While Karin charged at full speed, Katherine pushed herself to the limit to restrain the Goblin King. But to her misfortune, the moment the creature realized her tactic, it quickly leapt over Karin and unleashed a powerful spinning kick.
Sending her crashing violently against the hall's floor.
Right after that, the creature dashed toward Katherine.
Sensing the Goblin King's intentions, Evan rushed forward, swinging a strike aimed at the creature's chest.
The goblin quickly intercepted Evan's blade with one of its daggers, while sweeping his legs and knocking him down.
But without giving the creature any time to breathe, Quelbert unleashed a barrage of wind needles.
"JUST DIE, YOU BASTARD!"
Yet his attacks couldn't even pierce the Goblin King's armor.
Meanwhile, Karin recovered quickly.
"How can he be this strong..."
Aiming for the creature's vital points, she fired powerful jets of water.
Before he could be hit by Karin's attacks, the Goblin King summoned a massive barrier made of mud, completely neutralizing the water jets.
With his body completely exhausted, Evan's mind was in total chaos.
Watching a teammate die and being unable to do anything about it tore him apart.
Gripping the handle of his odachi with all his strength, Evan charged once again at the Goblin King, the odachi's blade fully covered in crimson fire.
"YOUR TIME HAS COME, YOU DAMN BASTARD!"
Seeing Evan rush toward him with a flaming blade, the creature couldn't stop itself from showing a savage smile, twisting in sheer euphoria.
Suddenly, its skin darkened, its muscles became more defined, and its eyes glowed with an abyssal shade of green.
The moment Evan's blade was about to strike the creature's body, the goblin shattered the fire-covered blade with a single movement, as if it were nothing.
That movement made Evan collapse.
"..."
"What?!"
Not even what he considered his trump card was enough to harm that monster.
Taking advantage of Evan's distraction, the Goblin King unleashed a series of powerful punches, finishing with a slash across the boy's chest, leaving him completely drenched in blood on the battlefield floor.
"Evan!!"
Seeing their companion completely defeated, Karin and Quelbert rushed at the creature, but after the Goblin King's transformation, he struck them as if they were nothing more than insects.
At terrifying speed, the creature swung its daggers, violently tearing off Quelbert's left arm.
"AARHH!!"
Grabbing the boy by the hair, it smashed Quelbert's head brutally against the cold floor of the hall.
Before Karin could stop him, it threw Quelbert's unconscious body into her, then charged toward the defenseless Katherine.
Meanwhile, Evan lay there, his body soaked in blood and completely incapacitated. At that moment, he could barely move one of his hands or legs.
'I don't think I'll escape this time...'
Even though it hadn't been a full month since he reincarnated in New Era, Evan had already been thrown into two near-death situations.
The first was when he ventured into the mines of the Fehil Zone, risking everything to form a contract with the elemental being.
And the second was his first mission for Requiem, where even he hadn't expected to end up in such a desperate situation.
Evan only let out a weak sigh, hanging onto the thinnest thread of consciousness...
"GET AWAY FROM ME!!"
Katherine screamed desperately as she tried to incapacitate the massive goblin charging at her. With her companions completely defeated, she was the only one still standing.
But her effort was completely in vain. With frightening ease, the creature quickly closed in on the group's only conscious member.
First, it slapped her, hitting her square in the face and throwing her to the ground.
Then the goblin kicked Katherine's body violently as she writhed from the impact.
And then, just before the Goblin King could finish her with his next attack...
A thunderous aura erupted throughout the hall.
Immediately, the creature searched for the source of that energy, one that could even rival its own power.
Still conscious, though unable to move her body, Katherine caught a glimpse of a boy with messy blond hair.
His body was completely drenched in blood, and he could barely stay on his feet.
"E-evan..." she whispered before losing consciousness.
Meanwhile, Karin and Quelbert remained knocked out, while the Goblin King and Evan were the only ones still standing in that dungeon.
'What is this power...?'
Evan wondered as he was about to lose consciousness. The last thing he remembered was hearing a voice calling him, a voice that felt strangely familiar.
The same voice he had heard when he was about to die in the Fehil Zone.
'Fire elemental?... Now I finally understand how Moulses became so strong in the story.'
Evan thought, a faint smile forming on his face.
Looking around, Karin, Quelbert, and Katherine were completely unconscious, though the condition of the last two was far worse.
'I need to get them out of here fast...'
But before Evan could save his companions, he couldn't forget the creature that had caused all that chaos.
Evan could feel the Goblin King's curious gaze fixed on him. Even Evan himself couldn't understand what was happening to his own body.
His wounds were slowly healing, while heat spread across his skin.
Little by little, Evan could feel his energy returning.
But before he could fully recover, the goblin charged at him in fury.
"Come here, you bastard! I'll kill you with my own hands!"
With his odachi completely shattered, all Evan could do was rely on his own body.
Evan felt as if, in that moment, he could fight on equal footing with a creature nearly three full levels above him.
For the first time since he acquired his ability, this was the first real chance Evan had to finally use it.
Whispering quickly, Evan activated it for the first time.
"Emperor's Command."
In that instant, a pulse of mana was sent directly toward the Goblin King, but due to the difference in levels, the ability would be weakened against a higher-level target.
Taking advantage of those few seconds, Evan covered his hands with crimson flames and released another skill.
'Combustion.'
The moment his fists slammed into the creature's body, massive explosions erupted, launching both Evan and the creature into the air.
But the difference in power still prevailed. The goblin quickly softened the ground around him to cushion the fall, using his daggers to hold himself steady.
Since the beginning of the battle, that had been the first attack that truly injured him.
Licking the blood running down his body, the Goblin King charged at Evan once again.
And once again, a brutal exchange of attacks and explosions erupted across the hall.
Evan kept coating his fists in flames. With every strike that landed, he instantly activated Combustion to increase the impact.
Even though his own body also suffered damage, at that point he didn't care anymore.
With every second the fight dragged on, the two seemed to devour each other in combat.
Every blow Evan took from the goblin, he returned twice as hard.
Meanwhile, Karin woke up, dazed, after the blow she had taken.
When her eyes opened, an expression of shock spread across her face.
The sight of Evan, not even half the goblin's height, violently attacking him with massive explosions.
'...'
'Aaarh, I can't let him face that creature alone...'
'I can't rely on someone like him.'
Karin muttered as she stood up, her body still covered in bruises.
Looking around, the sight of Katherine and Quelbert lying on the ground struck her deeply.
'I-I swear we're getting out of here.'
She bit her lips hard as she rushed forward to help Evan defeat the Goblin King.