A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1462 - 989 Angel and Demon

Chapter 1462: Chapter 989 Angel and Demon

"""

"Ugh...!"

As Duanmu Huai’s war hammer swung down, the black-haired girl’s face turned ashen. She frantically raised her hand in an attempt to block, but in the next moment, Duanmu Huai’s hammer mercilessly carved a heavy arc through the air, smashing into the black-haired girl with brutal force!

"Ahhhh—!"

The piercing scream echoed as the black-haired girl was slammed to the ground, making the already dilapidated church an even greater wreck.

"Die, you monster!"

Suddenly, a white-haired boy dressed as a priest sprang forward from behind, clutching a lightsaber. With a loud shout, he swung his sharp blade at Duanmu Huai. However, the moment his light blade made contact with Duanmu Huai’s armor, it instantly dissipated, as if it had never existed.

"How... how is this possible?"

Staring at the now-bare hilt in his hand, the white-haired boy was filled with shock.

"Damn demon, what kind of god is this...!"

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

With a backhand swing, Duanmu Huai’s war hammer smashed heavily into the white-haired boy. His body burst apart mid-air like a watermelon struck by a club, sending blood and fragments of flesh flying in all directions. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai landed heavily on the ground.

"Boom!"

The entire church shuddered violently, but Duanmu Huai appeared indifferent. He strode forward with heavy steps, reaching the center of the church. Extending his hand, he grabbed the black-haired girl’s head and lifted her up.

"Why did you attack me?"

"Mmm..."

Looking at Duanmu Huai in front of her, the black-haired girl gritted her teeth. She glanced around, only to see corpses scattered everywhere in the ruined church. The cultists who had joined her earlier in ambushing Duanmu Huai were all dead—clearly, they were ordinary humans with none of the physical attributes that the black-haired girl possessed to withstand Duanmu Huai’s attacks.

Of course, this was only because Duanmu Huai had held back.

"You... you think I’ll tell you anything?"

Defiance was all the black-haired girl had left.

"Oh ho..."

Hearing her response, Duanmu Huai chuckled coldly.

"You asked for this. Funny enough, I was meaning to test something out."

"What are you talking about...?"

The black-haired girl froze at his words, but before she could react, she heard a clicking sound—like a camera shutter—and suddenly white brilliance emanated from Duanmu Huai, engulfing her completely. Moments later, the shadow behind Duanmu Huai began to stir—then, a figure identical to the black-haired girl rose from the darkness, kneeling reverently behind him.

"Master."

"Hmm... So that’s how it works."

Duanmu Huai glanced at the shadow-clone of the black-haired girl kneeling behind him and frowned. It seemed that the Shadow Clone skill wasn’t as convenient as he’d hoped. Not only did copying the target’s information take time, but creating the clone also consumed his strength—and the stronger the target, the greater the consumption.

No wonder back on Hidari Island, that boss couldn’t replicate him or Mary.

For that decrepit Old God’s feeble power, trying to replicate Duanmu Huai was pure wishful thinking.

Honestly, this skill wasn’t very useful.

Duanmu Huai pondered for a moment, shaking his head silently. It essentially meant a fraction of his strength was split off, whereas he’d initially thought the Shadow Clone might give him a boost equivalent to 1+1=2.

Instead, it turned out to be a 2-1=1 kind of deal.

Based on this, the chances of replicating Genetic Prototypes or The Emperor were slim.

And let’s not forget Kobune Shio as a cautionary tale—who knew if a created shadow might lose its mind and turn on him?

It seemed this Shadow Clone skill had numerous drawbacks, making it pretty inconvenient.

Oh well, for now Duanmu Huai hadn’t created this shadow for combat anyway.

"What’s your name?"

"...Hm."

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s question, the black-haired girl tightly shut her mouth, refusing to answer. But Duanmu Huai didn’t need her to respond, as the shadow-kneeling behind him had already spoken.

"Reporting to Master, I am Renari, a Fallen Angel."

"Fallen Angel? Hmm, haven’t seen such a edgy setting in ages. Why did you attempt to kill me?"

"To investigate whether your body hosts a divine artifact. If you did possess one, the mission was to kill you."

"Divine artifact? What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Divine artifacts are extraordinary powers that manifest in specific humans. Most divine artifacts only influence humans at best, but some possess powers strong enough to threaten Fallen Angels. The aura emanating from Master resembles that of a divine artifact-holder, and apparently, a dangerous one. That is why I attacked."

"Oh ho..."

"You... What even are you...?"

While Duanmu Huai and the shadow converse in brief exchanges, the black-haired girl stares wildly, bewildered by the other version of herself. She simply cannot fathom the situation. What kind of man is this? Surely, he must be much more than just a divine artifact-holder?

But Duanmu Huai couldn’t care less about her reaction. From the shadow, he finally pieced together the workings of this world.

Essentially, the world was divided into three factions: Angels, Fallen Angels, and Demons. Both Fallen Angels and Demons resided in Hell, and the three factions had been waging unending war since ancient times. To them, humans were merely useful pawns.

For example, Demons would form contracts with humans to amass strength, Fallen Angels manipulated humanity to wipe out Demons, while Angels gathered human followers to strike against Fallen Angels and Demons alike.

This chaotic conflict had lasted thousands of years, eventually leading the factions to sign an armistice out of exhaustion. Naturally, the truce was superficial, and secret skirmishes continued behind the scenes. Renari, as part of the Fallen Angels, had attacked Duanmu Huai because his aura suggested he might bear a potent divine artifact capable of posing a threat, prompting her attempt to kill him.

"I see."

After hearing the shadow’s explanation, Duanmu Huai once again fixed his gaze on the black-haired girl—smirking with unsettling amusement. At this point, her once-striking face had contorted into an expression of sheer rage as she glared viciously at him.

"Who... what are you?!"

"That’s none of your concern."

Duanmu Huai contemplated briefly. Though the Shadow Clone could last seven days and replace the body completely upon the original’s death, he felt no reason to keep the girl alive. Besides, her shadow wasn’t all that reliable—Kobune Shio had proven as much.

After all, Duanmu Huai had once witnessed an Old God create Kobune Shio’s shadow to kill her, only for the shadow to betray them instead!

Once was enough, and he wouldn’t risk it happening a second time!

"This ends here."

With a snap of his fingers, the kneeling shadow behind him rapidly melted back into his own darkness. Then Duanmu Huai raised the black-haired girl higher by her head.

"Blame your own stupidity!"

That was Duanmu Huai’s final sentence to the girl before he slammed her head forcefully into the ground!

"Boom—!"

Her body crashed into the ground. This time, the church—already in ruins—could no longer bear the impact, crumbling entirely with a deafening "clang!"

Countless bricks and rubble rained down. In the blink of an eye, the once-standing church was reduced to a pile of shattered debris. Amid the chaos, the rocks heaved, and Duanmu Huai emerged from the wreckage—his power armor unscathed by the destruction.

As for the black-haired girl... Well, she had become just another soul consigned to Duanmu Huai’s record of fallen foes.

But that worked out nicely—it saved him the trouble of burying her.

Duanmu Huai glanced around at his surroundings, shrugged, and deactivated his power armor. Just then, a voice called out nearby.

"Well, I wasn’t expecting you to make such a mess, Teacher."

"Hmm?"

Hearing the voice, Duanmu Huai lifted his head toward its source. In the pitch-black sky above, a girl with hair as red as fresh blood, dressed in the Ryuo Academy uniform, hovered mid-air. Behind her were wings as dark as those of a demon.

"Still, you’re on my territory, Duanmu—Liliath Gimonri’s domain—so no matter who you are, Teacher... you owe me an explanation."

As she spoke, the crimson-haired girl descended from the sky, landing in front of Duanmu Huai. Though her words demanded accountability, her expression was peculiar—a mixture of curiosity and surprise. But under her scrutiny, Duanmu Huai remained calm; having learned this world’s background from the shadow, he easily identified the red-haired girl as a Demon.

"Oh?"

Duanmu Huai crossed his arms, staring at the girl before him.

"So, how exactly do you expect me to give you this explanation?"

If she failed to show proper respect, Duanmu Huai wouldn’t hesitate to add another corpse to the scene—though, judging by the demise of the Fallen Angel earlier, there wouldn’t be much of a body left.

"Simple."

With a playful blink, the red-haired girl stepped forward completely unfazed by his imposing aura and murderous intent. She approached Duanmu Huai directly, tilting her head to meet his gaze.

"Teacher, I’d like you to visit the Mystical Science Research Society at school tomorrow."

She then began her request.

"""