Warhammer Fanfic: Starting with a Core Cabin

"Boom!!"

The long spear and warhammer collided, producing a thunderous crash that made the ground tremble. Duanmu Huai stood firm, gripping his warhammer without moving an inch. The Chaos Knight, however, staggered back two steps atop his warhorse.

Yet he didn't retreat. In the next instant, the Chaos Knight's warhorse suddenly reared up and stomped down forcefully at Duanmu Huai!

"Hmph!!"

Instead of dodging, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly and stepped forward, slamming into the warhorse with his shoulder. The impact instantly flipped the beast over. It lost balance and toppled backward, whinnying sharply—then the warhammer flashed past with a whistle, snapping its neck at a ninety-degree angle.

It was clearly beyond saving.

"Whoosh!!"

The Chaos Knight wasn't one to panic. The moment his warhorse fell, he leaped up, thrusting his long spear at Duanmu Huai with explosive force.

In response, Duanmu Huai kicked the warhorse's corpse forward, using it to block the incoming strike.

The heavy body landed with a thud.

For a moment, the entire battlefield fell eerily silent. Duanmu Huai and the Chaos Knight locked eyes. Then suddenly, the Chaos Knight roared, and his pupils flared with a dazzling red light.

Rage.

Duanmu Huai wasn't surprised. Rage was a standard skill among the God of Tyranny's followers—just as priests had Holy Light. If someone claimed to follow the God of Tyranny and didn't have a rage skill, they were likely a fraud.

Of course, activating rage doubled the enemy's strength.

But... Duanmu Huai wasn't fighting alone!

As the Chaos Knight charged again, Duanmu Huai shifted his stance, swinging his warhammer and rushing to meet him. At the same time, several puppets appeared beside him out of thin air, blades drawn, pouncing at the Chaos Knight.

Their attacks weren't strong enough to finish him off—but they could at least cause some disruption.

Seeing the puppets leaping at him, the enraged Chaos Knight swung his long spear in a wide arc, shattering them instantly. Then, without pause, he lunged forward again.

Duanmu Huai met the thrust with his warhammer, slamming it down onto the spear and pinning it to the ground.

The Chaos Knight's strike was stopped short. But instead of recoiling, he released the spear, clenched his fist, and punched Duanmu Huai square in the chest.

The power armor trembled slightly from the impact.

Duanmu Huai staggered back half a step, and in that opening, the Chaos Knight snatched up his spear and lunged once more. Duanmu Huai raised his warhammer to block, intercepting the renewed assault.

"Screech———————!!!"

The sound of metal straining echoed out as the two clashed, refusing to yield. The Chaos Knight panted heavily, growling with fury as he pressed forward. Duanmu Huai stood his ground, unshaken.

Then, suddenly, he extended his left hand and aimed it at the Chaos Knight.

"Bang!!!"

A burst of flame erupted from the launcher on Duanmu Huai's left gauntlet, blasting the Chaos Knight square in the chest. The enemy staggered backward, visibly shaken by the sudden impact.

At the same time, his armor shattered into pieces.

This sudden change caught the Chaos Knight completely off guard, and before he could react, a sharp pain shot through his knee. In the next moment, he collapsed to the ground, unable to maintain balance.

Then, all he saw was a mass of boundless shadows engulfing him...

"Squelch."

The thick, heavy power hammer came crashing down, directly smashing the Chaos Knight's helmet and skull, reducing them to a pile of broken flesh and bone fragments.

"Hoo..."

Duanmu Huai let out a long breath, then hefted his warhammer and turned his gaze forward. At that moment, Alisa cautiously poked her head out, nervously looking at him.

"Sir Black Knight, is it over?"

"No."

Duanmu Huai shook his head. "The main event is just beginning."

As he spoke, a tall, imposing figure stepped out from the swirling sandstorm.

The man was nearly as tall as Duanmu Huai in full power armor. His hair was tied into thick braids, and he wielded a heavy battle axe in one hand, a silver shield in the other. His bearded face was rugged and fierce—clearly not someone to be taken lightly.

[Tyrannical Fanatic (Elite)]

[LV30]

Definitely not an easy opponent.

"You are strong, warrior," the man said calmly, glancing at the corpse of his comrade lying before Duanmu Huai, completely unfazed by the brutal death.

"Strong, ruthless, cruel... Our god needs followers like you to spread his doctrine. It's not too late. Return the sacrifice, pledge yourself to our god, and then—"

"Boom!!"

Before the man could finish his sentence, Duanmu Huai suddenly raised his left hand and fired a shot.

But the fanatic reacted instantly, raising his silver shield to block the attack.

"Very good!"

As the smoke dispersed, he lowered the shield, his face darkened with fury. "Since that's your answer... then I'll offer your head to the Skull Throne!"

As his voice fell, he slammed his shield into the ground. A fiery red portal tore open before him, and a group of demonic creatures slowly emerged.

They had goat-like hooves, blood-red skin, and long horns curling from their alien heads. Each one clutched a massive, jet-black greatsword.

"Kill him!!!"

At the elite fanatic's command, the blood-red demons roared and charged, swords raised, racing toward Duanmu Huai.

"Hmph!!!"

Naturally, Duanmu Huai didn't plan to sit still and take it. He snorted coldly, and the black cloak behind him fluttered without wind. Then, dozens of puppets sprang forth, rushing toward the advancing demon army like a tide.

"Gaaahhhhhh!!!!"

A single puppet wasn't enough to match a demon—but quantity made a difference. When numbers piled up, they created pressure. For Duanmu Huai, summoning puppets came with zero cost—no consumption, no limits. All he had to do was flood the battlefield.

If quality wasn't enough, quantity would do the job!

Very quickly, both sides clashed in a brutal melee.

Many puppets were shattered by the demons' sweeping swords, but plenty of demons were also struck down by the puppets' relentless attacks, shrieking as they were engulfed in flames and banished back to their original world.

Seeing his summoned demon army stalled, the elite fanatic didn't flinch. Instead, he raised his shield and charged straight at Duanmu Huai.

Facing the incoming assault, Duanmu Huai gripped his warhammer tightly, leaped high into the air, and brought it down in a mighty arc—smashing it straight toward the elite fanatic's head!

"Thump!!!"

The warhammer slammed against the silver shield in the fanatic's hand with a heavy thud. Both combatants staggered back a step, then the fanatic roared and swung his battle axe straight at Duanmu Huai's waist!

"Tsk!"

Duanmu Huai's expression darkened. After the series of brutal battles, his power armor's durability had already dropped to 40%. He couldn't deploy a repair skull during combat, and if this guy landed a clean hit with that axe, he might very well be sliced in half!

He had no choice but to retreat while swinging his warhammer up to block the elite fanatic's strike. But the fanatic didn't back off after missing—he stepped forward again and slammed his shield straight at Duanmu Huai!

"Bang!!!"

The force of the blow knocked Duanmu Huai's warhammer out of his hands, leaving him completely open.

Seeing this, the elite fanatic let out an excited roar. He raised his battle axe high, aiming to bring it down and end the fight in one devastating strike.

I was waiting for this move!

Before the axe even fell, a cold glint flashed in Duanmu Huai's eyes. In a flash, his left hand reached behind him and drew a mechanical sword from his waist. Taking advantage of the opening from the fanatic's wide swing, he lunged forward and thrust the blade straight into the man's body!!

"—————————!!!"

The elite fanatic let out a pained roar as the sword pierced deep into his flesh. But Duanmu Huai didn't hesitate—he slammed his thumb on the activation switch.

"Whirrrrrr—————!!!"

The chainsword's teeth spun to life, shredding through flesh, organs, and bone like it was sawing through timber. Duanmu Huai roared as he gripped the hilt with both hands and ripped the blade sideways.

The fanatic's body split clean in two at the waist, his upper half flying backward—before turning to ash under the descending flames from the sky.

"Hoo—————!!!!"

Flames surged down like a roaring wave, engulfing everything. Duanmu Huai snatched up the silver shield the fanatic had dropped and raised it just in time, letting the inferno crash against it.

The puppets and demon army on the field were instantly incinerated in the blaze.

When the flames finally dissipated, Duanmu Huai was forced to one knee, panting.

He looked up—and saw a tall, monstrous demon with bat-like wings and a massive battle axe, hovering in the air with a feral grin plastered across its face.

"Ah... interesting prey. Your head is mine, mortal!"

Bloodthirster! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist showing up!

Duanmu Huai's breath caught in his throat. This was one of the core elites in the demon legions under the God of Tyranny. It had to have been summoned by the fanatic—and it was without a doubt the strongest enemy present.

But fortunately... he was ready.

As Duanmu Huai steadied himself, a Soul Card quietly emerged before his eyes.

It's your turn to appear.

[Puppet Girl, Olgis]!

The moment the card activated, a petite figure materialized in front of Duanmu Huai.

She was a beautiful girl with long silver-white twin tails, wearing a sleeveless, off-shoulder black lace dress that gracefully wrapped around her small frame. Her delicate arms were clad in black silk gloves that reached above the elbows, giving her the refined air of a noble young lady.

But from the gaps at her shoulders and joints, it was clear—she was no human, but a puppet.

"Roar—————!!!"

The Bloodthirster opened its mouth again and unleashed a blast of searing flames at Duanmu Huai.

At that very moment, the travel case at the puppet girl's feet suddenly sprang open, and from within, a massive puppet leaped out—a towering figure wearing a mask and top hat, its appearance like that of a shadowy assassin. It lunged forward like a shield, placing itself between Duanmu Huai and the oncoming flames!

"Boom!!!"

The torrent of fire slammed into the giant puppet, only to be stopped in its tracks. Then, the puppet extended its steel-clawed hands and launched itself at the Bloodthirster!

"What kind of trick is this?!"

Seeing the towering puppet—nearly as large as himself—appear out of nowhere, the Bloodthirster froze for a moment in surprise. But quickly recovering, he sneered in contempt and brought his massive battle axe down with brutal force.

What he didn't expect was that the moment his axe began to swing, countless threads burst out from the giant puppet's body. These threads moved like reinforced chains, latching tightly around the Bloodthirster and locking his limbs in place, halting his attack mid-swing.

Before the Bloodthirster could even struggle free, a sharp pain suddenly bloomed in his back.

"Aaargh!!!"

With a howl of agony, the demon's wings were severed. He plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily into the earth below.

At the same time, Olgis lowered her right hand, and bloodstained threads glimmered faintly as they retracted into the air.

"Haaahhhhhhh!!!!"

As the Bloodthirster lay on the ground, dazed and grounded, a roar erupted from the dust. Duanmu Huai surged forward, chainsword raised high, and charged at full speed!

With a roar, he plunged the spinning chainsword deep into the Bloodthirster's eye.

The weapon screeched as it shredded through flesh, drilling straight into the demon's brain!

"Ahhhhhh!!!!"

The Bloodthirster screamed in unbearable pain. It thrashed violently, but the giant puppet's grip held fast. In that instant—just as Duanmu Huai's chainsword pierced all the way through the demon's skull—fiery red flames erupted from its colossal body, consuming it completely in a blazing inferno.

And in the midst of the dissipating fire, a system prompt rang clearly in Duanmu Huai's ear.

[Quest "Escort" Phase One completed!]

(End of this chapter)