A Core Ship From The Start-Chapter 1609 - 1076: Descending from the Sky

After confirming that Tacheng Xiao Mao and Naruse Mio were enough to handle those minor troubles, Duanmu Huai quickly changed direction, heading east of the Blood Wasteland. Although Akara, for safety reasons, did not intend to tell Duanmu Huai the exact location of the Monastery, this was no problem for someone who could fly around in the sky, was it?

In short, just head east, and surely you will find a place similar to the Monastery!

"Hmm?"

While Duanmu Huai was scouring the wilderness, trying to locate Andariel’s whereabouts, his gaze was suddenly attracted by a tiny point of light in the distance——after all, the entire wasteland had become extremely dim due to the erosion of Subspace energy, and in this situation, any light naturally stood out more.

Thus, Duanmu Huai also turned and flew towards the source of the light.

As he approached the light source, Duanmu Huai realized this was not a bonfire gathering, but a small town—the town was already plunged into disaster, with human corpses slaughtered and massacred everywhere. Among them, numerous demons and undead creatures were coming and going, as if celebrating a festival.

"Oh ho, looks like there’s a bonfire party going on here."

Seeing this scene, Duanmu Huai’s expression darkened. He had already heard from Akara about the situation in the wilderness. In this era of underdeveloped communications and equally underdeveloped transportation, normal people clearly had no means to fight back against demons. Clearly, this town was no exception, having been completely destroyed by demons, and now they were dancing on its grave!

"Hmph, courting death!"

Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, and in the next moment, he accelerated abruptly, launching himself into the burning town like a meteor!

"Boom------------------!!!"

As Duanmu Huai charged into the town, the earth trembled, and the ruins that were already fragile from fire were smashed to pieces. The undead creatures and demons within were no exception, crashing into the sky like insects unable to escape an onrushing bulldozer, then shredding into fragments that vanished in explosions.

And Duanmu Huai, this runaway dump truck, plowed through the entire town, nearly overturning the burning ruins before finally coming to a steady halt.

At this moment, the whole town had been thoroughly wrecked, and the demons and undead creatures that ran rampant here were completely obliterated.

"Hmph, a bunch of trash."

Duanmu Huai, like an old ox plowing a field, turned back satisfied at the town he had overturned, then clapped his hands intending to leave. But just then, he caught the faint sound of a cry for help.

"Help... Help... Is anyone there...?"

"???"

Is someone still alive?

Hearing this voice, Duanmu Huai paused momentarily, then walked towards the sound, quickly finding an old man trapped under the rubble of a nearby house. The old man, wearing a coarse robe and carrying a bag, looked pitifully curled up in a large iron cage—fortunately, the cage had protected him from Duanmu Huai’s attack, or else the old man would have ended up like the undead creatures and demons outside.

"Save me, Steel Warrior!"

Seeing Duanmu Huai appear, the old man was momentarily stunned, then urgently called out for help.

"You’re not a demon, are you? Then can you help me? For the sake of the gods, my old bones can’t take any more..."

Duanmu Huai said nothing, reaching out and easily sweeping the broken bricks and rubble off the old man’s cage, then tearing open the twisted and deformed cage. Duanmu Huai then grabbed the old man’s neck, pulling him out, and stared at him.

"Who are you?"

"I, I’m Deckard Cain, Steel Warrior, I’m a scholar..."

"Oh, a scholar."

Duanmu Huai did not lower his guard.

"Then, can you tell me how an elderly, frail scholar like you survived amid a demon horde? Did they spare you because of your looks?"

Saying this, Duanmu Huai’s gaze on Deckard Cain turned icy cold. Joking aside, in a town utterly destroyed by demons, a seemingly weak and helpless old man unscathed? Any judge would suspect something was amiss!

Perhaps he’s a demon worshipper, or simply a demon disguised as a human spy!

"I understand what you mean, but I truly have no ties to the demons!"

Sensing the murderous intent hidden in Duanmu Huai’s words, the old man quickly defended himself, fearing his head might be twisted off in the next moment.

Well, Duanmu Huai could genuinely do that.

"In fact, I don’t know why the demons did what they did... but I can assure you, it really wasn’t my doing!"

"Crack—————!!"

The old man’s words were cut short as a burst of light appeared, forcing him to close his eyes.

When the old man recovered, Duanmu Huai had already placed him on the ground.

"Wait here."

After saying this, Duanmu Huai turned and left, while the old man watched his departing figure in confusion, unsure of what to do—so he obediently stayed put.

After a while, Duanmu Huai returned.

"Alright, I believe you now."

Looking at the old man, Duanmu Huai spoke. Although he didn’t have Mary’s Golden Pupil, Duanmu Huai had his own method to determine someone’s intentions—using a Shadow Copy of the person’s information, then questioning the duplicate—the duplicate, being completely loyal to its creator, was unlikely to betray (though exceptions could occur).

Just now, Duanmu Huai had copied the shadow of the old man named Deckard Cain, released it in a secluded spot for questioning, and the duplicate’s responses matched the man’s—he indeed was a scholar, one researching hell and demons. Perhaps for this reason, the demons hadn’t killed him like they did others but confined him in a cage to torment him to death.

"I see, thank you..."

Though unsure of how Duanmu Huai confirmed this, Deckard Cain breathed a sigh of relief, as moments ago, he truly felt death’s proximity—his neck had already started to cry out in protest.

"Very well, if there’s nothing else, you may go."

Duanmu Huai waved his hand. Though the old man wasn’t a demon worshipper or a spy, Duanmu Huai wasn’t inclined to take random people back to camp. Whether the old man faced any dangers in the wilderness wasn’t Duanmu Huai’s concern.

What Duanmu Huai didn’t expect was that upon hearing this, Deckard Cain lunged forward.

"Steel Warrior, I have something to ask!"

".........What’s it about?"

"May I ask, was it you who descended from the sky just now?"

"Indeed."

Facing Deckard Cain’s question, Duanmu Huai nodded. Hearing the answer, Deckard Cain showed a surprised expression, then murmured to himself, lowering his head.

"Indeed, like the prophecy, the meteor has fallen!"

"??"

Duanmu Huai didn’t understand the old man’s sudden madness when he looked up at Duanmu Huai again.

"Iron Warrior Sir, please save this world and eliminate the evil forces staining it! I will tell you everything I know!"

"............"

Why does this feel like a plot cutscene again? Can I skip it? Do I have to listen?

Duanmu Huai was utterly hopeless, why isn’t reality like a game.

Where’s the fast-forward button?

I just want to kill, not follow the plot!

Regrettably, with his helmet on, Deckard Cain couldn’t see Duanmu Huai’s expression, so he just started speaking. Duanmu Huai, resigned to listen about the world’s background, decided to hear what the old man had to say.

According to Deckard Cain’s explanation, this world had three Demon Gods and four Demon Kings. Long ago, the four Demon Kings revolted against the three Demon Gods, sealing them away—though this "rebellion" was truly a sham, part of the demons’ plan. They used this ruse to smuggle the three powerful Demon Gods into the human world, for a simple reason.

To ultimately win the eternal war, demons sought to completely control and conquer the human world, leveraging human strength to oppose the angels.

Of course, as the Pope said, in response to the demon threat, angels and powerful figures in the human world united to seal the smuggled three Demon Gods and the subsequently arriving four Demon Kings within Soul Stones.

However...... soon, the situation changed.