Duanmu Huai had no idea what had happened above, nor was he interested in finding out.
For Duanmu Huai, what he needed to do at the moment was destroy the enemy's ritual core. As for what was happening above, that was Kevin's problem to deal with. After all, this nation was under Sigmar's blessing, not his. What did the Empire's life or death have to do with him? If Sigmar refused to pull his own weight, was he really expecting to just keep leeching off him instead?
Not to mention, Duanmu Huai was already quite busy himself!
He didn't know exactly what was going on above, but soon after, a massive swarm of plague monsters rushed in from the other side of the sewers, roaring as they launched their attack on Duanmu Huai and the others. It had to be said—these monsters, already reeking with rot and filth, seemed perfectly at home in the sewers. Just the sight of these beasts, coated in sewage yet charging forward without the slightest hesitation, was enough to push anyone to the brink of a mental breakdown.
At first, the elven princess had fought shoulder to shoulder with Duanmu Huai, but after enduring a few rounds, she couldn't help retreating—the things were simply too disgusting.
Fortunately, Duanmu Huai no longer needed to fight them up close like before.
After all, his studies at the Manaria Magic Academy hadn't been for nothing!
"Haa!!"
Duanmu Huai raised his hand, and under the effect of his Gravity Gauntlet, the sewers began to tremble. Fragments of stone tore free, whistling through the air like bullets as they slammed into the fat, hulking bodies of the plague monsters, halting their advance. At the same time, he swept his left hand, releasing a spell card.
[Ice Golem Summon]!
Freezing cold burst forth, instantly solidifying the flowing sewer water into ice. A massive ice golem emerged from the frozen stream, its body towering like a fortress wall, blocking the horde's path. As the ice golem held back the plague beasts, Duanmu Huai's fingers twitched once more. A lightning bolt exploded outward, piercing through the ice golem and striking the monsters within the horde. Those struck wailed in agony—but before they could recover, razor-sharp icicles fell from above like spears, impaling them into the ground.
[Chain Lightning]! Then..... [Icicle Spear Shot]! And finally..... [Blizzard Storm]!!!
Howling winds and snow swept through the sewers, freezing everything in their path solid. Even the running water in the canals turned instantly into thick ice. As for the plague monsters, they were frozen into sculptures and then shattered into pieces.
"How could this be....."
The elven princess whispered in shock, staring at the sight before her, nearly speechless.
Anne continued to focus on absorbing mana, while Olgis stood by her side on guard. Though the elven princess wanted to go over and check on Anne, the puppet-like girl coldly refused her approach—Duanmu Huai had told her to protect Anne and not let anyone near, and Olgis naturally obeyed her orders to the letter.
Thus, the princess could only shift her attention back to Duanmu Huai's battle.
But what surprised her most was—this man could use magic!
And it was powerful magic at that?!
How was this possible?!
The princess could hardly believe her eyes. Normally, anyone seeing Duanmu Huai's appearance and attire would assume he was a brutal warrior, never someone who wielded magic. Yet the man before her summoned storms and frost with ease, his demeanor calm and practiced, no less skilled than any mage.
And his spells weren't just for show—they were immensely powerful. She could faintly sense it, though not fully clear, that Duanmu Huai was using some strange and unusual psionic manipulation technique. Yes..... similar to that girl's.
Her eyes shifted to Anne, who was still devouring mana crystals, and her brows furrowed slightly.
Few knew the truth: human magic was deeply connected with the High Elves. Long ago, at humanity's request, High Elves had come to Altdorf to teach men the ways of magic, which led to the founding of Altdorf's academy. In essence, human magic and elven magic shared the same foundation.
But..... they were also entirely different.
Whether it was the girl Anne, or Duanmu Huai himself, their way of handling psionic energy was utterly unlike the elves'. And judging from their mastery, this was no whimsical innovation by a single individual—it was a complete, systematic method.
Could it be that the Empire had developed an entirely new magical research system?
Her eyes lit up at the thought.
Perhaps..... this was an opportunity.
"Success!!!"
At that moment, Anne's voice snapped her from her thoughts. Turning her head, she saw in astonishment that the psionic energy bound by the ritual circle was gradually weakening, flowing like a stream into Anne's spellbook. As the torrent poured in, the pages of the book fluttered wildly, the black writing transforming into glowing blue runes of magic. With each turned page, massive amounts of energy were absorbed and converted.
What shocked the princess most was that Anne showed no pain or discomfort at all. On the contrary, she guided the torrent easily, even effortlessly, as if it were second nature, displaying none of the struggles expected from a human.
Impossible!
The elven princess knew well just how fragile humans were. An ordinary person merely standing near such dense psionic energy would mutate from exposure. And Anne was at the very heart of the ritual's core! Even if the energy didn't go out of control, her body should have been twisted by the corruption. Human mages always transformed the more they used psionics—until eventually becoming monsters.
Yet this girl was completely unfazed, to the point the princess wondered if Anne might secretly be a half-elf.
But..... she didn't look like one.....
At last, with the last wisp of psionic energy absorbed into the spellbook, Anne let out a long sigh of relief. The glowing Dimensional Stone hovering in midair lost its brilliance, dimmed like a dull piece of glass, and fell to the ground, shattering into fragments with a crisp crack.
As the tide of mana dispersed, everything came to an end.
After repelling the plague beasts once more, the enemy seemed to realize their plan had failed and no longer attacked. Duanmu Huai then led the group back out of the sewers.
When they finally emerged, the sky was already painted with the colors of dawn, and Altdorf before them still seemed calm and peaceful.
Thus, a new day arrived.
What had happened within Altdorf that night, Duanmu Huai later learned from General Paster. On the night of the banquet, several Chaos cultists had tried to set fires and spark riots across the city. Luckily, because Paster had ordered martial law, all who dared step outside were arrested, preventing serious damage.
The palace, however, wasn't so fortunate. Duanmu Huai had seen it himself—it looked as though it had been bombed from above, riddled with craters. He heard it was the result of the emperor fighting against his three unfilial sons. In the end..... the three unlucky traitors were executed, beheaded, displayed in the streets, and burned.
With that, the troublesome affair finally reached its conclusion.
Of course, for the emperor, this was far from the end. He still had to consolidate power and guard against northern barbarians invading the south—but that no longer had anything to do with Duanmu Huai.
"You really only want this?"
Seated on the throne, the emperor looked at Duanmu Huai with a questioning expression. Duanmu Huai nodded.
"Of course. We had an agreement. You're not planning to go back on your word, are you?"
"Of course not."
The emperor gave a bitter smile and shook his head. With a gesture, attendants stepped forward, carrying with them the three remaining relics, handing them over.
This was the reward they had agreed upon.
"If you wish, I could grant you a fiefdom, even make you a count....."
"Sorry, not interested."
Duanmu Huai reached out, took the relics, then glanced at the emperor and shook his head.
"I have more important matters to handle. From here on..... you'll have to manage on your own, Your Majesty."
"You're right. With the Empire in such a state..... there is indeed much left to do."
The emperor sighed, then looked at Duanmu Huai again.
"Then allow me to wish you well. Whatever the case, you and your warband saved this city. If not for you destroying their foul ritual, Altdorf would have been annihilated. I will spread word of your deeds throughout the Empire, so all know it was you who saved this nation."
"Thanks."
Duanmu Huai nodded.
"Don't forget to mention our warband's name."
"I know. The Pink Bunny Warband..... yes, I'll remember it."
The emperor's expression twitched slightly at the ridiculous name, but he quickly nodded.
"By the way..... now that you've taken the relics, how do you plan to decide the next imperial heir?"
Glancing at the relics in his hand, Duanmu Huai asked curiously. With his three sons all dead, who would succeed the emperor now?
Still, in Duanmu Huai's opinion, the emperor needn't be too upset. He was hardly the first ruler whose sons had rebelled against him.
"I've come up with a new idea."
The emperor pondered for a moment, then spoke.
"As you've seen, bloodline does not guarantee loyalty. My foolish children each chose to betray me for their own reasons. If I leave the Empire in their hands, it will only bring disaster. So, I plan to introduce a new system of election—I will grant each of the realm's lords the title of Elector Count. When I step down, the next emperor will be chosen from among them. No birthright, no status—only merit. The one who gains the most support will be crowned emperor."
"Uh....."
Hearing this, Duanmu Huai was left speechless.
Well..... good luck with that.
Afterward, he bid the emperor farewell, taking Olgis and Anne back to the space station.
For him, imperial rewards and titles meant nothing. What mattered now was his space station, which was about to undergo its true transformation!
(End of Chapter)