact that has been polluted and twisted by a Chaos God. Strictly speaking, its origin is closer to… a remnant.
As mentioned before, after the Black Hole Project, in order to weaken the potential believers of the Chaos Gods as much as possible, the surviving humans carried out the second phase of the god-creation movement. This resulted in the emergence of countless gods throughout the universe. Of course, these gods were not as powerful as the Four Chaos Gods, but objectively speaking, as long as they existed, they would inevitably compete with the Four Chaos Gods—who were trying to resurrect their power—for believers and souls, thus becoming obstacles in their way.
Judging from the scale of this god-creation plan, the number of gods within the entire galaxy was at least in the tens of thousands. Naturally, they would not coexist peacefully with one another, and holy wars were inevitable. Among them, of course, there were losers—and the fate of the losers could only be death.
And thus, the problem arose.
Would a god truly be willing to perish just like that?
Of course not.
Even if it was weak enough to be destroyed, it was still a god. After Eywa on Pandora was killed by Duanmu Huai, nearly all life on the entire planet of Pandora went mad, with catastrophic casualties. This also proved that even a dead god's residual power was still something far beyond what mortals could withstand.
Just like in many supernatural stories, objects left behind by people who died filled with resentment often carry curses or grudges. Likewise, relics left behind by gods also possess similar power.
Because of this, players referred to these relics—filled with a god's resentment at the moment of death—as desecrated relics.
The reason Duanmu Huai was certain that a desecrated relic was behind all this was simple. Just now, he had unleashed the Fear Aura of the God of Destruction, and he had clearly felt a force suddenly erupt from within that man's brain. Ordinary special abilities would have absolutely no resistance in the face of divine power. Yet the opposing force was still able to take effect under his Fear Aura—this alone proved that the source of that power had to be a god.
No wonder a fragment world had formed here.
At this point, Duanmu Huai had more or less understood the reason this planet-cracker ship was haunted. Clearly, these unlucky bastards had dug up a desecrated relic, triggered its power, and then completely screwed themselves over. And just as the souls of those killed by Duanmu Huai were absorbed into the Realm of Oblivion, these people's souls were naturally drawn into the divine domain of the god that had killed them.
However, since that god was already dead, the power it left behind was nothing more than a phantom without self-awareness, which was why a fragment world had formed here instead.
All of this flashed through Duanmu Huai's mind in an instant, and at the same time, he quickly grasped the core of this fragment world.
Very clearly, as long as I find that desecrated relic and destroy it, all the problems here will be completely eliminated!
With that, Duanmu Huai suddenly reached out and grabbed the nearby officer.
"In the name of the Inquisition, I hereby demand immediate takeover of this ship! Follow my orders—seal all compartments immediately. No one is allowed to act on their own initiative! Any issues must be reported at once—"
"———————!!!"
However, before Duanmu Huai could finish speaking, everything suddenly went pitch black. The once brightly lit infirmary was plunged into darkness. Moments later, the lights came back on—but this time, they were bathed in crimson red, accompanied by shrill, urgent alarms.
"Get to the bridge immediately!"
Duanmu Huai's expression sank.
It seems… things have gone beyond my expectations.
At the same time, on the bridge, Captain Murphy was drenched in cold sweat.
"What's going on? What happened?!"
"R-report! Just now, some kind of interference wave suddenly erupted from the planetary fragments—"
"From the fragments?"
"Yes! The exact situation is unclear, but due to interference, some communication lines and connection systems have already failed—"
"Immediately contact the mining teams and ask them what the hell is going on!"
"Yes! Reporting—no response!"
What a pain.
Hearing this, the captain frowned even deeper.
"Dispatch a security squad to the fragments and see what's going on down there!"
"Yes!"
Soon, after receiving the order, a nearby security squad mobilized at once, boarded a transport craft, left the planet-cracker ship, and headed toward the planetary fragments being hauled up by the gravity tethers below.
"Captain, what do you think those miners are messing around with?"
"I don't know, but we'd better stay alert."
Staring at the increasingly massive planetary fragment ahead, the squad leader shook his head, then turned to the pilot beside him.
"Have you located the mining platform?"
"That's strange, it should be nearby… Ah, there it is. But that's weird—none of the lights are on."
As he spoke, the pilot activated the searchlights. Under the illumination, the platform on the fragment's surface soon came into view. Normally, navigation lights would be on to guide transport craft, but now the entire area was pitch black. Not just the landing platform—even the nearby mining equipment and industrial zone were shrouded in darkness.
"Try contacting the mining team again."
The squad leader issued the order. The pilot nodded and opened communications.
"Mining Team One, this is Iron Hammer Security Team 23. Do you copy?"
"...… zzzt—zzzt ...…"
"Mining Team One, this is Iron Hammer Security Team 23. Do you copy?"
"...…"
No matter how many times the pilot called out, there was no response, and the atmosphere inside the transport craft grew increasingly tense. Then, at that moment—
"Zzzt… zzzt-zzzt…"
Suddenly, static burst from the comms, and immediately after, a clear, childlike girl's voice abruptly rang out.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, all across the sky so far, shining bright with gentle gleam, like so many tiny eyes…"
The girl's voice was crisp and pleasant, yet upon hearing it, the security squad members clutched their ears in agony. To them, the sound was like fingernails scraping against a chalkboard—like a dull blade stabbing deep into their brains!!
"Ugh… Aaaahhh—!!"
The pilot violently threw aside his headset and looked up. In the pitch-black universe ahead, countless stars shimmered. But in the pilot's eyes, those stars now looked like glowing insect eyes—like the entire universe was a colossal, horrifying creature staring straight at him!
"No—no—no—no—AAAAAAH!!!"
At that moment, the pilot's mind completely shattered. Screaming, he grabbed the control stick—and in the next instant, the transport craft suddenly accelerated, slamming straight into the surface below!
"BOOM!!!"
A burst of fire flared, then vanished into the darkness.
And none of this had yet been discovered.
"Psssh—"
With the sound of decompression, the hatch opened. Duanmu Huai strode onto the bridge with the girls. Seeing his arrival, the captain finally let out a breath of relief.
"Inquisitor!"
"Report the situation! What happened?"
"I'm not sure. It seems something went wrong with the planetary fragments. The mining team isn't responding, so I've already sent a security unit to investigate—"
"Where's the report?"
"Ah—oh! Yes! Contact the security team immediately and ask for a status update!"
"Understood!"
Following the captain's order, the crew quickly got to work.
"This is the Iron Hammer, calling Security Team 23! Do you copy?!"
"...…."
No matter how they called, there was no response.
"R-report… it seems—"
"Zzzt… zzzt…"
At that moment, static echoed from the speakers, and then—
The girl's singing returned once more.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, all across the sky so far, shining bright with gentle gleam, like so many tiny eyes…"
"Ugh… Aaaahhh—!!"
As the song echoed, everyone on the bridge clutched their ears, trembling in pain. Even Anne and Grea frowned deeply, their faces filled with discomfort.
"Th-this voice… it feels so awful…"
"So disgusting…"
Compared to Anne and Grea, Aegis and Lani showed no reaction at all. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai suddenly stepped forward, removed his helmet, and let out a cold snort.
"Hmph!!"
With that snort, an incomparable aura of terror erupted from Duanmu Huai, instantly engulfing the entire warship. In that moment, everyone—including the captain—felt as if their hearts had been smashed by a heavy hammer. Before their eyes appeared Duanmu Huai's icy, terrifying expression, and the soul-deep dread and fear instantly dispersed the song that felt like it was burrowing directly into their brains.
"Haa… huff…!"
Moments later, everyone was drenched in sweat as they came back to their senses. The sensation was like breaking the surface of water just before drowning—breathing air again, filled with a feeling of rebirth.
"Sir Knight, what exactly was that…?"
"It should be a form of mental attack. Aegis, Lani—did you hear any sound?"
"No, Master."
"Same here. I didn't hear anything at all."
Hearing their answers, Duanmu Huai wasn't surprised. Aegis was still, at her core, a doll, and Lani was now also in a doll body. Strictly speaking, neither of them was a living being. If that power only targeted living organisms, then it made perfect sense that they were unaffected.
"M-my lord… what was that just now…?"
The captain hurried over, clearly shaken, looking uneasily at Duanmu Huai.
"What happens next is an Inquisition matter. Now, in the name of the Grand Inquisitor, I issue this order: from this moment on, the entire ship is sealed. All personnel must remain at their current positions. Under no circumstances is the lockdown to be lifted."
After coldly delivering the order, Duanmu Huai turned to those beside him.
"Grea, you stay on the bridge with Lani. Contact me immediately if anything happens. Anne, you and Aegis come with me."
"Okay."
"Understood."
The girls nodded one after another. Duanmu Huai then looked at the captain.
"Other than transport craft, is there any other way to get down there?"
"Th-this… there's a raw-material transport elevator. If it's activated—"
"Take me there."
As he said this, Duanmu Huai casually took out his warhammer.
"What comes next… is the Inquisition's work."
(End of Chapter)