Along the way to the village, a human screamed.
“Over there!”
—It’s near.
I kicked off the ground, and bolted off for the sound of weapons clashing. As I did, I enchanted my sword, and black flames wrapped around it. They burned in the same rage that filled my heart.
“It’s a monster! They’re coming from behind too!”
It looks like they’re fighting someone up ahead.
I filled my arms and my legs with power, and when I was near enough, I slashed down with my great sword, cutting the human in half from shoulder to waist, letting loose a sea of blood that dyed the ground in its hue.
“There will be no mercy for those who resist!” I said while flicking off the blood from my blade.
But the humans did not cower at my proclamation, and instead formed a wall with their numbers, as they brought their shields forward and readied their spear in that “Hedgehog”-like formation they assumed earlier.
If that’s how you want it, then…
“Allow me to reward your courage with death!”
Wielding my great sword upon my shoulders, I ran toward the humans. My aim was the tip of their spears. I would attack in the same moment they did, so I left my flanks wide open to lure them.
When the humans struck out their spears—
“GURUuuOOoooOAaa!!”
I swung my great sword with my howl and broke their spears, but I didn’t stop there. I kept going, and wrecked havoc upon the now disarmed humans, sending forth those with shields with another swing, while I sent the rest on their way with a tackle, then I left them in the dust.
I went through them like a bull, never stopping once, for I knew that the worst case scenario was for me to be stopped. I might have the upper-hand in strength, but the power of numbers is not something that should ever be made light of.
I need to keep making the first move and pull the humans into my pace, or the odds of victory will be low.
“What is that monster!? Is that a goblin!?”
As screams and jeers resounded in the battlefield, I plunged my sword into another man.
As I cut my way through, I gradually closed in on the battle up ahead.
◇◆◇
“Enemy attack? What poor timing.” Gowen stood with his hands upon his sword’s pommel as it stood erect from the ground, glaring toward the path ahead.
“I guess I’ll have to go then,” Gulland said as he attempted to join the fray.
“Just go with the carriage,” Gowen said without even turning to him. There was no waste among his words. Saying only what needed to be said, he stood there like a wall ready to stand against whatever might come.
“Mill, you drive this carriage until we leave the forest. Don’t stop no matter what,” Gulland said to Mill before climbing up the roof of the carriage and wielding his great sword, Blue Thunder. His daunting pose as he looked up the path ahead was truly heroic. He looked just like those heroes in tales of old. And despite her dislike for the man, even Mill couldn’t help but be fascinated when she saw that face beaming with ferocity.
“Saying just whatever he wants!” Mill spat upon breaking out of that momentary trance, then she took the reins of the carriage and drove.
“I’m leaving you behind if you fall off!” Mill yelled angrily as she whipped the horse.
“The air reeks of blood and chaos. Yes, it’s that glorious smell of war!” Gulland laughed as the storms gathered around his sword, eagerly waiting for the enemy he would cut down.
◇◆◇
The attack of the beast-riding squad led by Gi Gi and Hal dealt a decisive blow to the cavalry, but the foot soldiers that came to help
afterwards brought back the battle to the goblins. But that was only a given, for the level ground favored the horses, not the black tigers, so when reinforcements started pouring in, the advantage swung back to the humans.
In the middle of such a difficult battle, it was only Gi Gi who noticed that the box Reshia had been pushed into had begun to depart.
“Lord Hal! Look!”
After slaying a horseman in one hit, and then helping out the other goblins, he approached Gi Gi.
“So that’s the king’s treasure!” Hal said.
“I’ll cover your back. It’ll be faster if you go,” Gi Gi said, then he rode on with his triple head and cut down a foot soldier with his axe.
“Ha ha! If you’re going to let me have the good parts, I’ll happily oblige! Onwards, Paradua!” Hal cheerfully laughed as he held the spear under his arms and charged for the armored carriage. Three Paradua Goblins followed after him, two at the flanks and one at the rear, while he - the young chieftain, Hal - led the charge with his beloved steed at the vanguard.
“They’re aiming for the carriage! Defend it!” Yelled one of the humans who seemed to be a captain.
The humans lined up their spears, but Gi Gi broke their formation.
“Draw your swords!” The human captain ordered. “One-half will handle the ostrich, the other half will handle the tigers! Spears, get yourselves together!!!”
The captain of the humans was by no means a fool. When the formation broke, he immediately called for the foot soldiers to use
their shields and swords to block Gi Gi, while the spears fixed their formation.
“Get their attention…” Hal rode with his black tiger directly toward the line of spears. There were trees to his flanks, there was no path to turn.
“Lord Hal!” Gi Gi cried out.
“—Now, spears!!!” The captain ordered.
“Jump, Miou!!!” Hal yelled.
Spears were thrust at the captain’s behest, but as Hal called out the name of his beloved steed, the black tiger jumped into the trees.
When the captain saw that, he laughed. In that case, we’ll just kill you while you can’t move.
But in the next instant, that huge grin on his face froze.
“OOooOoOo!” Hal bellowed out.
The black tiger grabbed onto the twisted trees, then without slowing down for even a second, it charged with Hal into the line of spears from the side.
“Impossible!” The captain spat, as he saw the black tiger move in a way completely unthinkable for horses.
“Tear them apart, Miou!” Hal said.
The ferocious fangs of the black tiger sunk into the shoulders of a soldier, causing blood to gush forth and screams to sound, then Hal spun his spear atop his beloved steed, and swept away the soldiers with a swing. After which, the rest of the goblins came to tear the humans to scraps.
Hal rode onwards with the three goblins, as they made their way for the escaping carriage.
“We’ll overtake it and crush the legs of that four-legged beast!”
Hal led the three goblins to overtake the carriage, but when they were about to attack—
“Tch!?”
A throwing knife came flying from the driver’s seat, passing by Hal’s face. It had enough power behind it, so it wasn’t something he could just ignore. More knives came flying his way, and Hal deflected them with his spear, but gradually, he started to slow.
“Now, hit its legs!” Hal ordered as he dodged the knives.
The three goblins were about to thrust their spears when—
“Ravaging storm!Barbatos”
That was nothing more than a solemn voice, but that was none other than Gulland. He swung his great sword that he wielded atop his shoulder, and the storm that gathered followed the path of the sword, shooting forth toward the Paradua riders.
◇◆◇
The distant sound of weapons clashing and a bellowing howl touched upon his memory to recall something crucial. Upon opening his eyes, Gi Ga Rax looked around him.
“Gu—, are you alright?” Caressing Hakuou’s back, he called out to the other sleeping goblins. There were some among them who could no longer move, but there were none among those who could that were not injured.
Even Gi Ga himself was injured. There was a wound on his shoulder, and another on his side, none of which were shallow.
“Listen… Do you hear that? It’s the king calling out to us. The king has returned,” Gi Ga said, jubilation filling him.
The goblins looked at each other, then they too sharpened their ears.
Before long, they nodded and turned to Gi Ga.
It was as if they knew what Gi Ga was going to say.
“We may be wounded, but we are warriors of the king. A shameful display is forbidden before the king, so… Stand! Fellow warriors!”
At Gi Ga’s words, the goblins stood. Some had broken legs, some had broken arms… Not one of them was unhurt, but they stood all the same, and held themselves up with a sword or spear.
They had fought to let the females and the young of the goblins to escape, but though they were able to push the humans for some time, gradually, the humans’ greater number pushed them back, and they had no choice but to disperse. Gi Ga fought his hardest to protect the goblins, and when it became apparent that the humans stopped, they gathered together and slept.
“Do you hear his voice? Our king is fighting! He fights! So, stand! Fellow warriors! For to us, there is no glory greater than to the die for the king!”
Dragging his body, Gi Ga mounted himself over Hakuou’s back, and the goblins followed.
“We are chosen! We are hard! We are warriors of the king!” Gi Ga said. “So, let us go, fellow warriors.”
Fire burned in the eyes of the king’s warriors as they joined the fray once more.
“To battle!”
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