by Michael Sisa
“Archers—assume formations!” said Lady Sophia. “Magicians, begin the preparations to fortify the battlements!”
“I guess the news about your death is a lie after all,” said Moonsol. Though he greatly disliked Lady Sophia, he could not deny that she was indeed capable in the battlefield. If not for her taking the role of bait and vanguard, the fortress would have succumbed just from the first wave of monsters alone during the previous battle.
Lady Sophia did not respond to the remark. Instead, she turned to Lancelot then said, “Commander, I’ve heard that there is a large possibility that the Goblin King has awakened from its hibernation.”
Lancelot nodded. “That’s right. We cannot deny that possibility. As expected of the supreme Commander of Rube. You’ve realized the implications, huh?”
Moonsol frowned after hearing the conversation. What were they talking about? He had no idea.
With the sound of soldiers moving about as background, Lady Sophia said, “If the Goblin King is indeed leading this army, chances are high that we’ll be killed in this battle.”
There was no immediate answer. Lancelot and everyone else peered at the large wall that enclosed the entirety of the city. Eventually, Moonsol asked in frustration, “What are you saying? Are you telling us that the Goblin King is strong enough to penetrate the walls of Rube? Huh? Is that it?!”
Lady Sophia sighed. “Lord Moonsol, have you studied your history?”
A vein popped on Moonsol’s forehead. He snarled, “Of course! How dare you ask such pointless ques—”
“—Then you do realize that the Goblin King is capable of Fifth Rank Magic, no?” said Lady Sophia. She noticed that the gaze of the Commander of the knights turned fiercer after those words. Even Moonsol was struck speechless after he realized the severity of the situation.
Eventually, Lady Sophia asked the question she had been pondering all this time: “Commander Lancelot. Are you capable of bringing down the Goblin King?”
“No. That’s impossible with my strength alone,” he simply said. There was no hint of hesitation in his words. “You need to be on the same level as the Seven Holy Apostles to have a chance of winning against that legendary monster.”
Lady Sophia bit her lips. “I see. How about if all of the magicians here help you in battle?”
There was a quizzical look on Lancelot’s face. He was sure that Lady Sophia knew the implications of her words. If all the magicians were to help him in battle, then there was a possibility of taking down the Goblin King. But at the same time, it also meant that more soldiers would succumb to their deaths due to lack of support from the remaining magicians. Was she really going to sacrifice her loyal and devoted soldiers for the sake of that single victory?
“The soldiers here won’t resent you—resent us—for that, Commander,” said Lady Sophia. She gazed at the numerous soldiers that moved about. “This is our only shot for survival. Just holing ourselves in this fort will be meaningless if the Goblin King is indeed alive. That creature can break through the walls with its powerful magic.”
Lady Sophia turned her gaze to the Commander. “Tell me, can you do it?”
Lancelot was about to respond when a deafening sound was heard outside the walls. It was the sound of screeching and roaring that amalgamated into pure anguish. Even the relentlessly moving soldiers in the fortress halted in their tracks.
From the battlements, a soldier’s voice was heard. It was hoarse, almost croaking. “T-That’s absurd… that’s no longer human.”
Moonsol said, “What is happening outside? Tell me, soldier!”
The soldier was unable to peel off his gaze. In a voice filled with excitement and fear, he said, “L-Lord Moonsol! T-The invading m-monsters are being slaughtered as we speak!”
The invading monsters were being slaughtered? Had they heard wrong? Lancelot, Sophia, and Moonsol glanced at each other.
“What are you talking about? There are no orders of dispatching our army to the outside!” said Moonsol. Even now, the cries of anguish from the monsters outside the walls reverberated.
“It’s not an army, Lord! A soldier! A single soldier!” he cried. “A single soldier is slaughtering the monsters!”
Moonsol frowned. With brisk steps, he climbed the flight of stairs that lead to the battlements. Behind him were Sophia and Lancelot, together with his men. After reaching the place where the archers were stationed, everyone was struck speechless of what they saw.
A sea of blood. Innumerable monsters. And more importantly, amidst them was a single soldier battling for survival.
Moonsol screamed, “What the hell is happening outside?!”
***
Raymond had never felt such overwhelming strength before. He felt invincible, as though he could crush mountains in a single blow. With his every swing of the blade, dozens, if not hundreds of monsters would succumb to their bane. Blood relentlessly rained down the ground as he brought forth carnage to everything he saw.
His pupils shrank as he maniacally licked his lips. He was grinning. “Die, bastards!”
His mind was filled with memories of the time when Lady Sophia was killed by the monstrosities before him. Her body was torn to shreds; her eyes were gouged out and eaten.
“I’ll never forgive you. I’ll fucking kill you all!” roared Raymond. With trained movements, his body moved in unison with the sword. His every strike created fissures on the ground. His every strike cleaved his enemies in half.
All the movements of his enemies felt really slow, as though time itself had stood still. They could not even graze him. They could not even touch him.
Goblins after goblins, and ogres after ogres. He killed. He killed. He slaughtered.
The wind violently blew westward, and the patches of grasses that filled Gralvan Plains conceded with it, their blades bending in perfect unison. Blood blanketed the ground.
As time went by, after he had annihilated tens of thousands of enemies, the monsters began avoiding him. Their instincts screamed at them that confronting Raymond was a grave decision. They shivered just from the predatory gaze of the soldier alone.
“Guara!” From beyond the now idle army, a ferocious roar was heard.
The goblins and ogres shrieked upon hearing it. With trembling bodies, they glanced at their rear. Raymond was unable to see the source of the roar, but he was sure that it was right there. A good distance from where he was right now, a beast capable of inflicting terror to the invading army stood in the background.
Seconds lingered, and the previously idle army started to again move. They brandished their weapons at Raymond despite the fear that filled their bulging eyes. Another roar was heard, and the greenish body of the goblins slowly turned brown-black. Their yellowish pupils shrank completely, and after a ferocious screech that contained their entire might, they charged towards Raymond.
‘What’s happening?’ thought Raymond. He was sure that the goblins before him had turned berserk. Drool dripped down their bulbous lips as their entire body quivered in violent rage.
Once again, Raymond started his slaughter. He cleaved. He cut. Bodies after bodies, the carnage did not stop. He noticed that the few Ogres remaining were unaffected by the roar. Though they were hesitant to move against him, they still watched with vigilant eyes as Raymond killed the berserk goblins one after another. He was sure that given the chance, those creatures that spanned four to five meters in size would strike at him.
Raymond gnashed his teeth as he tightened his grip on his weapon. He vehemently continued with his carnage. His tempo was hardly stopping. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned into hours. It was already dusk when the wave of monsters finally stopped.
Raymond spat on the ground. Numerous beads of sweat covered his body, and his chest violently rose and fell. He glared at the remaining Ogres. To his surprise, the gargantuan creatures made croaking sounds then started running away one by one.
“I guess this is it?” said Raymond. Everywhere
was nothing but a sea of dead, shredded bodies. Blood blanketed the ground as the stench of death wafted through the air. Even now, Raymond could not believe the feat he had just done. He had never felt so invincible in his life, but now he realized that his strength had started to wear out.
“Impressive. I’ve never seen such a strong human before,” said a deep voice. Raymond was suddenly hit by a massive force from his left, and his entire body flew to the air from impact. He had yet to land on the ground when another force hit his body, and he flew towards the ground. A large crater was made upon impact.
Raymond vomited blood, and his vision started to dim. He knew that if he was his previous self, he would have died without knowing what transpired. He groggily stood up and picked up his sword.
“Guhahaha! Impressive! Impressive! As I thought, you are indeed a formidable foe!” said the deep voice. Raymond glanced left and right but saw no one.
Raymond spat blood on the ground. He gripped the hilt of his sword. “Who are you?”
There was a long pause, but the deep voice eventually replied, “I am the Goblin King. The Ruler of Gralvan. The King of the Ruins.”
Raymond’s eyes widened. He had heard of the Goblin King before. It was one of the legendary monsters written in history books. It was a monster feared not only for its brute strength and magic, but also for its great intellect. Was the roar from before from the Goblin King?
“In my entire existence, you are the third human that had managed to survive my attack. Be honored, little one,” said the Goblin King.
Using his wrist, Raymond wiped the blood dripping down his forehead. He kept glancing left and right, but the so called Goblin King was not there. Raymond snarled, “Where are you? Show yourself!”
There was a deep chuckling sound. “Show myself? Why should a King listen to mere peasants like you? You are nothing but food for my kin. A worthless, insignificant existence.”
Peculiarly enough, Raymond felt the presence of the owner of the voice some distance from where he stood. He peered to the east. He was sure that the Goblin King was there, gazing at his every move.
“I see,” huffed Raymond. “You are using magic to attack me from the distance.”
“Guhahaha! That’s correct,” said the Goblin King. Another strike hit Raymond from the rear, and he instinctively blocked using his sword. The piece of metal broke from impact, and Raymond’s body flew then skidded on the blood-blanketed ground. “But knowing that wouldn’t save you.”
Raymond screamed in agony when another strike hit him squarely at the chest. His body shrunk to the ground, and another crater was created, with him at the center. A small cloud of dust swirled upwards.
Despite the excruciating pain, Raymond tried to move his body. It refused to listen.
“If you were in your perfect state, you may have posed a threat to this almighty being,” said the Goblin King. “But a human will always remain a human. You may have killed my children, but I can eventually regain that army in a few years’ time. All your efforts have been for naught. Now, scream in despair. Dance in agony for me!”
After that declaration, numerous strikes hit Raymond as he remained sprawled on the ground. Clouds of dust continued to swirl up into the sky as the barrage of attacks continued nonstop.
At this rate, he was going to die. Raymond knew.
“As expected of an insect. You cannot even finish a simple task like this,” said a voice.
With his mind bordering the state of unconsciousness, Raymond felt his body move on its own. In the blink of an eye, his body disappeared from his spot, only to reappear a distance after.
“M-Master Jiablu?” said Raymond. The voice that spoke this time was different from the deep voice of the Goblin King. Raymond was sure that it belonged to his master.
“I feel that it is a waste to have given you a contract. You do not even know how to properly use its power,” said Jiablu. “This is how you properly slaughter an insect. Watch and learn from this, oh fellow believer of mine.”
Again, Raymond’s body began to move. He began to walk forward, towards the direction where the Goblin King was supposedly at.
“Oho~ so you still have the strength to move?” said the Goblin King.
Another strike flew towards Raymond, but it hit nothing but an afterimage. The Goblin King croaked a voice of surprise. Another strike flew towards him, but was again for naught. Raymond slowly walked towards the direction of the Goblin King.
“W-What’s happening? How can you move at that state? How can you dodge my magic?!” said the Goblin King.
Raymond was unable to utter a reply as his body moved on its own. Within his mind, Jiablu spoke, “How to wield this power. I will show you how—just once. Be sure to engrave it in your mind.”
In the blink of an eye, Raymond’s body disappeared into the distance.
Chapter 10: A Swift End
Raymond ran ahead in full speed. His body created a gust of wind as he shot forth like an arrow. The patches of grass blurred, and without him realizing, he had already arrived at his destination. He had never known that man could move so fast, so agile that even he felt a momentary lapse in his sense of time.
Surrounding him at all sides were small hills filled with overgrown weeds. The lake on his left was calm and serene. There was not a hint of ripples on its waters. Above, the twin moons were partly shrouded by clouds.
Despite the darkness of the night, he easily saw the overgrown figure of the monster. Its fat-laden skin sagged from the pull of the earth, with numerous patches of brown and green covering it. A necklace made out of what seemed to be human skull—those of a child at that—was twined around its almost non-existent neck. Every time the creature breathed, a putrid scent wafted through the air. Raymond cringed in total disgust.
Amidst the silence of the night, the occasional sound of leaves rustling was heard. It was quickly followed by skittering sounds, which would then vanish without a trace. Without having to look around, Raymond knew that there were more than a thousand goblins surrounding him in all directions. If he was his previous self, Raymond would have been frozen by fear right now.
“Can you let me speak to him, Master Jiablu?” said Raymond. He felt the restrictions that bound his body become undone. “Thank you, Master.”
He said to the creature, “You are the Goblin King?”
The creature continued sitting on the boulder, which felt out of place when considering the luxurious garb the monster wore. On its head was a golden crown filled with polished crystals, probably rubies and diamonds. Covering its body that passed the five-meter mark was a silver coat, with ashen furs covering the edges.
“Correct. Human—who are you? It is impossible for a mortal to move with such speed, let alone move with such injuries,” said the Goblin King.
Raymond noticed the barrier that surrounded the Goblin King’s perimeter. It was crackling with lightning. The grasses below it had turned into crisp and dust. He breathed in a gust of air then answered with a question. “Tell me, why are you attacking our city?”
There was a deafening silence as the two stared at each other. Eventually, the Goblin King said, “Have you ever heard of the God of Death?”
Raymond felt Jiablu’s presence intensify upon the mention of the name.
The creature continued, “After the death of God Thanatos, the balance of power started to tilt to the mortal’s side. Moreover, it worsened when the five Muhar’Tava, those creatures created personally by that God, refused to ascend to the throne. There is even a rumor that Kiel’Jiablu left on a journey, leaving Qavan without a ruler. And I do believe that it is true.”
The Goblin King slowly stood up. “The hierarchy of monsters in this area used to be simple, with Kiel’Jiablu on top. But after he left, the strong ones started gathering their forces—with usurping the throne of Qavan as their ultimate goal.”
Raymond frowned. The name of the so called ruler of the monsters in Qavan Mountain Range was very much simi
lar to that of his master. He said, “So you are among those that wish to ascend to the throne?”
The Goblin King broadly grinned, showing a rotten pair of canines. It maniacally laughed with its characteristic deep voice. “Guhaha! That’s correct!”
The creature snorted. “Kiel’Jiablu possesses one of the strongest armies in the entire continent! If he does not wish to rule over them, then I will! I shall make every species bow down to me! I shall make them my servant! This King shall rule over everyone!”
Raymond heard a sigh within his mind. Jiablu said, “A waste of time.”
The sound of the wind was heard. The Goblin King’s head fell then rolled down the ground.
***
Moonsol slapped his cheeks. It was painful. This was reality. Still, he was unable to believe his very eyes. Along with everyone else, he stood slack-jawed as he stared at the aftermath of the battle. The stench of death filled the air, and amidst the silence, occasional gulping sounds were heard.
“S-Stop… Stop the fortifications! O-Open the gates!” shouted Moonsol. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Lady Sophia and Commander Lancelot nod in affirmation. It seemed that the same thought ran through their heads.
The soldiers remained in stupor. Moonsol snarled, “Open the gates! Didn’t you hear me?! Open the damn gates!”
One after another, the soldiers broke out their trance. They immediately moved to pull out the boulder that stoppered the entrance. The fortifications for it were almost done, and it took them some time before they were finally able to remove it from its spot.
Moonsol, Lancelot, and Lady Sophia immediately rode their mounts. Behind them were almost a hundred knights. As soon as the gate bolted open, Moonsol led the group outside the walls. Everyone cringed as the scent of dead bodies entered them. Even the horses seemed to neigh in disgust.
Their mounts galloped through innumerable dead bodies. Green blood splattered about as the group rode forth. The twin moons above were clearly reflected by the sea of blood.