In the darkness, only two champions remained.
They stood frozen, eyes fixed on the shattered remains of their fallen comrade.
And they understood then — these creatures were not helpless victims.
But the Goblin Lord, standing at the far end of the cave, simply smiled.
His voice echoed throughout the cavern, making the very walls tremble.
"Interesting…"
After the brutal battle, when the first champion fell and the others prepared for their assault, the cave itself shuddered.
It was as if the very ground, soaked in blood and death, had felt the arrival of its true master.
The darkness began to stir, as if alive.
From the deepest recesses of the cave, where even the crystals couldn't pierce the gloom, a slow but deliberate footfall echoed.
Each of them felt it — an unseen pressure.
Something else was coming.
From the shadows emerged the Goblin Lord.
But... he did not appear as a monster.
He resembled a man. His muscular form was strong, perfect even, without any deformity or grotesqueness — every muscle was sculpted as if chiseled from stone. His skin was not green but a dark ash-gray, as though his body was carved from some foreign substance. On his head, two pairs of large, curved horns jutted backward, reminiscent of demons. His eyes were bright gold, like molten metal. At the center of his chest, there was a BLACK MARK that pulsed with faint light, as though it contained some hidden power.
Kano took a step back.
Even Naira, who always rushed into battle, froze, feeling doubt for the first time in a long while.
Lurk tensed, his wolfish instincts on high alert.
"This is a true threat."
The Lord stopped before them, his weapon still sheathed, not a hint of aggression in his posture.
He merely gazed at them, then spoke.
"You are foolish, limited creatures."
His voice was not rough like the other goblins'.
It was deep, clear, like that of a superior being addressing lesser life forms.
"Do you still believe this world belongs to you?"
His golden eyes flashed with mockery.
"You understand nothing."
He took a few slow steps forward.
No one dared to move. Even Lurk, even Naira — they could feel it. This enemy was unlike the others. His presence was heavier than any weapon. Every careless movement could cost them their lives.
He stared directly at Kano.
"We are the new evolution. We are not parasites, as you think. We are those who will come for this world."
He smiled.
"You kill us, but we grow. You destroy our burrows, but we build new ones."
His voice lowered, becoming even more piercing.
"One day, we will not come at night, not from the shadows, not from burrows. We will come as an army."
"And then, you will hide in dark pits, praying we don't find you."
Then he said something that made Kano's teeth literally grind together.
The Goblin Lord tilted his head as if studying them.
"Oh, and one more thing…"
He grinned, his tusks gleaming faintly in the dim cave light.
"If you're going to give us your females, at least don't throw them in our burrows."
A profound silence followed.
His eyes narrowed, and his voice turned icy.
"We can catch any prey ourselves. By offering us your leftovers, you deny us the joy of the hunt."
Kano felt something snap inside him.
His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his bones cracked under the pressure.
His chest filled with a rage fiercer than anything he had ever known.
Not just at the goblins. Not just at this mutant. But at those who allowed this to happen.
He couldn't erase those words from his mind.
He couldn't forget that these creatures were no longer mere monsters.
They wanted to rule.
And this was not a threat. It was a fact.
The Goblin Lord extended his hand forward.
"Try to destroy me."
His eyes glittered with excitement.
"But remember, whatever you do — you're already here. And I'm not letting you go."
Naira inhaled deeply and raised her axe.
Lurk narrowed his eyes, ready to spring.
Kano never once took his eyes off the Goblin Lord.
"You will let us go," he said.
The Goblin Lord smiled.
"Convince me."
And the battle began.
The Goblin Lord didn't make the first move.
He simply stood there, watching.
Then...
He vanished.
Kano barely had time to sense the threat before a blurred silhouette of a dark warrior came flying toward him.
His reflexes kicked in before his thoughts could catch up.
He raised his sword — and the blades collided.
A shower of sparks blinded his eyes.
Kano didn't just dodge.
He felt the rhythm of the fight.
His body reacted instinctively to every attack, like a perfect mechanism.
His sword moved as though he had trained for thousands of years.
The Goblin Lord attacked with blinding speed. His strikes were precise, swift, flawless, and his four arms created a chaotic dance of death. He didn't swing his sword — he moved like a hunter toying with its prey.
But Kano was no prey. He was a warrior.
His counterattacks were perfect. Every movement was polished, flawless. His legs shifted position in perfect balance between offense and defense. His arms didn't just block — they anticipated the enemy's next move.
The Goblin Lord retreated a half-step.
His eyes narrowed.
"You are no mere mortal."
Lurk didn't wait.
He melted into the shadows, and within a second, his claws sank into the Goblin Lord's side.
Blood.
The first blood!
The Lord clenched Lurk's paw tightly, lifting him like a toy and throwing him into the stone wall.
A dull thud, the crack of bones.
Lurk fell, gasping... but immediately got back up.
At that moment, Naira was already in the air.
"DIE!"
Her axe came crashing down, aiming straight for the Goblin Lord's horns.
The bone cracked.
One horn snapped.
The Lord roared.
But he didn't stagger.
His body moved onward — as though darkness itself had taken human form.
Behind them, almost all of the adventurers were wounded.
But they stood. They fought.
Because there was no retreat.
The mage girl had drained all her energy. Every fighter she healed was another chance for everyone. Every moment she bought was another second for the attack.
She had no mana left.
But she didn't stop.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her lips turning blue.
Her eyes clouded.
"Just a little more… Just a little…"
She swayed, like a candle flickering out…
And lost consciousness.
The dwarf caught her before she fell.
He removed his helmet and scanned the battlefield grimly.
"I'll take her out of here. Apologies, I'm on the edge myself. Finish off this filth."
The Goblin Lord turned back to Kano. Naira stood aside, her breath heavy. Lurk wiped the blood from his mouth, ready for another charge. The adventurers continued to fight — less than half remained, but they didn't yield.
Kano faced the Lord once more.
Their swords collided with a speed the eye could barely track.
Kano didn't think.
His body knew what to do.
He fought like a perfect swordsman. Not a single strike was wasted. Not a single step was wrong. He moved as if dancing on the edge of death, but never falling.
Around him, adventurers were falling.
But no one surrendered.
They fought like beasts.
Because if they fell — their homes would become the same caves they now fought in.
Because if they didn't destroy this filth here and now, it would come for their families.
The Goblin Lord suddenly retreated.
His wounds didn't heal like those of the other goblins.
His black mark began to fade.
He realized that this fight was unlike any before.
His eyes narrowed.
"You surprise me."
His voice wasn't irritated.
It was satisfied.
"But it's not enough."
He opened his palms, and black mist began to pour from his mark.
Kano felt his lungs constrict.
Naira swayed for a moment.
Lurk arched his back, baring his fangs, sensing the new threat.
And the Goblin Lord only smiled.
"Let's see what happens when I stop holding back my true power."
The black mist pouring from the Goblin Lord's chest spread throughout the cave, filling it with a deadly haze.
Kano noticed Naira drop to one knee, gasping for air.
Lurk lost his balance, his lungs squeezed by the poison.
The adventurers started gasping for breath, their bodies collapsing onto the stone floor, eyes filled with fear.
They were all falling.
Except him.
Kano felt something was wrong.
His breath was clear.
His lungs weren't constricting.
He felt no weakness.
His helmet was purifying the air, dispersing the mist before he could inhale it.
But why?
The Goblin Lord cast sharp, tense glances at him — filled with confusion.
He clearly saw that Kano wasn't suffering.
And for the first time in the battle… he began to doubt.
Silence.
The mist surrounded them, as if separating them into two worlds.
Only two remained standing.
The Goblin Lord slowly raised his sword.
Kano took a deep breath.
The first strike.
CLANG!
Sparks flew into the air as their blades collided with a speed too fast for the eye to follow.
The Lord exploded with an attack that was both fast and powerful.
His four arms created a barrage of strikes, and his swords gleamed in the dim light of the cave.
But… Kano was more skilled. His sword moved in a perfect trajectory. His steps were flawless, his balance impeccable. He didn't retreat in panic — he dodged with minimal movement, wasting no energy. The training with Lenor had paid off.
He wasn't just fighting.
He wielded the sword as though it was an extension of his body.
The Lord understood this.
His eyes narrowed.
He couldn't comprehend how a mortal could fight like this.
Kano saw the Lord becoming more aggressive.
His movements grew faster, his strikes more powerful.
He was starting to drown in the battle.
Kano felt it.
And he decided to surrender.
He began to retreat, feigning exhaustion.
His strikes became weaker.
And then… he did something that stunned the Lord.
Kano seized the sword with one hand.
The Goblin Lord blinked in surprise.
And then laughed.
"What is this? Are you surrendering?"
His laugh was mocking, cruel, full of contempt.
"You couldn't surpass me with two hands, and now you hold the sword with one?!"
He roared with laughter, his voice echoing throughout the cave.
"I'll definitely kill you! And your corpse will become food for my offspring!"
Kano didn't panic.
He knew what he was doing.
The Lord was following his game.
He attacked even more aggressively, even faster.
He stopped thinking — he just wanted to kill.
Kano waited for the moment.
Kano "surrendered" even more, though he felt intense fatigue blocking the onslaught of strikes. But this fatigue didn't disrupt his thoughts or movements.
His steps became unsteady, his body appeared to weaken.
He fell to one knee, bowing his head.
The Lord roared with satisfaction.
He raised his sword high, preparing for the final blow.
But Kano hid something in his hand.
Flame.
A small fireball barely glowing in his palm.
The Lord didn't notice it.
He was blinded by his own victory.
He swung his sword, aiming to decapitate Kano…
And then Kano hurled the fireball straight into his eyes.
A burst of light.
The Lord screamed, clutching his face.
And that was enough.
Kano lunged forward, twisted his sword, and delivered a precise strike.
His blade sliced through the Goblin Lord's neck.
The Lord staggered back.
His fingers clawed at his throat.
Dark, thick blood spilled down his chest.
His golden eyes began to fade.
The mist that poisoned everyone dissipated.
The adventurers began to regain consciousness.
The bodies of all the goblins began to dissolve, as if they had never existed.
The Lord fell to his knees.
His breathing turned into a rasping wheeze.
Kano approached closer.
One last glance.
One final strike.
With a single, precise movement, he decapitated the Goblin Lord.
The head rolled across the stone ground and came to a stop right in front of Naira.
She looked at it, but there was no joy in her heart.
The adventurers looked around.
Out of more than a hundred warriors, only forty remained.
No one shouted victorious cries.
No one smiled.
This victory had come at too great a cost.
But they had eradicated the goblins.