[You have obtained the Rune of Death (Incomplete)]
[Special Ability Acquired — Black Flame: The Black Flame is the fire that hunts the gods. Once unsealed, it again becomes a terrifying force. (Charge attacks cause explosions. On hit, inflict instant-death check; on successful resistance, reduce target's maximum HP and lower all attributes by 1% per hit — stackable.)]
[Divine-Slayer Effect]
"Hah…"
Duanmu Huai exhaled slowly, opening his eyes. Though this time was a little reckless, obtaining the Rune of Death made it all worthwhile — absolutely worth the risk!
Especially that max-HP-reduction debuff — to him, it was god-tier useful. He knew many god-chosen enemies had some form of healing ability, especially those disgusting freaks serving the Plague God. Low damage wasn't a problem — their regeneration always outpaced what you dealt, a nightmare of attrition.
But now? He could just cut their HP cap directly. Let's see who outlasts who this time!
"Master, are you alright?"
Bambi fluttered over, worry written all over her face. She reached out and patted Duanmu Huai's head gently.
"I'm fine… just need to rest a bit…"
He shook his head. Right now, Duanmu Huai was sitting against a rock wall while the Repair Servitor worked on mending his damaged armor. Truth be told, he was still hurt from his own nuclear self-destruction. If it hadn't been for his monstrous constitution — and that he'd triggered Weapon Reinforcement to boost his defense right before the blast — he'd have been half-dead for sure.
If he'd chosen to preserve the Mobile Armor instead, maybe he could've avoided the worst. But Duanmu Huai had deliberately sacrificed it to lure Maliketh into range. The beast was fast — doglike fast — and if he hadn't taken the bait, he might have noticed the trap and leapt clear before the explosion. That would've been a complete waste of a nuke.
Looking down, Duanmu Huai studied the mark etched into the back of his hand. The symbol of the Rune of Death hung upside down like a dark cross, half-encircled by tendrils that formed a twisted crescent.
That meant when Ranni stole a fragment of the Rune, she must have taken one-third. The other half was now with him.
The power armor finished repairs, plates locking back into place. Duanmu Huai stood, stretching his sore limbs.
"Alright. Let's move."
"Are you sure you're okay, Master? Maybe you should rest a little longer?" Bambi asked, still uneasy.
"No need," he said firmly, shaking his head. "We still have to find the others."
He frowned slightly as he thought of their situation. During his rest, he'd contacted the rest of his team. Lorena and Odelle were fine — but Olgis reported something strange, saying she was "experiencing some kind of incomprehensible anomaly." That worried him. Her card didn't show critical status, but he wasn't about to take chances. The only way to reach her was to defeat the General of the Stars, Radahn, and lift the seal on Nokron, the Eternal City.
He had to get to her — fast.
At first, Duanmu Huai thought Redmane Castle would be like Stormveil — crawling with violent lunatics. But when he arrived, to his surprise, it was utterly empty. Not a person, not even a ghost.
What the hell was going on?
Puzzled, he walked deeper into the castle with Bambi and Milfi, until at last they reached the main plaza — where a group of strange warriors were assembled. Some were knights, some were mages… and some were things he didn't even know how to categorize.
Like that giant walking jar with arms and legs.
Among them stood the werewolf warrior he'd met outside Nokron, who greeted him with a nod.
"Ah, you came," said the werewolf. "I've been waiting for you. Thought you might've turned back."
"Had a bit of business to take care of," Duanmu Huai replied. "But what's all this?"
Looking around, he half expected a festival — not a battlefield.
"This is the Festival of Radahn," the werewolf explained solemnly. "It's the ceremony to send off the mightiest warrior of the Shattering War — the greatest hero of all. You know of him: General Radahn. He was struck by the Scarlet Rot in his battle with the Valkyrie. His mind is gone. All we can do now is give him an honorable end — let him die as a warrior should."
He gestured toward the gathered champions.
"These are the finest fighters of the Lands Between. All have come here seeking the same thing — to face the legend himself and test their strength."
"I see."
So that's why no one stopped him earlier. Radahn's men weren't rabid cultists — they were… professional.
Unlike that madhouse in Stormveil.
"Warriors!"
A shout echoed from the battlements. Duanmu Huai and the werewolf turned to see an old soldier standing atop the wall — aged but still proud, his back straight as a spear.
"The stars are aligned! The festival begins! The mightiest demigod of the Shattering — General Radahn — awaits you all! Warriors, fight with honor! Claim his Great Rune! Let the Festival of Combat commence! The Radahn Festival begins!"
With that, the gates creaked open, and the gathered champions advanced as one.
Past the castle walls lay a vast desert battlefield — tattered banners glimmering gold under the night sky, and everywhere, broken bones and rusted armor.
And there he was.
A giant of a man, over three meters tall, riding a pitifully tiny, skeletal horse. His legs had been severed, replaced with stump-mounted armor, and behind him hung dozens of blades and spears.
But…
Brother… I feel you, brother.
Duanmu Huai's eyes misted. The mighty General Radahn looked utterly ridiculous — a colossal warrior astride a pony no bigger than a donkey. The sight reminded Duanmu of his own tragic youth — when he'd tried riding an e-bike.
Couldn't even fit his legs on the pedals. Miserable!
Same with motorcycles, same with bicycles — all pain, no dignity!
For the sake of our shared suffering, I'll make this quick for you, brother.
Wiping away the nostalgic tears, Duanmu gripped his warhammer as the other warriors roared and charged toward Radahn.
——
Despite his madness, the warrior's instincts remained. Radahn drew his greatbow, loosing black-iron arrows the size of tree trunks. They screamed through the air, impaling two unlucky fighters instantly. Then came a rain of arrows, a storm of death that annihilated anyone not fast enough to dodge.
No wonder he'd been called the strongest demigod general. Just this barrage would rout any army.
Still, the other champions pressed forward — and Duanmu Huai led the charge.
"RAHHH!!"
With a roar, he swung his warhammer, slamming it toward Radahn. The giant threw aside his bow and drew twin greatswords, meeting him head-on.
The two titans collided.
BOOM!
The shockwave alone sent lesser warriors tumbling. Facing them was like standing before a living storm. Even hardened fighters felt their hearts seize, dropping their weapons and fleeing.
Duanmu's own armor had changed — no longer the white "rabbit" pattern from before, but now black, streaked with crimson flame. The golden skulls across his chest and shoulders burned with eerie red light, their hollow eyes flickering like living things.
The effect of the Death Rune — and the reason his Aura of Fear had leveled up to Rank 2.
He'd grown used to it.
What could he do? He was too far gone for saving. Might as well own it.
But damn, the power of the Death Rune felt good.
Each clash with Radahn's blades made the black-and-red fire surge brighter. He could feel the Rune's curse biting into the general — slowly, steadily sapping his strength.
Until finally—
BANG!
Their weapons met once more — and this time, Radahn staggered back, stumbling several steps before his weary horse gave a dying whinny and collapsed beneath him.
"RRAAAAAHHH!"
Radahn roared, slamming both blades into the ground — and then suddenly, his body shot upward into the sky.
"…Where the hell did he go?"
The warriors blinked in confusion. One moment he was there, the next — gone.
"Hey— what's that?!"
Someone shouted, pointing upward.
They all looked — and froze.
A blazing comet, massive and red, was hurtling down from the heavens straight toward them.
You've got to be kidding me… he can do THAT?!
Duanmu Huai's jaw dropped — then clenched.
There was no running from that. There was no dodging that.
Only one option left — go meet it head-on!
Gritting his teeth, he adjusted his stance, raised his hammer high, and slammed it into the ground. Black flames erupted around him, enveloping his body. Then his jetpack roared to life, propelling him skyward like a missile — straight toward the falling star.
Gold and black comets, colliding head-on.
The explosion split the heavens.
A thunderous detonation tore through the desert, shockwaves flattening everything in sight. The earth cracked and split; flames rained from the sky like meteors, gouging crater after crater into the scorched ground. Warriors were thrown screaming into the distance, swallowed by the night.
BOOOOOM!
When the smoke cleared, a massive black silhouette crashed into the earth. Duanmu Huai gasped for air, gripping his hammer as he forced himself to his feet.
"Hah… damn… two boss fights in one day… I'm getting too old for this…"
His body screamed in exhaustion. After barely surviving his own nuke earlier, now he'd slammed face-first into another living meteor. His bones felt like they might fall apart.
Still, it was done.
He looked up at the sky — where trails of starlight crossed the darkness, streaking downward, each one bursting into brilliance as it struck the distant horizon.
The seal on Nokron, the Eternal City,
had been lifted.
(End of Chapter)