According to the Emperor, a Chosen of Chaos had appeared in the north. He had united all the northern Chaos legions and intended to wage war against the world. It was said that this man had even been mentioned in prophecy—the kind of prophecy that foretold the end of the world, where all would fall prey to the Chaos Gods.
In fact, the forces currently attacking weren't even this so-called Archaon's direct army, but rather various Chaos warbands that could no longer restrain themselves and wanted to act as his vanguard—hoping to earn the Everchosen's favor through bloodshed.
To Duanmu Huai, however…
"What a load of crap."
He stared at the Emperor in disbelief.
And who could blame him? According to the Emperor, this Archaon fellow had received blessings from Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh—the blessings of all four gods.
That was… utter nonsense.
Leaving aside the Plague God and the Prince of Pleasure, how could the Blood God and the Changer of Ways ever choose the same champion? Wasn't that a cosmic joke?
Duanmu Huai had seen plenty of heretical champions in his time, but never one so ridiculous.
What if Khorne and Tzeentch started fighting each other—was this guy supposed to punch himself to death?
"I don't know the details myself," the Emperor said, shaking his head. "I've never faced him directly on the battlefield. But based on reports from Kislev, the Elves, and captives from the northern front, the accounts are all similar. At the very least, it's not just some baseless rumor."
"So you've all gathered here to discuss countermeasures?"
"You could put it that way…"
The Emperor's expression turned bitter.
"But not entirely."
"Huh?"
"The Elves can't truly help us. The force that came this time is led by the Princess herself—thanks to you, by the way. We now have a contingent of Elven mages to support us. They're few in number, but better than nothing. As for the rest of the Elves… apparently they're embroiled in a civil war."
"…What?"
Duanmu Huai blinked in surprise.
"A civil war?"
"Yes. It seems the Phoenix King has gone missing. The Elves are arguing over who should succeed him, and neither side accepts the other's candidate. Hah… when it comes to power struggles, Elves and humans are all the same."
Perhaps thinking of his own wayward sons, the Emperor sighed helplessly.
"And the Everqueen was furious about the Elves bickering amongst themselves with such a great enemy approaching. So she used the excuse of a goodwill visit and led a delegation here to Altdorf…"
"I really didn't expect that… So things aren't looking very optimistic, are they?"
"Not quite. The High King of the Dwarfs had planned to bring his armies to aid us, but their council couldn't reach a consensus, so he had to give up the idea."
"Oh? And what excuse did the Dwarfs give?"
"They claim it's hopeless to fight against the overwhelming Chaos horde. They'd rather seal themselves in their mountain halls and defend their homes. Sending troops away would only weaken their defenses."
The Emperor shook his head with frustration.
"So for now, our available allies are limited. Kislev has only remnants left, the Elves only brought a small delegation…"
"What about Bretonnia?"
"That's exactly why I asked you here."
At this point, the Emperor's face grew solemn.
"Originally, Bretonnia had promised to march to our aid. But suddenly, a rebellion broke out within their borders."
"A rebellion? At a time like this?"
Duanmu Huai's brow furrowed sharply. The stench of conspiracy was thick in the air.
"Yes. According to our intelligence, the rebellion was led by a knight named Mallobaude. He declared that he would reform Bretonnia's current system and led an open revolt. Not only that, but the dukes of Carcassonne, Lyonesse, and Artois have publicly declared their support for him…"
"So brazen?"
Duanmu Huai was genuinely taken aback by what he heard.
"What about the King? And the Lady of the Lake?"
"King Louen vanished during battle with the rebels, and the Lady of the Lake has also disappeared."
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Duanmu Huai frowned deeply. The Lady of the Lake was the earthly avatar of the goddess herself. In theory, she should have intervened immediately when something like this happened. But now she'd simply gone missing? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
"The Empire can't interfere in Bretonnia's internal affairs," the Emperor continued, "but you are different. You're a Grail Knight—you have every reason to involve yourself. Besides, our scouts report that the rebel forces include a considerable number of undead…"
The Emperor didn't need to finish his sentence; Duanmu Huai understood. The Empire needed all its strength to face the Chaos invasion from the north. The last thing they needed was Bretonnia stabbing them in the back. They couldn't risk intervening themselves—neither politically nor militarily.
But Duanmu Huai could. As the Lady's chosen Grail Knight and protector of Bretonnia, it was perfectly natural for him to investigate and deal with this rebellion.
The Emperor also informed him of the Skaven's movements. According to the spies' reports, the ratmen had been on the brink of another civil war. But just as they were about to tear each other apart as usual, their god—the Great Horned Rat—descended in person. He killed the Grey Seer who had sparked the civil strife and appointed a Verminlord of Calamity to unite the clans, ordering them to surge up to the surface and reduce everything to ruins.
That part genuinely shocked Duanmu Huai. Not so much that the Great Horned Rat had descended, but that the Empire somehow had a spy who had witnessed the entire meeting of the Thirteen Council of the Skaven and lived to tell the tale.
Just who the hell are these people?
Where did the Empire even find spies like that? Maybe they should send him to infiltrate the Eye of Terror next time.
After that conversation, Duanmu Huai took his leave and returned to his flagship to brief his companions on what came next.
"So, I'm planning to take a small group and—"
"Wait, we're not just going to nuke those guys from orbit?"
Cayde-6 interrupted curiously. (Yes, he was still here, representing the Guardian Vanguard—and Duanmu Huai was now certain the Tower Council had sent him away just to get some peace and quiet.)
"I'll only use orbital bombardment as a last resort. If I act too soon, it'll attract unnecessary attention."
Duanmu Huai wasn't planning to reveal the Inquisition fleet or the Guardians prematurely. His plan was for both forces to appear only when the Chaos invasion reached its peak—catching the enemy completely off guard, then adjusting based on the dark gods' next moves.
If An were here, she'd be the first to volunteer—but unfortunately, she was busy with her Royal Capital Reconstruction Project. She had gathered a massive team of trained builders, intending to construct a huge commercial district modeled after a city she'd seen on another planet—a modern hub complete with bookstores, entertainment halls, and shopping plazas.
Of course, this world had no cranes or elevators, but magic could handle all that just fine.
According to An, this new district would serve as a prototype city, with redesigned energy systems and plumbing—all based on that other world's blueprints. If successful, she planned to expand the concept nationwide. Naturally, Duanmu Huai had no objections.
He was quite curious to see what a magical version of a modern city would look like.
Guleya wasn't back either—and even if she were, she couldn't come. Half-bloods weren't exactly welcome in this world.
"Bambi wants to go! Bambi wants to go!!"
Thankfully, someone else stepped up.
Bambi hopped up and down excitedly, her energy back to its usual level. Although her kin had died, they were now working peacefully in Duanmu Huai's Oblivion Realm, so to her, little had changed. Her curiosity about the world had only grown stronger.
"Fine, no problem."
Although Bambi was a vampire, she didn't look like one at all, so Duanmu Huai didn't mind bringing her along.
"I want to go too. I want to see what's happening there…"
Lorena raised her hand as well. Having adventured with Duanmu Huai before, and being a priestess, she couldn't stand idly by while the undead ran rampant. Duanmu Huai agreed—she was experienced in this world and unlikely to get into trouble.
As for Bambi, though curious, she was obedient and cautious enough not to cause issues.
"All right then—Olgis, Bambi, Lorena, you're with me… huh?"
Before he could finish, Duanmu Huai felt a gaze on him. He turned his head and saw Odelle standing nearby, staring quietly at him.
"Uh… you want to come too?"
"I am the master's personal maid. Naturally, I must accompany you."
Odelle spoke flatly, her expression unreadable. Who knew what she was really thinking?
"…Fine, come along."
Well, it wasn't like he could stop her.
With that, Duanmu Huai turned back to the glowing screen before him.
[Main Quest: The End Times]
This time, he swore to himself—he would not fail this main quest.
(End of Chapter)