[Wake up.]
Beneath the ruins of this city, there are people who accidentally became trapped underneath and miraculously survived.
However, a strange atmosphere had enveloped the entire surroundings...
"Hey, is anyone there?" "I am." "Where is this?" "Does anyone know what happened here? Why is everything in ruins like this?" "Over there! There's someone over there!"
A few minutes passed, somewhere from beneath the collapsed ruins, the voice of a young man with a faint appearance rang out as all the voices subsided.
A concrete wall crashed down toward Grey, where he was painfully pinned beneath a heavy iron bar.
"Is anyone out there?! Help me!"
He shouted to attract attention and call for help. However, because he was quite far from the others, coupled with the crashing sounds of closely packed buildings collapsing, absolutely no one heard his cries.
From the right side of the rubble, he heard footsteps accompanied by the screeching of metal, the dragging of strange objects, and the roars of "freakish creatures."
"What... what is that?"
It was them—a mob of green-skinned creatures with two sharp fangs protruding from both sides of their jaws. They were equipped with full iron armor from head to toe, with only their iron helmets revealing two bloodshot eyes as if preparing to pounce on their prey right before them.
About six of them in total.
"Over there! Hurry and save him, there are goblins over that way! Call for reinforcements right now!"
Among the six goblins, two held spears, one held a crossbow, one held a bow, one carried dual shortswords, and one carried a small six-kilogram iron mace.
They began closing in on the black-haired young man who was pinned beneath the iron bar. With his physical strength—or rather, as a weak person—he could only dream of pushing them away by sheer force.
The goblins began to disperse their forces: the two bow-wielding goblins stood at a relatively far position in a straight line, ensuring the young man was within range—estimating visually at about one to two meters. One spear-wielding goblin went together with the dual-shortsword goblin on the left, and the remaining spear-wielding goblin stood with the iron-mace goblin on the right.
"Hyahhh!"
From the right flank of the goblins, a boy with a compact build of around one meter sixty rushed out at blinding speed. He held a shortsword, thrusting it straight forward like an arrow.
His target was the spear-wielding goblin standing on the right.
(Huh?)
However, Grey had a strange feeling about this young boy. What was this uncomfortable sensation?
Suddenly, the goblin showed sharp reflexes, spinning its body toward the one-meter-sixty boy. It lifted its right leg and its right hand holding the spear, then thrust it straight at the red-haired boy.
The one-meter-sixty boy suddenly decelerated, his body crashing flat onto the ground as the spearhead plunged into the earth right before his eyes.
"Ha! You idiot, you only have one spear and yet you threw it away like that!"
Actually, he was the real idiot.
The opponent was clearly holding a spear and could attack from a distance by throwing it straight ahead. The only reason he had survived this long was sheer luck, and also because the goblin missed its aim; otherwise, they would all be dead—not to mention there was an iron-mace goblin right next to it.
"Found him! Help Red deal with those goblins! We're going to save the young man trapped under those iron bars!"
(Thank goodness, reinforcements have arrived. I thought I was a goner!)
The young man trapped beneath the iron bars felt a wave of relief; help had finally come.
"Are you alright?"
(Does it look like I'm alright when you ask that?)
Luckily, he didn't say anything like that at all.
"Hey, you two. Take his flanks, we're going to lift this iron bar."
At the command of the bearded, black-haired man clad in full iron armor that left only his eye sockets exposed through his helmet, the group began rescuing the trapped boy.
"One, two, three!"
All three men poured their strength into their arms at once to lift the iron bar pressing down on him, allowing his body to move more freely than before.
"Hang in there!"
The three of them continued exerting effort to lift the bar a little higher, and the boy finally managed to crawl out from under it. However, his feet felt completely numb afterward from being compressed for too long.
The three men lifting the bar simultaneously released their grip and panted heavily.
"Phew, wearing a full suit of iron armor like this is truly a terrible idea. I'm soaking wet from the heat."
(Are they military? Wait, what does military even mean? A group that only knows violence? Probably.) The boy thought.
"Can you stand?" "I..."
Grey was flustered by the sudden question. To be honest, standing was fine, but standing steadily was doubtful.
"Well, it's fine if you don't answer." "..."
Noticing Grey's awkwardness, Jack silently dropped the question and went straight to the point—or rather, what he needed to know.
"By the way, your name is...?"
The armored man asked for his name, and the young man replied.
"Ah, I... my name is Grey. Thank you for your help."
(Grey? Why did I say Grey? Is my name Grey?)
Suddenly, a wave of headache struck him, making him slightly dizzy.
"By the way, I'm Jack. You're Grey, right? Nice to meet you. Hey, what's wrong? Dizziness?"
Grey instinctively clutched his head, walking a bit unsteadily—a clear sign of dizziness.
"No... I..."
Unable to maintain his visual and mental composure, Grey gradually collapsed to the ground and fell asleep, however...
"General, the signs are the same as the others. Dizziness and seemingly, a loss of personal identity."
(And one more thing.)
Why hadn't they found any civilians here?
"Hmph... For now, take these people back to camp. And now..."
The three men turned around, fixing their gazes on the boy named Red in the distance.
"Take this, take this! Hyahhh!"
Red was fighting single-handedly against a spear-wielding goblin and another wielding a heavy six-kilogram iron mace. His speed in striking and dodging was terrifyingly fast, while the two bow and crossbow goblins didn't dare shoot for fear of hitting their comrade. Was that an advantage too? Who knows.
"Hurry over and back him up." "Rō!" "Ro!" "Hey Red! We trained you, so what kind of fighting style is that?!" "Shut up!"
Red had probably been in the military for at least two years, but he had only officially deployed about half a year ago. Fearing that Red might run into trouble, Jack had trained him longer than usual.
At Jack's command, the two men drew their daggers from their scabbards, slowly approaching the two spear goblins and the dual-sword goblin on the left. Meanwhile, Jack drew a gleaming iron sword from his scabbard. It looked as if it had just been polished or newly purchased, making it breathtakingly beautiful under the moonlight—definitely a brand-new sword.
"Prepare to die, you goblins."
Jack took a stance, accelerating his pace. At the same time, the two men with daggers were closing in on the spear and mace goblins on the left.
Swish.
The crossbow goblin raised its weapon and fired straight at Red, the bolt flying toward Red's leg. The arrow pierced deep into his leg, causing Red to tumble to the ground; after all, he was just a rookie and hadn't learned how to stand and balance on his feet when injured.
"Damn it!"
Red dropped his shortsword to the ground. The spear-wielding goblin immediately kicked it far away to block his counterattack. However...
The spear goblin suddenly felt a sharp, burning pain in its head and neck, which spread across its entire body. It had been slashed in half.
The greatsword came down following gravity, cleaving the dual-sword goblin in two.
Meanwhile, the other two men were dealing with the four goblins on the other side, so now Jack only needed to finish off this remaining iron-mace goblin.
"Looks like your friends are having a hard time. Want to go help them?"
Jack asked the iron-mace goblin in a sarcastic tone, implying: "Don't you even think about stepping over there."
"Gu.... Gyaaaaaa!"
The iron-mace goblin roared as if going mad, shifting into a defensive posture.
It placed its right leg forward and raised its right arm, preparing to smash down hard onto Jack's iron armor.
"Oh? It knows how to take a defensive stance too? Looks like you're not a low-level goblin, or... you possess a bit more intelligence."
Jack used both hands to lift the greatsword he had been dragging along the ground, taking a slashing stance.
Of course, Jack knew that in terms of combat agility, his greatsword could never rival the iron mace. Although the mace weighed around six kilograms, it wasn't as bulky, so he would use something else to turn that iron mace into its weakness.
"If you dare try, go ahead and smash my armor to pieces!" "Gyaaaa!"
The goblin rushed forward like a lightning bolt, unleashing flashing-fast strikes because, fundamentally, the iron mace had high flexibility—at least compared to Jack's greatsword.
The goblin struck Jack's armor blow after blow. It smashed away, bouncing off repeatedly all over the place in a wild frenzy. Realizing that random thrashing wasn't working, the goblin changed tactics: hammering fiercely and repeatedly at a specific point. Since Jack was wearing iron armor, if the goblin wanted to smash through human flesh and blood like Jack's, it had to break it.
(That actually hurts, even though I'm wearing iron armor.)
Every time it struck, the shockwave transmitted from the armor to the flesh beneath caused a sharp ache.
The screeching sound of the iron mace colliding with the abdominal section of Jack's armor rang out, while Jack's greatsword didn't have a single scratch—until the goblin finally smashed through the belly section of Jack's armor. At the same time, its iron mace was nearly ruined, heavily dented, especially the iron spikes protruding from it.
Jack lifted his greatsword and slashed a diagonal line across the goblin's shoulder. An electric shock of pain suddenly surged, causing the goblin's arm to ache violently and drop its weapon. Red, lying in a heap nearby, grabbed his shortsword and rushed toward the goblin. He pinned its neck with his foot and delivered a fatal blow to the back of its neck, piercing its throat as green goblin blood splattered onto Red's face.
"Hurry and help those two, by the way... can you walk?" "Yes!" Red nodded.
Both Jack and Red quickly ran over to the two men who were simultaneously dealing with four goblins, but now... the forces were balanced.
"Are you guys alright?" "General, I suppose so." "Why did it take you so long?" "Well... for some reason, we couldn't use our powers..." "What? Seriously?" "Yes." "?"
The conversation was only understood by Jack and the two men; Red had no idea what they were talking about. What powers?
"What is that?" "..."
(That's right, I haven't taught him yet.)
"I'll answer later. For now, we have to deal with the enemy."
(They can't use their powers?)
This was extremely suspicious. However, that could wait.
The four of them were surrounded by four goblins. Jack took his stance as before, Red assumed an open stance like a true rookie, and the two men looked like assassins.
"Red, you handle the spear-wielding one. Norman and George, you two handle the dual-sword wielding one. I'll handle the two bow and crossbow ones."
Since most of them lacked ranged weapons, they had to divide their forces this way, as long as it didn't endanger themselves or Grey, who was still unconscious on the other side.
Jack didn't plan to use his power here because if an enemy could also use it, it would cause trouble as they would sniff it out. Besides, facing a strong opponent would be a hassle.
(Should I just use Zero Bullet to finish it?)
Jack thought while observing, then made his final decision.
(Nah. This much can still be handled.)
Red began moving like a flash, but this time it was different. He moved left, then right, jumping and running. The goblin was confused, not understanding what the opponent was doing, but eventually ignored it to take aim and launch its spear straight at the rival.
"Whoa?!"
The spear flew horizontally past Red's cheek, and he could feel a faint gust of wind. The spear slammed into the concrete wall behind Red and shattered.
"Now you're out of weapons!"
Immediately, he rushed toward the goblin that had just thrown its spear, but thinking it was completely unarmed would be a huge mistake. It drew a dagger from its scabbard, holding it with a reverse grip, the blade pointing toward itself.
The goblin intended to slit Red's throat the moment he attacked and left an opening.
"What?!"
Red's shortsword and the goblin's dagger clashed. A metallic clang rang out, and sparks flew from the impact.
Red reacted just in time before the goblin's other hand could grab his shoulder, or he would have been dead.
Just as the goblin blocked Red's attack, it kicked his leg to throw him off balance, but this time Red managed to keep his balance because, after all, it was just a kick.
"Hyahhhhh!"
Red poured strength into his arms, using his shortsword to knock the goblin's dagger away. Realizing that if the struggle continued, he would lose, the goblin quickly dropped its defensive stance and used its small body to roll down to the ground, sliding between Red's legs and seizing the opportunity to stab Red's other leg with its dagger. With both legs injured—one shot by a crossbow and the other pierced by a dagger—he wouldn't be able to keep his balance.
"Gya, gya, gya, gya!"
The goblin laughed gleefully at its achievement, immediately leaping onto Red's body while he was staggering to keep his balance.
"Get off!"
With strength inherently greater than a goblin's, Red still managed to use his left hand to block the dagger pointing at his chest.
At this moment, Red was lying flat on his back facing the sky, while the goblin pressed its dagger down harder and harder onto Red's chest.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The goblin kneed Red hard in the stomach so he would lose the strength to resist, but it didn't expect him to use his other arm to block the dagger's attack.
The goblin's dagger stabbed into his right arm, causing blood to ooze out immediately.
"Gya?!"
It was surprised by Red's block. Seizing the opportunity while the enemy was flustered, Red drove his knee hard into the goblin's rear, sending it flying backward.
"Awesome!"
However, he realized that both his legs were injured and he couldn't stand up; that last move was foolish because he let the enemy go to pick up its spear.
The goblin immediately got up, ran to where its spear lay near the concrete wall, picked it up, and rushed toward Red.
(I'm done for!)
Red quickly picked up his shortsword, and the spear goblin thrust down toward Red's face, but he managed to block it just in time with his shortsword.
Frustrated, the goblin kicked Red's stomach repeatedly, but Red refused to let go of his shortsword. The more he blocked with the shortsword, the harder the goblin kicked him in the stomach.
The goblin then released the spear shaft from the shortsword to unleash a more powerful strike. Red seized this unrepeatable opportunity to roll to the side just as the spear plunged into the ground.
(I thought I was a goner for sure!)
But it wasn't over yet; the goblin immediately pulled out its spear and walked toward the lying Red. Seeing this, he immediately took a defensive stance while lying down.
(I'll launch this shortsword into its belly and finish it in one blow!)
To do that, he had to let the goblin approach and execute it with lightning speed, or he would die.
(I wonder how those three are doing?)
Well, that could wait. His own life was about to end, let alone anyone else's.
The spear goblin stood right in front of Red, raising its spear to plunge it into the ground.
(Here's my chance!)
Red instantly threw his shortsword at the goblin just as it raised its spear. The enemy couldn't dodge and took the full brunt of the shortsword piercing straight into its belly, green blood instantly spurting out as the goblin collapsed to its knees.
Red immediately crawled on his hands toward the goblin. At this point, the goblin was struggling to pull the shortsword out and finally succeeded. However, its strength was gone.
Red threw his entire body onto the heavily wounded goblin, wrapping his arm around its neck to tighten his grip and cut off the only airway of this human-shaped living creature.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The goblin immediately thrashed with both hands and feet against Red's stomach, causing the strength of the arm choking its neck to lighten, but he refused to let go. As the goblin ran out of breath, it fought back even more violently, foam beginning to bubble from its mouth.
"Die! You disgusting green creature!"
The goblin stopped breathing, and Red released his grip, collapsing onto the ground.
(I wonder how it's going over there?)
He asked himself once more, turning his head toward the three men.
The two men, Norman and George, had successfully defeated the dual-sword goblin. As for the old man, the crossbow and bow goblins had just been taken down simultaneously. Now, all three of them were walking toward Red.
"Injured like that from just a single goblin?" "Come on Norman, he's just a rookie. When you first joined the military, you almost got killed by a goblin too." "Shut up George!"
George teased Norman about his past while telling Red that even failing to take down a single goblin was pathetic, until the old man Jack spoke up.
"You two, carry Red and that boy Grey lying over there. Looks like the goblins haven't left yet; I just heard their comrades streaming in en masse."
"Rō!" "Rō!"
At the general's command, George carried Red while Norman went over to carry Grey. Just in time, reinforcements arrived, but...
"Hey, are you kidding me?"
From the right, left, front—in short, from all four directions—goblins appeared in increasing numbers.
How many were there in total?
(One, five, ten, fifteen... this is bad, at least over fifty in total. Are you kidding me?) Jack thought while counting the enemy numbers.
"You guys, hurry up and help the general!"
From afar, the rescue force immediately dismounted from their horses and ran to the five people surrounded by over fifty goblins.
The rest of the troops had also arrived just in time. They were using horses to pull about three quite spacious cargo compartments. Inside these compartments were other people resembling Grey, all of whom had fallen unconscious a few minutes after waking up here.
A strange phenomenon happening simultaneously.
However, put that aside for now. The immediate issue was what mattered.
The weapons carried by the enemy were diverse: iron axes, iron maces, chains, swords, dual swords, bows, crossbows, polearms, spears, scimitars... and above all, there were over ten giant monsters standing two and a half meters tall, alongside about thirty to forty regular ones. Clearly, there was a numerical disparity.
"This is bad."
Not only that...
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
A fierce roar resembling a lion's roar but a hundred times louder echoed from the outer edge of the ruined city. At the same time, drums and horns blared noisily.
"Are you kidding?!" "Are we going to die here?!" "Hey, why don't we abandon these people! We're dead for sure!" "But...?!" "Everyone calm down!"
Jack tried to speak up to reassure them, but even he had no countermeasure. These events happened too hastily and unexpectedly, piling up one after another.
The soldiers began arguing and scattering around in panic, while their general knew full well what this roar and blaring horns meant.
(Gobro. The King of Goblins... So this was their goal?)
This ruin was Verse City, famous as a trading zone between two adjoining continents, so the goblins wanted to conquer it to block trade and economic routes between nations. This wasn't surprising, but... were they planning to use this place as a new stronghold?
Furthermore... wasn't Gobro supposed to not be on this continent? His territory and where he resided... wasn't it clearly on the other side of the ocean?
(Perhaps...)
"Listen up everyone! Right now, a frontal clash is a guaranteed loss because Gobro is already here! Therefore, we must find a hit-and-run strategy! If anyone is scared, go ahead and run away, but in the end, you'll still just be cowards!"
Die with honor or whatever, but Jack really just wanted everyone to value their lives and run away instead.
Hearing General Jack's loud voice, the soldiers snapped out of it.
Those who had been panicking and scattering stopped, because they didn't want to become deserters, or at least their honor wouldn't be stained. Of course, some still intended to flee.
Thud.
An arrow fired from a goblin's crossbow pierced straight into the head of a soldier standing at extremely close range, causing him to collapse and die instantly.
"By my command, run!"
Immediately, the troops hurried to rush out of the ruins, though a few remained behind to block the goblins. The goal was to let the others escape while bringing along the thirty-six unconscious people, and more importantly, to save Red, who couldn't move due to injured legs and was being carried by George.
General Jack's group of five rushed forward, but by his order, things were about to change.
"Give Grey to me."
George ran over to Norman, took over carrying Grey, and placed him onto the cargo wagon.
Red would stay behind and wait for "that person" to heal him. He would arrive soon; after healing Red, "that person" would escape with George and Norman, while the stalling troops would remain here. In other words, George and Norman would protect Red and the others before "that person" arrived—at least that was the shared thought of the two soldiers who had fought alongside Jack and Red from the start.
Jack gave his orders right after.
"You guys run ahead!" "Rō, sir!"
Jack ordered the rescue troops to run back to camp before the situation worsened.
(Got to save those thirty-six people first!)
Immediately after, Jack glanced at George and Norman. He hesitated for a moment.
But then...
"We'll stay and hold them off!"
Hearing that, Jack was extremely surprised by their decision.
"Are you sure? The enemy is huge in number, and some aren't ordinary. Besides, you two can't use your powers right now, right?"
However, defying Jack's unspoken opposition, George and Norman remained determined.
"Doing something useful and whatever happens, happens. That's just who we are, sir." (?!)
Both of them were willing to do this...
"Besides, this way more people will survive, according to your plan, right?"
Left with no choice, Jack could only accept George and Norman's request.
"Alright, I understand! George, Norman. Both of you stay and hold them back! I'll have the rear send people for a rescue and quickly make our escape; Gobro is nearby." "Ro!" "Ro!"
Without speaking aloud, the two looked at each other, nodded, and retreated backward. They would hold the enemy off together with the people there.
(Please, don't die!)
"General, you're here! What should we do next?!" "For now, split the forces into two groups. Half will retreat from the ruins, and the other half will stall the enemy and quickly escape once everyone has retreated as much as possible. Tell the stalling unit to use a hit-and-run strategy combining movement and combat to minimize casualties as much as possible." "I'm here!" "Faster than I thought!"
It was the man capable of healing Red. He had finally arrived.
"Use your telepathy to call for reinforcements right now." "Ro!" "And Red, once healed, hurry and follow the wagons! Don't stay on this battlefield, understood?!" "O...?!"
After instructing Red, Jack immediately returned to the main issue.
At Jack's command, the man carrying a staff—looking like a mage—charged straight into the enemy lines—or rather, the mob of goblins—and used telepathy, a type of magic for mind-to-mind communication among people.
"Listen up everyone, by order of the general, we will split into two groups! Half will block attacks, and the other half will retreat from the city to report to the rear! Limit combat to minimize casualties as much as possible!"
However, behind Jack's order lay another reason...
(I'm sorry.)
He intended to use the stalling unit as pawns so the other half could run for their lives before calling in the rear. From now until then, there was a ninety-nine percent chance the stalling troops would die in battle, and the ruins of Verse City would fall into Gobro's hands and his army.
Besides, this way Red would be safer.
But how could the goblins be that foolish?
Out of nowhere, a squad of goblins armed with melee weapons, full iron armor, and wild hunting hounds appeared at the edge of the city.
Inside the city, giant goblins were now swarming everywhere, but unlike regular minions, these giant ones had two horns on their heads and sharp fangs.
Arrows were continuously fired from all directions, raining down onto the ruined city. Seen from above, the scene looked just like a rain of arrows.
Now, standing beside Jack were two soldiers with different combat styles. One was a warrior holding a sword, with a shortsword and dagger strapped to his back; the other was a tank soldier whose combat style specialized in defense and heavy damage. He had a bulky body covered in heavy iron armor, a helmet on his head, and an iron shield in his left hand.
"Lisa, what are you doing here?"
Jack asked the brown-haired blond female warrior holding a sword with a long hilt and a crescent-moon-like curved blade.
(I didn't tell her to run out here!)
"Why ask so much? Are you planning to turn Anthony's (the mage from earlier) entire stalling squad into a suicide squad?"
Realizing his intention, the old man didn't show any surprise.
"That's the only way left; the force disparity is too huge, and now look, this entire city is surrounded by goblins. I can foresee a future where this place becomes a spot where our bodies are torn to small pieces."
Furthermore, it was because of another reason.
(Some people can't use their powers?)
Earlier, while fighting the goblins to save Grey, Jack couldn't use Zero Bullet either. He intended to use it to escape quickly, but the technique didn't work.
Knowing that three people being unable to use their powers at this exact time might be someone's design, Jack came up with this plan.
"Grahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The roar of Gobro—the King of Goblins—grew clearer. They could hear a lion-like roar a hundred times louder from the north of the city, along with the crashing sound of concrete and stone buildings.
"Looks like we've got some gatecrashers?"
While running for their lives, the three of them encountered over ten goblins right in front of them. The creatures were in a combat stance, ready to attack at any moment.
"It's hunting time. Fred, give me a hand!" "Got it!"
Lisa and Fred immediately gripped their weapons. The three of them had to kill all ten obstructing goblins to have a chance of escaping, or they would all be finished.
"Hey old man, you holding up?"
Lisa knew Jack's physical condition well. Though over sixty, nearly seventy years old, he didn't look like it at all.
"This old man may have one foot in the grave, but don't underestimate him."
All three charged together toward the dozen goblins, led by the bulky Fred running in front.
"I'll clear a bloody path! As for Jack, save your own skin. Being old, you should've retired! If you die, don't blame your bad luck!" "Don't worry about my life, worry about your own first! You talkative brute!" "Shut up, old man with one foot in the grave!"
Fred charged forward, his bulky iron armor making heavy clanking and screeching sounds as he moved. His greatsword dragged along the ground with the blade scraping against the earth while he held the hilt with one hand.
Terrifying—that greatsword must have weighed over ten kilograms, meaning Fred's physical strength was also monstrous.
"Hey, over there! You guys okay? I saved Red!"
Calling out from far behind, the staff-wielding man from earlier, along with George, Norman, and Red piggybacking on someone, arrived just in time with the others. It seemed they had broken through the goblin encirclement. Red's wounds were finally healed, allowing him to rejoin the fight, but... Jack was quite unhappy about this.
Seeing Red run over, Jack showed his annoyance.
"Hey Red, didn't I tell you to run?! What are you coming back here for?!" "Shut up, old man! I don't want to be a coward!" "Stubborn brat!"
Unable to argue with Red's personality, Jack gave up and let it go.
The man who healed Red then reported the situation to Jack.
"General, we successfully broke out from the goblins. I also sent some people running west, where there are fewer goblins, to loop north and alert the rear. We'd better get out of here quickly, because Gobro has entered the city center." "How are the others?"
He meant the unconscious people.
"They are temporarily safe. We're planning to bring them along with the boy you saved earlier, then treat them later."
As they were talking, seven goblins rushed straight at their group.
Realizing the approaching danger, everyone heightened their vigilance and prepared to attack.
"I can fight now!"
Red was extremely energized. He could handle two to three goblins at once, which was at least better than before.
Seven goblins were charging forward, among them three wielding two-handed scimitars, two with dual swords, one with an iron axe, and one with a curved sword. In another group, three used ranged weapons—two with crossbows, one with a bow—and notably, a bow-wielding goblin carried a curved sword strapped to its back, its bow made of metal with a string of leather. Armed with such a bow, that goblin was the most dangerous ranged threat.
And what about Jack's faction?
Forces were relatively balanced with five staff mages (three combat mages and two healer mages), six warriors, three defensive tanks, five assassins, and four archers.
"By my command, three from the assassin group handle the two dual-sword goblins and the curved-sword goblin. The six warriors split into two small groups of three: one group faces a scimitar goblin and an iron-axe goblin, while the other supports the archers and mages. Three defensive tanks charge the enemy lines and act as meat shields. All archers provide long-range support for the team, and alongside the five mages, deal with the enemies swarming from behind."
At Jack's command, the soldiers dispersed and divided into groups to handle the enemy according to their leader's instructions.
(Will this strategy work?)
Jack's worry was understandable, as the enemy numbers were growing.
Lisa, with her petite frame, instantly blocked a scimitar strike and smashed her left elbow straight into the scimitar goblin's forehead, driving her knee into its belly as it screamed in pain. At the same time, another gladiator boy rushed up and cleaved the goblin's head with a sharp sword, sending green blood splattering.
The mages began chanting spells through their staves, unleashing magical attacks—some powerful, some weaker—successively firing at the goblins behind them.
The archers split into two squads of two, responsible for handling two enemy directions.
Three of the five assassin groups successfully took down the dual-sword goblins. However, unluckily, one of the three assassins was slashed across the throat by the curved-sword goblin, bright red blood spurting out like a rushing waterfall.
The goblin archers began firing arrows and bolts at the assassin and archer groups in retaliation. Arrows struck the bellies of two gladiators, while Lisa was hit in the leg as she concentrated on dealing with an enemy. That iron-axe goblin seized the opportunity to smash its weapon into Lisa's face, causing her nose to bleed and forcing her to step back. The goblin also leaped backward, intending to throw its axe but stopping because it knew enemy numbers were equal and didn't want to take risks.
Old man Jack swung his greatsword in a radius of about seven to eight centimeters, and two scimitar goblins were grazed across the belly by Jack's blade. However, the curved-sword goblin unfortunately had its left arm chopped off—the very arm it used to hold its curved sword.
The goblin archers began their second volley, this time targeting the tank-vanguard unit.
Fred and the two tank-vanguard members used their iron shields and iron greatswords, charging straight at the three ranged goblin archers just as they loosed their bowstrings and crossbows. An arrow struck the right arm of a human archer. The mage faction began showing weaknesses as they couldn't cast multiple spells at once, while goblins swarmed from behind like a flood.
Red, like Lisa, used his agile body and shortsword (healed by the mage earlier) to stab the right arm of the iron-axe goblin. Right then, Lisa was injured, holding her bleeding nose with one hand, making her attacks ineffective.
The iron-axe goblin slashed at Red's arm while he was withdrawing his shortsword from its arm. Lisa immediately kicked the iron-axe goblin's back despite holding her nose to stop the bleeding, otherwise she would have collapsed unconscious from blood loss.
(It hurts!) "Lisa, are you okay?!" "I'm... not." "You sure?! I see you holding your nose to stop the bleeding, what's wrong?" "That iron-axe goblin headbutted my nose." (That sounds weird?) He thought it was pretty silly. "Anyway, that iron-axe goblin isn't done yet."
Swish.
The next arrow volley from the goblin archers fired, but only one flew toward them because Fred's tank-vanguard squad and two men were harassing the enemy archer formation.
At the same time, goblins from behind were gradually overwhelming the human archers and mages.
Two combat mages cast "Fireball," shooting fireballs from the glass crystals mounted on their wooden staves. Another mage cast "Icicle" to create ice spikes erupting from the ground, targeting the goblins behind them. The healer mages continuously used "Light Star Protection" for healing and "Enchantment" to buff the team's physical strength.
The ground began to shake because of Gobro, King of Goblins. They could now see him with the naked eye. He was in the distance, escorted by twenty three-meter-tall giant goblins.
"Everyone, hurry up! Gobro is close!"
The rumbling of the ground from Gobro's footsteps echoed, the tremors growing stronger and closer to them.
The tank-vanguard unit was also at a disadvantage, not only facing the special bow-wielding goblin capable of close combat, but also an extra squad of over fifteen goblins surrounding them.
The tank squad fought back fiercely but ineffectively. One of the three tank members was ganged up on by goblins; a goblin with a shortsword climbed onto his head and stabbed into his eye socket, while another goblin with a spear thrust into a gap in his iron armor's neck region. That tank member was simultaneously wrapped around the legs by three goblins with iron chains and dragged down to the ground. The surrounding goblin minions quickly stripped away his mask and stabbed his throat, ending his life.
(This is bad, there are more and more goblins. Can we hold out?!)
Thinking this, Fred was suddenly pulled down by something—it was the goblins' iron chain.
(I'm done for!) "Fred!"
Lisa screamed seeing Fred dragged down to the ground with iron chains wrapped around his legs.
"Lisa, watch out!"
Three arrows targeted Lisa and Red. Red pushed Lisa aside to take the hit, and three arrows pierced his back. The iron-axe goblin threw its axe at Lisa while she was exposed, and the axe blade struck her back, blood flowing like a flood.
The goblins on the mage side killed two mages—one combat mage and one healer mage—while another assassin and four warriors were brutally murdered as the goblin forces from all four directions grew increasingly numerous. At the same time, an archer was impaled through the belly by a spear thrown by a spear-wielding goblin and died instantly.
Jack continued swinging his greatsword while using his iron armor as an advantage.
As for Red and Lisa, both of them were nearing death's door.
"Fred... hurry up... and stand... up..."
Lisa breathed weakly with the iron axe embedded in her back; she was barely able to breathe.
Lisa's armor was broken at some point...
"Could it be... Is there a goblin using magic similar to Tyler's?"
Lisa thought to herself.
And indeed, Lisa's intuition was right.
"Everyone, look over there! Behind the two-meter giant goblin in the second row on the north side! Near Fred and the tank unit! There's a goblin using 'Air Decomposition'! Exactly like Tyler's!"
(Can they even do that?!)
"Lisa... why... were you so... careless?" "I... don't know..."
The goblin that threw the axe strode straight toward Lisa and Red, picked up a scimitar from a fallen comrade, and advanced toward them.
His eyes were filled with murderous intent.
The goblin glanced at the companion Lisa had killed earlier (Lisa didn't even know it), then looked back at her.
"Stand up... run away... Lisa..." "I... don't..."
They spoke in weak, panting breaths, as if about to faint—no, about to die. Death was right before their eyes, and it was none other than the goblin.
The goblin seemed extremely furious because its comrade had just been slain.
Translated into human language, it might sound like this: "You humans always label us as ugly and emotionless creatures," but unfortunately, Lisa and Red would never understand the meaning of his gaze and actions.
Jack couldn't save them because he was blocked off by the goblins.
Smoke and fire were growing thicker, making it hard to breathe, while the goblins calmly charged forward.
Gobro had approached Jack's group before they knew it, swinging his fist from above to wipe out the archers and mages.
At the same time, the goblins had swarmed in and massacred the human soldiers.
(Are we going to die here?!) Jack thought, is this it? Die in humiliation, defeated by the goblins? "Ha... why... did it turn out like this? Did we do something wrong?" "Lisaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Red screamed as the goblin pierced through the female warrior's belly, ending her life.
"Damn you, you bastard goblin!"
Red cursed, trying to lift his body with arrows stuck in his back.
However, the goblin stared at Red with hateful eyes, suddenly sending a chill down his spine.
And it... smiled.
(?!) (What... is this...)
And Fred? He was still fighting back, but to little avail.
The goblins around Fred were multiplying, making him the final remaining member of the tank unit.
Goblins climbed onto Fred and tried to strip off his iron armor, swarming minions pinning his hands down to stop him from fighting back.
"Get off! Get away from me! Gyaaaaaaaaaa! Get off my body! I'll kill you all! Kill every last one of you!"
The goblins finally stripped off his iron mask and began punching and kicking Fred's face.
Crash!
A violent tremor shook the ground, coming from a thunderous punch by Gobro, who wiped out the rear guard single-handedly.
Looking closely, Gobro wore a round golden crown encrusted with jewels, his skin darker than regular goblins, a belt around his waist, and a greatsword strapped to his back. With his gigantic body, its weight didn't matter at all.
Thud, slash.
Swords, spears, axes... melee weapons in the goblins' hands struck Fred's face repeatedly until he officially died in battle.
Now, the human forces were drastically reduced to just five or six people.
How could they fight an enemy force exceeding one hundred?
Did reinforcements even arrive? Did the priority rescue group survive?
That remained unclear for now, but... if this continued, everyone would die without a corpse left intact.
After ending the mages and archers, Gobro approached and trampled mercilessly on the bodies of the fallen.
Goblins from all directions drove the humans into the center, surrounding them in a circle on the outside.
(What about George and Norman?!)
Jack suddenly thought and looked toward them, but...
"No..."
He opened his mouth involuntarily; both men had also died in battle. Their bodies were trampled like tiny insects.
Just moments ago, they had survived and successfully helped Red and Anthony get here. He thought they wouldn't die, yet... did Death only miss them slightly?
Fred, Lisa, George, and Norman had all fallen. Anthony (the mage assigned by Jack to hold the line) was still alive but covered in wounds; his left arm was severed, and his right leg was fractured.
However, Anthony himself felt something very strange about his offensive magic power.
(It's weaker... than usual...)
On the front lines, Fred—whose face had been smashed to pieces by the goblins—had stopped breathing, Lisa lay flat on the ground, and Red was about to be killed by that goblin seeking revenge for its fallen comrade.
The goblins from all directions now completely surrounded them, cutting off all escape.
No way out?
"Do you think we're going to die here, Anthony?"
Jack looked at the mage Anthony and asked vaguely, perhaps thinking this was the end? Would this old man's life end at the hands of these disgusting, vile goblins?
"Who knows."
(Anyway, this old man is over sixty, nearly seventy. Close to the grave, right? Dying at the hands of goblins heroically isn't a bad idea, is it?)
Ah well... (It's not that heroic either.)
Old man Jack thought to himself, then looked up at the sky. The moonlight shone down upon the earth.
? A blood moon? So this was why his blade, his allies', and the enemies' blades looked red.
Dying like this wasn't bad, was it?
At the same time, the goblins raised their bows and crossbows toward Jack's remaining group; over fifty arrows aimed at them.
The surrounding melee goblins laughed heartily, while the giant goblins fulfilled their assigned duties.
And then, countless arrows rained down upon Jack's group...