The Goblin King did not have the leisure to respond properly to the hero. The Goblin King spared no moment. He used every opportunity he had to swing his blade. A giant sword that was essentially a lump of iron smashed into the hero. There was no more breathing, no more exhaustion… The attack that begun from a mere two-hit combo had transformed into an unending combo. A feat of amazing concentration and technique that came from every angle and showed no end.
The Goblin King freely handled his two great swords, giving no chance for the hero to fight back. If anything, he even started to push back the hero. But of course, the hero was also able to deal with his attacks with leisure. But then the incarnations of black flames came.
These warriors, who remained loyal even in death, attacked the hero with an inaudible roar, transforming the land into a sea of black flames.
Rashka, who possessed a stature that did not lose out to the Goblin King, Ved, who stood out among the rest of the noble class, Gi Ba, who wielded a long sword and a battle axe, Gi Zo, who wielded a staff with his small body, Gi De, who wielded an axe and commanded monster beasts, and Gi Da who ran with his spear… All of them followed after the Goblin King.
“Did you think just something on this level would be able to hurt me!?”
But all of that fell short before the hero that could hunt dragons and slay gods. Whether it was the swordsmanship displayed by the Goblin King, or the black light unleashed by Rashka, or the attack of the warriors that returned from the underworld… Not one of them managed to land a hit on the hero.
If anything, the hero even started to fight back.
“Seven Strokes of Heaven’s Might.”
The hero took advantage of a momentary lull in the exchange to unleash an attack while assuming a Waki-gamae stance. Pain seared through the Goblin King, but black flames immediately gushed out of his wounds to heal him.
“Can you regenerate even after I cut your neck!?”
The hero laughed, but the attacks continued.
Three strokes overlapped as the hero closed in on the Goblin King, only to back off as his great sword descended. The hero’s attacks moved at the speed of light, chipping away at the Goblin King’s stamina, ether, and will. Another two more strokes were drawn before their hearts could even beat. The brilliance drawn by the hero’s blade formed a cross, leaving wounds on the Goblin King from which black flames of ether burst, and then again, the hero approached.
He dodged the black lights unleashed by Rashka, repelled the water bullets cast by Gi Zo, and slipped past Gi Da’s spear to come within inches of the Goblin King. An overwhelming threat approached as the hero’s drawn sword glimmered──
“GURUUuoOOOOOOOO!!”
──But that was exactly what the Goblin King had been waiting for.
All of their attacks until now was meant to bring the hero here. No matter how fast he was, there was no way he could respond if they knew exactly where he would be. This was a counterattack made possible only by the Goblin King’s wondrous physical abilities and his superb senses that have been honed on the battlefield.
In the next moment, the Titan Dagger descended at the speed of sound, reaching out for the hero’s neck. For a moment, the hero was shocked, but he immediately defended with his long sword. Alas, the Goblin King had never meant to hit the hero’s body. This was an attack meant purely for his long sword, and the Titan Dagger descended with all of the Goblin King’s strength, giving rise to a disquieting collision that sounded as though the hero’s sword was crying.
This sound rose higher than the clashes of the war horses, resounded further than thunderclaps. It was not merely the sound of metals clashing, no. It was also the sound of the annihilation of the divine powers imbued. The Goblin King did not even bother to check the broken fragments of his sword as he tightened his grip on his other great sword.
He had reflexively swung Aldia upon the shattering of the hero’s long sword, but as expected, it still failed to reach him. The black flames of Aldia had burned in vain despite the mighty sound of the wind left in Aldia’s path.
“You destroyed my weapon… I see, so you’re not completely stupid.”
The hero immediately jumped back to flee from danger and looked down at his broken long sword, yet despite that, he still laughed.
“Long Sword of Demon-Slaying(Diaslander) was indeed a good sword, but… How many swords do you think I have?”
A red crest appeared around the hero’s right hand. From it emerged a long sword that radiated an even greater divine presence.
“Sword of Heaven Wings(Eldisaro)… A sword that once struck down an old god.”
The hero swung it once as though to confirm its strength, and indeed, just a swing from it was enough to engender an overwhelming aura. But the Goblin King was not one to retreat just because of that.
“──!”
No words were needed, only actions.
The Goblin King radiated that with every fiber of his being as he kicked off against the ground.
“In that case, taste it for yourself, this attack that could cut apart even an approaching calamity!”
The hero held his long sword above his head, then it split into three as though to spread its wings. In the next moment, the sword-turned-three drew strokes even faster than that of sound, transforming into flying blades that struck not only the Goblin King but also the imperial guards behind him. Steeds fell and goblins cried, but the Goblin King would not turn back.
He has already made his resolve.
No matter what happened, he would defeat the enemy before him.
With utmost concentration, the Goblin King ran within the sea of blades.
