Chapter 9: The Invincible Warrior

The bells continued to clank in rhythm, signaling the start of another arduous battle. Tension filled the fortress as numerous soldiers moved about. Within the walls, a loud rumbling sound was heard. Those that glanced to its direction saw a massive boulder being moved by dozens of soldiers. They slowly pushed it forward, making it carefully roll through the rough ground.

“Push!” said the soldiers. It was slow and gradual, but the large piece of rock started moving towards its target. Everyone knew that it was meant to stopper the entrance, eventually stopping the invading monsters from entering inside.

“Have the northern and southern gates secured! Move! Move!” shouted Moonsol. He bit his lips in frustration. He said to Lancelot, “Are you sure this will work? What if they break through it? We’ll be annihilated.”

“This is our only shot for survival. We’ll just have to make sure to completely close off the entrances,” said Lancelot. He was wearing his full plate armor, and behind him were his knights fully armed to the teeth. “Thank God Aquina that harvest season has just ended. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have enough rations to feed the soldiers.”

Lancelot stared at Moonsol. "Is it fine for you to move? You've lost consciousness just a few minutes ago."

Moonsol grimaced. He immediately dismissed the embarassing thought. "I'm fine. I don't want to recall that... that... ugh!"

Amidst the sounds of bells ringing and soldiers running, ferocious screeches and roars were heard outside the walls. Everyone felt shivers crawl down their spines when they realized that the invading horde this time was far more numerous than the previous one.

“Are we really going to survive this?” said one of the soldiers.

“T-This is hopeless… we are going to die,” said another.

Everyone’s faces were pallid as cold sweat flowed over their skin. As seconds ticked by, the roars from the monsters felt more proximal. They felt like a mere breathe away.

“We are going to survive. This is Rube. It will never fall down against mere savages,” said a soft voice. Despite the deafening reverberations, it was loud and clear.

All of the soldiers stopped to stare at the source of the voice. Her crimson hair was incandescent against her white armor, and her eyes were fierce and determined. There had been rumors that she was indeed alive, but seeing her in person made everyone burst into shouts of bliss. The previously crestfallen atmosphere turned ecstatic as the morale of the soldiers skyrocketed.

“Lady Sophia! Y-You’re alive!”

“It’s Lady Sophia! Ohhh!”

Lady Sophia’s dimple sunk as she smiled. Her voice echoed through everyone’s ears. “Soldiers, thank you for your dedication to Rube. This fortress has survived more than a hundred years of onslaught from different monsters and nations. Believe in the fortress. Believe in its people. Believe in Rube!”

Everyone’s body was filled with heat and vigor, and they immediately started to work on their roles with vehement fervor. Just Lady Sophia alone was enough reason for them to work their hardest. Everyone knew that she had dedicated her entire life for the fortress, and they felt more than obliged to do the same.

The boulder loudly rolled through the ground, eventually stopping right before the large oaken door. Moonsol shouted his orders, and the soldiers immediately secured the large piece of rock, making sure that it would not move once the assaults from the mob starts.

“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 awaken 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. “Only one of the Seven Holy Apostles can fight against the Goblin King in a one-on-one fight.”

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 sounds 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 would cleave 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.

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 then 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 in its wake.

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 unconscious, 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 off into the distance.