Chapter 164.1

VOLUME 3: CHAPTER 164 – THE CLASH AT PIENA PLAINS III (1/2)

It doesn’t matter how skillful or valiant a general is, it is only when the Goblin King is leading that the goblins will be able to show their true power.

As if to prove that, the moment the Goblin King appeared, the gaze of the goblins changed across all classes.

“What’s the matter, Rashka? Had enough?” The Goblin King laughed fearlessly.

Rashka snorted as he picked himself up.

“Hah! The likes of these ain’t enough to make a fitting grave for the great Rashka!”

Rashka shook off the blood from his body and howled.

“Just watch! We’ll fix our formations quickly and catch up to you!” Rashka said.

“I’ll be waiting then!” The Goblin King replied.

As black flames covered Zweihander, the Goblin King commanded.

“Teach these humans the might of the goblins!”

Gi Jii, who was adjacent to the king, nodded.

“Fix the formation and match the king’s attack! Gi Ba, Gi Ah, Gi Ii! Don’t get left behind!”

The voice of the wounded Gi Gu, who was fighting nearby, also reached the king.

“The king has entered the fray…”

Gi Gu hit his wounded legs and forced his hazy consciousness sober.

“Think pain can stop me!? Think again! Go attack, you bastards! If we fall behind the king, we’ll be putting the position vanguard to shame!”

Gi Gu rebuked his subordinates as he moved toward the frontlines.

A human thrust out his spear toward Gi Gu, but Gi Gu cut it down and lopped off the human’s head with his long sword.

“We’ll redeem ourselves from yesterday’s defeat! Let these whoresons know the bitter taste of defeat!”

As Gi Gu drowned out the pain with his rage, he began attacking the enemy.

“Those who can’t move, stay at the back and wait for orders. Those who can shall ride with me to attack those chariots!”

The Paradua goblins had to retreat momentarily because of the mage-loaded chariots. In fact, the fangs and the centaurs also had to retreat. After the Paradua were able to fix their formation, they reentered the battlefield.

“We’ll cut open a path for the king! Don’t let the enemies near him!”

Gi Go Rax led the ‘wounded ones’ from black-tiger-back. He breathed in sync with his black tiger as he used his long arm to easily skewer the iron-armored humans.

“If you call yourselves the king’s imperial guards, then kill the human bastards even if you have to die with them!”

These goblins were all missing a limb or two. Normally, they would have been abandoned somewhere, but the king allowed them to continue fighting. Because of that these goblins felt much gratitude toward the king. With that gratitude and Gi Za’s command, they fearlessly threw their bodies into the fires of war.

They fought with such ferocity that it was almost comparable to the Gaidga.

“Open a path for the king! Expel the interlopers!”

Gi Za Zakuend and his platoon of druids shot water and wind bullets at the enemy.

Like that the goblins that were on the edge of death suddenly came back to life.

A cold sweat slid down Gowen’s back. “Impossible…”

The goblins that should have already reached their limits fought back with even greater strength.

This wasn’t the time to be crying foul; however, so Gowen grit his teeth and forced himself to accept reality.

After the goblins took back the initiative, the human formations began to collapse. That earlier decision to have the infantry advance has now become their worst enemy.

“I’m moving out! Just keep fighting like this!”

Gowen no longer had any tricks under his sleeves.

He had already played all of his cards, and none of the platoons had any strength left to spare.

That being the case, the only thing Gowen could do now was to send himself out.

The Goblin King was the one who revived the goblin army. If he could stop him, they might still be able to win this battle.

Having decided that, Gowen moved out.

“It’s not my field of expertise, but…”

Gowen drew his bow as he rode. His aim was the Goblin King at the head of the army.

“Die!”

Gowen released the bow, but the arrow was struck down by Gi Ga Rax.

“Think I’ll let you reach the king!?”

The knight class, Gi Ga Rax, blocked Gowen’s path.

Gowen clicked his tongue.

“Move!”

Gowen swung his spear from atop his horse, but it was blocked by Gi Ga, who was breathing as one with his black tiger.

The two warriors thrust their spear, twisted it, swept it. They drew out every bit of skill they had as they fought each other.

After clashing 30 times, their battle started affecting their surroundings.

The one panicking was Gowen.

He wanted to remove this goblin before him quickly, so he could quickly defeat that Goblin King. If not, there would be no hope for victory.

The more time he wasted with this goblin, the closer defeat inched in.

Gowen and Gi Gu were mostly equal skill-wise, though Gowen was a little better.

Unfortunately, Gi Ga Rax, who has gone back from hell, was extremely tenacious, causing Gowen to panic even more.

“Damn you! Nu!?”

“The enemy commander!? In that case, fall prey to my winds!”

In his one moment of panic, Gi Za invoked his wind spell and shot him.

Gowen managed to repel it with a swing of his spear, but Gi Ga Rax managed to take advantage of that to graze his shoulder.

“Ku!?”

It was only a graze, but that was still an attack from a knight-class goblin. The strength behind that simple graze was enough to dismount Gowen.

Gi Ji Arsil, the assassin, slithered in from the shadows to take Gowen from behind.

“…!”

Gi Ji’s dagger struck out from the shadows toward Gowen’s neck.

“That sort of trick won’t fly, monster!”

In response, Gowen immediately drew his long sword and repelled Gi Ji.

Gi Ji clicked his tongue as he quietly vanished into the shadows.

Gowen, now dismounted with a long sword in hand, stared wordlessly at Gi Ga, who was still mounted on his black tiger. They quietly searched each other for an opening.

The first one to move was Gowen.

He ran up to Gi Ga with his long sword in one hand. He moved so fast it was almost as if he were leaping.

In response, Gi Ga reflexively struck out his spear.

“What!?” Gi Ga cried out in surprise.

Gowen deflected Gi Ga’s spear and landed a blow on Gi Ga’s black tiger, then he left Gi Ga in the dust and ran toward the king.

“…!”

When Gi Ji Arsil saw Gowen running for the king, he tried to attack him from behind, but Gowen swung his sword at him without even looking.

Gi Ji somehow managed to block with his dagger, but half of it was broken from that one attack, leaving it unusable.

“Shit!” Gi Ji spat.

It was rare for the goblin to cuss, but with that, he had no choice but to withdraw and look for a different prey.

He was still somewhat calm as he withdrew for he did not really believe that the king was in any danger. The king couldn’t possibly lose, after all.

Gowen ran madly for the Goblin King. He did not stop even as he cut down the goblins that blocked his way.

“…I’ve found you! Goblin King!”

Gowen was already covered in wounds by the time he reached the Goblin King, yet his spirits remained high. Like a lion he vigorously leaped for the Goblin King and stood between him and the human soldiers.

“You won’t be doing as you please anymore!”

Blood dripped from Gowen’s long sword as he challenged the Goblin King.

“Leave this one to me! The rest of you kill everyone else!” The Goblin King gave orders as he stared at the figure blocking his path and wielded Flamberge.

The two leaders were about to fight in a duel, but even then the war around them did not cease.

In one sense, the order the king just handed out was exactly what Gowen feared the most.

Black flames burned on the Goblin King’s great sword.