Under the cover of night, a tiny black dot swiftly streaked across the sky, crossing mountain ranges and silently appearing over the ruins of Todheim like a dark phantom.
"Sigh… what a hassle, it just had to be Chaos Warriors—so troublesome…" Sitting in the cockpit, looking down at the Chaos Warrior camp below, Duanmu Huai clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
If there was one enemy Duanmu Huai least wanted to face right now, it was the Chaos Warriors. Since transmigrating to this world, Duanmu Huai had confronted cultists, fought daemons, and killed Greenskins and Skaven—but the ones he truly dreaded dealing with were the Chaos Warriors.
Not because they posed an overwhelming threat—well, in fact, they were exceptionally powerful. With an average level around thirty, they were easily among the most troublesome late-game enemies players could encounter on the newbie planet.
Chaos Warriors hailed from the North and were cultists too. However, unlike the cultists hidden within the Empire, Bretonnia, or Cathay—who performed their sacrifices and rituals in secret, deep in the wilderness—these Northerners openly worshipped the Chaos Gods in their homes, in broad daylight.
Almost all barbarian tribes in the North venerated the Chaos Gods, and they didn't even consider them evil. Their faith was as fervent and widespread as Bretonnia's belief in the Lady of the Lake. Just thinking of Bretonnia's knightly armies and how devoted they were gave a good idea of how terrifying the Chaos Warriors could be.
Of course, sheer numbers weren't the biggest issue—the real problem was their divine backing.
Chaos Warriors were, in a sense, the "direct descendants" of the Chaos Gods. If you inflicted some unimaginable, devastating blow on their ranks, it was almost guaranteed you'd attract the attention of an ascended champion… or worse, a Greater Daemon. And in the absolute worst case? A Chaos God themselves.
And that kind of attention… no one wanted.
Normally, if Duanmu Huai encountered these lunatics, he would've turned right around and left. The last thing he wanted was to defeat a horde of Chaos Warriors, only to summon a champion. Defeat the champion, and here comes a Greater Daemon. Defeat that, and guess what? Now you've caught the eye of the Chaos God himself.
Defeating a Chaos God?
Yeah, good luck with that. Might as well go lie down and dream.
Unfortunately, this time, Duanmu Huai couldn't walk away.
Because the artifact here was too important—it was the Crown of Sorcery.
This relic was created by none other than Nagash, the most powerful necromancer in the world's history. He wasn't just the first necromancer—he was the father of all undead races.
Zombies, ghosts, vampires—every single undead abomination on this planet could trace its origins back to him.
And Nagash's ambition? Quite the wild one.
Long ago, he had seen through the true nature of the Chaos Gods, and to counter them, he devised a bold and horrifying plan: to turn the entire world into a cold, dead realm. He would then use the boundless power of the dead to wage war against the Chaos Gods—and crown himself the God of Death.
Well, it had to be said—this idea was quite unique, and honestly, very useful. Duanmu Huai gave it a thumbs up… then silently issued an extermination order.
In short, Nagash's plan failed, and he was killed. However, as a necromancer, Nagash was clearly not so easy to kill. He had always longed to revive and make a comeback.
The Crown of Sorcery was one of the divine artifacts he had personally forged—and a key component in his resurrection. Although technically, Duanmu Huai and Nagash were on the same side when it came to fighting the Chaos Gods, that didn't change the necromancer's gruesome history, or the insurmountable boundary between the living and the dead. So, Duanmu Huai made his stance clear: smash Nagash's resurrection plan and let the unlucky bastard continue raging impotently in the abyss.
If this had been anywhere else, Duanmu Huai would've had no choice but to storm in head-on. Most of the ruins were underground, making aerial bombardment ineffective. And with his height and power armor, stealth wasn't even on the table.
Luckily, this was a ruined relic—and there was another way in. The method was simple:
Just don't be in the same world as them.
So...
"Activate: Soul Resonance!"
As the Soul Resonance activated, the entire world turned illusory again. Duanmu Huai's gaze instantly locked onto a glowing entrance in the haze. That's it!
He piloted the Night Raven Black Star to descend slowly, opened the hatch, and leaped out. The next moment, his boots touched down—and the desolate ruins had transformed into a vibrant, prosperous city.
Clean streets, busy crowds—it looked no different from any normal metropolis.
And that was exactly why Duanmu Huai's heart sank.
Damn it, this isn't good…
As an experienced player, he knew exactly what this meant.
Like before, any soul projection space within the warp had a core. The stronger the core, the more space and detail it could support. For example, the Puppeteer's core contained just a dollhouse. The Scholar's core was a single haunted mansion. Sky City had been formed from the accumulated grievances of tens of thousands of defeated souls.
But this?
A massive city with streets and people walking around like real humans?
That meant the energy of the core here was off the charts.
Realizing this, Duanmu Huai steadied himself and moved forward. Soon, he approached a fruit stall on the roadside.
"Ah, welcome, honored guest! What would you like today?" The stall owner greeted him enthusiastically.
Duanmu Huai glanced at the fruit, then asked calmly, "Hello, I'm a traveler who just arrived. I'd like to ask about this place…"
"Ah, a traveler." The vendor didn't seem surprised.
"You must be one of those here on pilgrimage to Todheim. After all, this is a holy city. Sigh... it's just that lately, some troublesome things have been happening…"
"Is that so…" Duanmu Huai narrowed his eyes.
Just as he was about to ask more, Olgis strolled over, curiously picking up a piece of fruit from the stand.
However, at that moment, the stall owner caught sight of Olgis's doll-like fingers—and his face instantly turned pale with fright.
"It—it's a killer doll!! Help!!"
Screaming, he bolted away in terror. Hearing his cries, the surrounding crowd also panicked, fleeing from Duanmu Huai and Olgis while screaming in alarm.
What's going on? Duanmu Huai frowned, glancing at Olgis in confusion.
Moments later, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed, and Duanmu Huai saw dozens of knights clad in white armor charging toward them. Without hesitation, they surrounded him and Olgis in a tight formation.
"We've finally found you, brutal doll killer!" one of the knights shouted, pointing his sword directly at Olgis. "This time, we won't let you escape!!"
"???"Duanmu Huai and Olgis exchanged bewildered looks. Neither had any idea what the knights were talking about.
But it was obvious these knights weren't here for a friendly chat.
So they want to fight, huh?
Just as Duanmu Huai reached for his warhammer, ready to engage, a clear, commanding voice rang out.
"Wait a moment!!"
A small girl with soft pink hair and dressed in clerical attire stepped forward from the crowd of knights. Despite her petite and cute appearance, her expression was serious.
"What's going on here? What are you doing?"
"Priestess Lorena…!"The knights quickly lowered their weapons, though their wary gazes remained fixed on Duanmu Huai and Olgis.
"We've found the evil doll that's been plaguing the holy city," one knight explained. "We were just about to purify it!"
"Evil doll?"Lorena blinked, turning her gaze to Duanmu Huai and Olgis. When her eyes landed on Olgis, they narrowed slightly in suspicion. She stepped closer, clenched her fists, and stared firmly at Duanmu Huai.
"Are you the evildoers causing trouble in the holy city?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Duanmu Huai's tone was calm but firm. "We just arrived today. We don't know anything about what's been happening here. And if you're trying to use this to frame us—then don't expect us to go quietly."
"What did you say?! This evil—!"
The knights flared up again, but Lorena raised a hand to stop them.
She then turned back to Duanmu Huai, studying him carefully.
"So, Sir, you mean to say you're innocent?"
"That's right." Duanmu Huai nodded. "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm certain it has nothing to do with us."
"...…I see…"
Lorena fell into thought for a moment, then made her decision.
"In that case, would the two of you come with me to the Holy Church? If you're truly innocent, I will ensure you get a proper explanation."
"...…Alright."After a brief moment of thought, Duanmu Huai gave a nod.
Clearly, he wanted to know what was really happening here too.
(End of this chapter)