The Covenant Holy City — High Charity.
Inside the Grand Council Chamber, the atmosphere was boiling.
"This is nothing less than humiliation and blasphemy!!"
Staring at the wreckage of the completely destroyed Halo ring displayed on the screen, the Prophet of Truth clenched his fists in fury and slammed the armrest of his throne.
"Not only has the Sacred Ring been destroyed, but even the Special Justice Fleet has been annihilated! This is unprecedented disgrace!!"
"We must respond! We cannot allow the humans to act so brazenly!"
The Prophet of Regret added sharply.
"But… we still don't know the enemy's strength or identity."
The Prophet of Mercy shook his head.
"If the report is accurate, they had only a dozen warships, yet they wiped out the entire Special Justice Fleet and even destroyed the Holy Ring. Their power cannot be underestimated. We must investigate where this fleet came from, and what faction they belong to."
"Regardless of who they are, nothing can impede our Great Journey."
The Prophet of Truth fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"The Great Journey is about to begin. This defeat only strengthens our resolve. In truth, it proves that the path to salvation is filled with danger and obstacles — yet that does not justify hesitation."
As he spoke, the Prophet of Truth slowly looked across the chamber.
The various Covenant species erupted into silence.
Then his voice echoed once more:
"The Great Journey is at hand. All obstacles in our way shall inevitably crumble. The Covenant—shall pass through them and reach the end of our sacred path!"
"OOOOHHHHHHH!!!"
Cheers thundered across the Grand Chamber.
Yet although Truth's speech temporarily stabilized internal unrest—
The situation did not actually change.
"So… we're simply going to ignore that fleet?"
After the meeting, Mercy approached Truth with a dark expression.
"For now, merely a dozen warships pose no immediate threat to the Covenant. As I said earlier…"
Truth's expression hardened.
"The Great Journey is what matters."
Meanwhile, at UNSC Headquarters, the atmosphere was just as tense.
"I never imagined a fleet like that could exist."
Admiral Terrence Hood sighed as he studied the reports.
He was an elderly man nearing sixty, his hair white, his face carved with stone-like determination—fitting for the UNSC's highest commander.
"Are we really inviting them here, sir?"
Another officer standing before Hood asked hesitantly.
"Of course. Whoever they are, they crushed the Covenant fleet and helped us protect Reach. As far as we know, they are not our enemies—nor enemies of humanity."
"But don't you find their stated objective too… unusual?"
The officer referred to Colonel Holland's earlier report—
specifically Duanmu Huai's description of the Inquisition's goal:
"To eliminate all beings that threaten humanity."
To some UNSC high officers, this was far too idealistic—bordering on impossible.
Yes, the fleet was powerful, but the Covenant was not a single planet.
As the name implied, it was a unified empire of multiple interstellar species, spread across hundreds or thousands of worlds.
The idea of wiping all of that out was simply absurd.
Even UNSC never planned total annihilation of the Covenant.
Their goal was to withstand the invasion, regain initiative, and then force a peace agreement.
War costs lives.
And humanity could not win a war of attrition against an interstellar empire.
Of course, UNSC did have a radical faction arguing they should exterminate the Covenant completely.
But these extremists lacked mainstream support.
After all, to resist the Covenant, UNSC had already placed humanity under full military governance.
This was acceptable during a crisis threatening extinction.
But continuing high-pressure rule after the Covenant was repelled?
That was politically dangerous.
And realistically, total extermination of the Covenant offered humanity no benefit.
Therefore, many high-ranking officers feared that contact with the Inquisition would ignite the extremists' fanaticism and drag humanity into an endless war.
Several officers even proposed that UNSC maintain distance and minimal interaction—
But Hood defied expectations by directly inviting the Inquisition to Earth…
"They saved Reach's people. We must treat them with respect. And regardless, we must first understand their intentions."
Hood shook his head.
Just then, a voice reported:
"Commander, the Inquisition representatives have arrived."
"I'll go at once."
Hood stood, adjusted his uniform, and strode out.
The airlock opened with a slow hiss.
Duanmu Huai stepped through, each heavy step echoing.
UNSC troops lined both sides of the passageway.
Upon seeing the towering black-armored figure, many instinctively retreated in fear.
Behind him walked Orkis, An, Odell, and Loreina.
For this meeting with UNSC high command, Duanmu Huai brought only these four.
Orkis was his closest partner and always accompanied him.
An, despite her playful personality, was still a princess of Manaria and fully capable of maintaining royal decorum.
Odell followed as Duanmu Huai's maid, and as a former noble lady, she was familiar with such formal settings.
Loreina attended as a representative of the Cathedral Order, wearing her priestly ceremonial robes specifically for the occasion.
The group—Duanmu Huai and four beautiful girls—instantly drew every gaze.
Partly because of their appearance, partly their varied attire and distinct aura.
At the front, Duanmu Huai's Inquisition armor, combined with his massive stature and intimidating presence, made him look like a walking calamity.
Behind him:
Orkis in her black gothic dress resembled an elegant noble.
An wore a sleeveless evening gown and adopted a dignified princess demeanor.
Odell in maid uniform, Loreina in clerical garments—anyone could deduce their roles at a glance.
But… the ensemble also felt strangely anachronistic.
"Knight-sir is terrifying no matter where he goes," An whispered calmly to Orkis, maintaining her refined façade.
"Master's appearance seems highly threatening to biological organisms," Orkis replied quietly.
"You two shut up back there."
Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes.
What, coordinated backstabbing now? Combo attacks??
How's a man supposed to live?
Soon, the group reached the reception hall of the Cairo Orbital Station.
There, Duanmu Huai finally met Admiral Hood.
A seasoned veteran, Hood was startled but not overwhelmed when he saw Duanmu Huai.
His step paused only briefly before he approached, smiling, and extended his hand.
"Greetings, Inquisitor. I am Admiral Terrence Hood of the UNSC. Welcome to Cairo Station. On behalf of the UNSC, I extend our heartfelt gratitude for destroying the Covenant fleet and saving Reach."
"No need for courtesy."
Duanmu Huai shook his hand lightly.
"As an Inquisitor, protecting humanity and eliminating threats is my duty. To the Inquisition, any enemy that endangers humanity must be destroyed."
"I understand your perspective."
Hood smiled and nodded.
He then gestured to the side.
"Please, this way. I believe we need more time to communicate and understand each other."
"I feel the same."
Duanmu Huai nodded.
This was exactly why they had come.
Afterward, Duanmu Huai and Hood held a closed-door meeting.
Duanmu Huai hid nothing.
He openly explained the Inquisition's origins, the history of the ancient human empire, the threats looming over the galaxy, and their mission.
He had no interest in playing cryptic mind games.
Only idiots serving treacherous gods did that.
He wasn't one of them.
He said everything clearly.
How UNSC chose to respond was their problem.
UNSC was already a spacefaring civilization—
Giving them information to prepare for future dangers wasn't an issue.
But to Admiral Hood, everything Duanmu Huai said—
Completely shattered his worldview.
When Duanmu Huai finished, the UNSC personnel sat mute, eyes wide, unable to speak for a long time.
After who knew how long, Hood finally exhaled and swallowed.
"To be honest, what you've told us… is almost impossible to believe. Then, your arrival here is because…"
"I hope you don't misunderstand."
Duanmu Huai shook his head.
"As I said, the ancient human empire that ruled the galaxy is long gone. I'm not here to ask you to acknowledge them or pledge yourselves to anything.
I'm simply telling you the Inquisition's origins and purpose.
"Across the galaxy, there are countless human civilizations like yours, descended from scattered survivors of that empire.
"The Inquisition does not intend to reunify humanity into some new empire.
Whether such an empire exists or not changes nothing.
"Our mission remains the same:
We will not tolerate any being that threatens humanity.
We will exterminate them completely.
"I believe you understand me now?"
"...…Yes. I understand."
This time, Hood's expression was solemn.
As unbelievable as it all sounded, Duanmu Huai had no motive to lie.
He hadn't told the story to claim any authority—just to explain who they were.
If he was telling the truth…
Then the Inquisition was indeed an immensely powerful organization.
Perhaps… they really could wipe out the Covenant?
(End of chapter)