For ordinary people, being surrounded by these Fallen with three pairs of arms was extremely dangerous. Even though they had just broken out of prison and carried no weapons, their sheer numbers alone were enough to make one uneasy.
But to Duanmu Huai, a circle like this was meaningless!
As the Fallen charged from every direction, Duanmu Huai roared and stomped forward. In the next instant, soul-flame burst from his body, blasting the Fallen around him away. At the same time, he raised his Thunder Warhammer and swung it toward a towering figure in full heavy armor that looked every bit like a boss monster.
Clearly, these must be the high-value prisoners Petra had spoken of—the Fallen Barons.
The Baron did not retreat. With a roar, all three pairs of arms shot up. The uppermost pair blocked Duanmu Huai's hammer, while the other two struck at his body and head. Indeed, having extra arms had its advantages.
Not that it mattered.
The Baron's blows did nothing to Duanmu Huai. His hammer smashed through the Baron's arms, then kept going. With a sickening thud, the Baron's skull was caved into his chest cavity, never to come out again.
"Well, hard-headed, I'll give you that."
Duanmu Huai tossed aside the headless corpse and charged forward.
By now, the other Barons had reacted, quickly spreading out.
This was Duanmu Huai's one weakness—his immense size slowed him down. His long legs helped close distance, but when it came to attack and reaction speed, he was clumsy.
That was why he rarely took off his power armor. With helmet and plating, even if ambushed, he could tank the first strike. In truth, this was also why he always preferred to strike first—his reflexes weren't sharp enough to counter after the fact. Once battle started, he either endured a hit to locate his opponent or struck preemptively.
After all, once he swung, the enemy was guaranteed to fight back. No need to overthink.
Some Inquisitors discarded their armor and relied on speed, fighting like phantoms in wide-brimmed hats and black coats, carrying holy tomes and blades. Sleek, ghostly fast, they cut enemies down in silence.
If they were here, these Barons would already be corpses.
But Duanmu Huai was different. His speed relied entirely on his jump-pack. So when he crushed the first Baron, the others slipped aside, regrouping to launch another coordinated strike.
He quickly swept the battlefield with his eyes.
Aside from the fodder, the Barons were on the move. One vanished into thin air. Another raised a gun to aim. A third pulled out a heap of grenades. And now, one wielding a flaming meteor hammer blocked his view.
Tch. Too troublesome. Kill them one by one!
With a roar, Duanmu Huai charged the flaming hammer-wielder. The Baron sneered and swung the blazing weapon straight for his head.
But it was pointless.
BOOM!!
The meteor hammer slammed into his helmet with a dull clang. At the same moment, Duanmu Huai's Thunder Warhammer smashed into the Baron's chest, punching clean through with unstoppable force.
Then the storm came. Gunfire and grenades rained over him, engulfing him in flame and thunder.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Explosions rocked the chamber. For a moment, the Barons exhaled in relief. But then, from the smoke, the demon emerged unscathed, charging again.
What the hell is this thing?!
They had been locked away in Elder Prison too long, cut off from the outside. At first sight, they mistook Duanmu Huai for a Titan Guardian.
But this was no Guardian.
Yes, Titans were resilient, but their strength came from the Light. With enough firepower, they fell like anyone else. This man was different. His bizarre armor simply ignored their attacks, tanking blows, grenades, and shells alike.
And that paint job—what was with that monstrous bunny grin?!
Under the flicker of flames, the rabbit-faced helm lunged forward, grinning hideously. One Baron's hair stood on end. In a panic, he hurled all his grenades at once, then tried to leap back and escape.
He had noticed—this terrifying figure was powerful but not fast. If he could just stay ahead—
But as he fled, the armored rabbit stretched out a hand. A crushing force seized him, dragging him straight toward the monster.
"No, no, no, no!!"
His scream rose higher—not because he was about to be caught, but because he had just thrown all his grenades. Now he was nothing more than a flying bomb.
BOOOOM!!
The grenades detonated at once, engulfing Duanmu Huai in another firestorm.
When the flames cleared, he strode out, dragging the shredded corpse of the Baron.
The other Fallen froze where they stood.
What… what kind of monster is this?
"Don't come any closer!"
One Baron, desperate, suddenly decloaked and lunged at Olgis, shouting, "If you move again, we'll kill this woman—!"
That was all he managed before his body was sliced into ribbons, falling in bloody scraps at Olgis's feet. The Fallen recoiled in horror.
"So this is the power of an Inquisitor," came a voice.
The cloaked man finally stepped forward. Hidden eyes gleamed from beneath the hood, lips curling in a mocking smile.
"I had heard of your kind, but compared to Guardians, you are far more troublesome… Still, you're far too crude!"
He raised his hand. A surge of psychic power hurtled toward Duanmu Huai.
"Courting death!!"
Duanmu Huai roared. The psychic blast struck him—and rebounded instantly, slamming into its caster. The man was hurled to the ground, feeling his insides rupture as invisible force ravaged him.
"Impossible…!"
His golden eyes bulged in terror. As an Awoken, his greatest pride was his psychic strength—different from the Guardians' Light, yet often overwhelming them. But now, his confidence shattered.
"Why… why do you have this power too?!"
"This has nothing to do with you."
Duanmu Huai's voice was cold. He raised his warhammer to strike—
"Woooahhh!! Incoming! Get out of the way!!"
A shriek came over comms. Duanmu Huai looked up to see an enormous stone platform plummeting straight down.
"Shit!"
He snatched up Olgis and leapt aside, flinging out a Soul Card. It unleashed a freezing storm, locking nearby Fallen in place, preventing their escape.
"No, no, nooo!!"
The cloaked man, pinned beneath psychic backlash, raised trembling hands in vain. The massive slab crashed down, smashing the lower deck flat.
When the dust settled, Duanmu Huai strode forward with Olgis in his arms. A Ghost floated into view, shining light. With a flash, Cayde-6 burst out from under the rubble, brushing himself off like nothing had happened. Clearly, he had just resurrected.
This was what happened when someone abused immortality to tempt death.
"Hey, I'm here! Not late, am I? Where's everyone else?"
"No one left."
Duanmu Huai glanced at the wreckage. The Fallen had all been reduced to paste, the cloaked man included. Not his concern anymore.
"Oh? Over already? Then… who won?"
"…Call it your win," Duanmu Huai sighed, staring at Cayde-6.
He should have just blown the place up from the start.
(End of Chapter)