A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 676

Chapter 676: Chapter 501: The Intangible Thing_1 Chapter 676: Chapter 501: The Intangible Thing_1 There was not a single hint of light within the pitch-black valley.

The calls of the Night Hawk echoed through the entire valley, like sorrowful cries filled with fury. Yet, Duanmu Huai remained unmoved, gripping his staff and striding slowly along the path leading to the peak of Sentry Ridge.

At the same time, thoughts were whirling within his heart.

What Duanmu Huai intended to do next differed significantly from the usual Player Investigator. When faced with such circumstances, typical Player Investigators would armed themselves with certain tactics. They, however, tended to rely on external forces. As an example, the trio of professors from Miskatonic University who had previously banished the offspring of the Outer Gods had utilized the spells from the Book of the Dead.

However, the spells in the Book of the Dead clearly weren't within the purview of human usage.

Truth be told, in Duanmu Huai's view, the plight of this world's humans was quite dismal.

It's noteworthy that this world is no devoid of gods. There are plenty of Outer Gods, Ancient Dominators, denizens of the Star Realm, etc. Yet, humanity alone is bereft of divine protection.

Seeing how even the Deep Divers secured Dagon and Cthulhu as their backing while humanity ended up empty-handed was truly vexing.

Therefore, Duanmu Huai planned to alter this state of affairs, commencing from this very night.

He wanted to convey to the other deities that this world, the humans of this world, were under his protection!

All entities such as the Nihilist Naglaoka Hasta can step aside!

In this respect, Duanmu Huai had wholly upended the teachings of the Emperor, embarking on a course wholly different from what the Emperor envisioned.

The Emperor commanded that humans should not worship gods, but instead rely on themselves, refusing to acknowledge the existence of gods in the world.

But, that was fruitless!

Objective reality doesn't alter according to subjective will. Just like this world where most people adhered to scientific principles, what was the outcome? When they encountered an Evil God, their worldviews shattered completely and promptly capitulated to join the enemy.

And why was that? Wasn't it because humans lacked a strong backing force?

Observe this world. Cultists choose to worship the King in Yellow, the Mother of the Black Goat.

Deep Divers favor worshipping Dagon, Cthulhu.

Behind those bloodthirsty, twisted, filthy, and degenerate creatures stood supporters. In contrast, those upright investigators, firm of mind and ever ready to risk their lives for humanity, lacked any form of shield. Was this acceptable?

Does virtue get punished while evil prevails?

Cultists could invoke blasphemous spells, summoning monsters from Subspace, wielding immense evil powers. Conversely, investigators had to rely entirely on their intellect, weapons, and the dice for mere survival.

Was this fair?

Therefore, what Duanmu Huai found most incomprehensible about the Emperor was precisely this. What's wrong with humans needing divine protection? If it's not a false god but a true god, could we not utilize their aid? What? If you insist that humans should rely entirely on their strength, then you might as well roll as far away from your Golden Toilet as possible. According to your logic, humans wouldn't be affected by your presence or absence. Without you, humans can still find their way, right?

And yet, while you protect humans, you also tell them not to believe in you. This only leads to confusion, and the end result is plain to see, correct?

If not for the establishment of a national Religion of the Empire, the Human Empire might have collapsed a long time ago.

The most crucial aspect is to adhere to our principles and standpoints.

“As a Judge, our duty is to protect humans, to eradicate every entity that might pose a threat to humanity.”

While whispering these words to himself, Duanmu Huai treaded slowly forward. With every step, his foot landed steadily onto the ground. The clattering noise echoed every time his staff contacted the stones.

“Any entity that dares to threaten humanity will be reduced to ashes under the wrath of the Tribunal.”

Duanmu Huai lifted his head. Dark flames surfaced around him. Winds were howling, potent gales sweeping past him as though the whole world was resisting his arrival.

“There's no place for the weak-willed and indecisive. Humanity can only survive through firm actions and beliefs. There are no sacrifices too immense to bear, nor betrayals too minor to forgive.”

Despite the low volume of Duanmu Huai's voice, it managed to penetrate the ghoulish-like howls of the wind emanating from the forest, resonating throughout the airspace over Sentry Ridge.

“Humanity constantly sacrifices themselves, ensuring the continuity of their bloodline. Generation after generation. Not for any grand ideals. That's simply because the act of sacrifice is far more significant than any ideal. But perhaps each person harbors a hope deep within: that one day, a generation may come that no longer necessitates sacrifices, a generation where humanity could exist forever in peace and tranquility.”

Duanmu Huai raised his head, scrutinizing the rolling dark clouds ahead. His expression was unchanging, unaffected by the violent downpour that seemed like a hailstorm.

“Burn the heretics, kill the aliens, eliminate the demons. We are an indestructible shield before the encroaching darkness, a blade forged in defiance of fate.”

Duanmu Huai's voice grew louder, overpowering even the howling winds and raging storm.

“Annihilate all foes of humanity, ensure their utter destruction!”

At the same moment when these words left his mouth, Duanmu Huai reached the peak of Sentry Ridge.

“Rumble, rumble, rumble!”

Rumbles of thunder reverberated in the clouds. What appeared before Duanmu Huai was a peculiar stone structure atop the peak. A few stones formed a large circle, and the thunderbolts struck the center of this circular stone circle directly from the sky. Accompanied by the erupting lightning, a deep, savage, inhuman howl materialized.

Even though Duanmu Huai saw nothing before him, he could still perceive the nauseating breath from the subspace gradually becoming substantially stronger.

“You can't crush my will, you lowly subspace filth!”

Duanmu Huai gripped his staff, roaring loudly. At this moment, the Fearful Aura erupted from him completely. The moment this invisible fear burst out, even the world seemed to tremble in fear–the kind that could destroy all things, burning everything to the ground, was a fear that even nature couldn't resist.

In an instant, the downpour seemed to halt, and the raging wind that previously howled vanished. The invisible entity inside the circular stone ring seemed to have felt the pressure from Duanmu Huai. It let out a scream of fury and madness, and the next moment–Duanmu Huai only felt the world in front of him seemed to begin to change gradually.

His feet traversed countless worlds and times, as if the infinite universe within the stars all revealed their mysteries to him at this moment. Duanmu Huai could feel his body being pulled apart like a sausage being sliced, divided, standing here yet not here. He was in countless centers of countless worlds at countless times, as if he were in the vast universe, grasping the past, present and future, showing him its power.

The great, free power that transcended time, space and all constraints.

However……

“All things come to an end.”

As Duanmu Huai spoke, the staff he held tightly in his hand slammed heavily onto the ground.

At this moment, the black flames of the destined land erupted, instantly devoured countless fragments of worlds.

No matter how abundant, powerful, beautiful or terrifying a world, it would be destroyed, it would be annihilated. No matter what the existence, how great the god, they couldn't escape the fate of ultimately becoming trash in the Star Realm. Death, destruction, utter oblivion; all things are thus, without exception.

Duanmu Huai gripped his staff tightly, gritted his teeth. He could feel that this was a contest of spirit and mind. It wasn't a straightforward confrontation between a Player Investigator and an Evil God, but rather a probe between two gods. Yog Sothoth had shown him its power, that great existence that transcended all beings of the universe. If Duanmu Huai were another deity, he might have chosen to submit and retreat by now.

But … he was the God of Destruction.

Any obstacles standing in front of humankind would be destroyed by him. Everything in this world is thus. There is no existence that can escape this fate, not even Azathoth. Although Duanmu Huai may not have possessed such power at the moment, his determination was unwavering, his faith crystal clear. Everything that Yog Sothoth showed him could not change Duanmu Huai's mind, so everything it showed would eventually come to an end.

And Duanmu Huai was representative of that moment.

The destruction of all things, disappearance, utter obliteration.

Even Yog Sothoth could not avoid this.

It saw the past, saw the present, saw the future.

So naturally, it also saw destruction, obliteration, and the end of all things.

It couldn't deny this fact.

So this was the point Duanmu Huai stood firm on.

Destruction was inevitable, so where the flames of destruction surged next needed consideration.

“………”
The next moment, everything returned to normal.

Duanmu Huai swayed his body and opened his eyes to look ahead. The fragments of time that had once engulfed him like a waterspout had vanished without a trace. The peak of Sentry Ridge had begun to calm, the downpour somehow gradually stopped, and only the evil, filthy aura of the subspace creature still hadn't retreated in the circular stone formation.

Under the pressure of the Fearful Aura, Duanmu Huai could feel it was struggling, trying to break free from this terrifying constraint. But it couldn't, its power began to gradually drain away, and its originally furious soul filled with hatred and anger had also started to weaken.

“Anything that makes an enemy of humans is doomed to destruction.”

Duanmu Huai slowly walked to the center of the stone formation, looking at the empty land in front of him. He then raised his staff high, and at this moment, dark flames spouted out from it, condensing to form a blazing sharp blade.

Next, Duanmu Huai swung down hard in front of him.

“Aaaaahhh————–!!!”

A shrill, eerie scream suddenly resonated. The originally empty air was instantly ripped open by Duanmu Huai's “sword”, creating a huge “gash”, as if the world in front of Duanmu Huai was a canvas, and he had rudely torn a crack in this canvas.

Then, this crack twisted and struggled in front of Duanmu Huai, gradually disappearing.

At the same time, another system prompt popped up before Duanmu Huai.

[Special mission completed]
[Evaluation: Excellent]
[Even in the face of an entity that spans the universe, you adhered to your original intention and successfully passed the trial, once again letting this world understand that the fear of destruction is the most primal fear in the hearts of all creatures.]
[Fearful Aura has gained a new trait–Rampage]
[Rampage: When the player charges or attacks, all enemy creatures within a 50-meter radius who make direct eye contact with the player will lose 1D8 Sanity]
“………”
Looking at the system prompt in front of him, Duanmu Huai was completely flabbergasted.

Chapter end

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