A sudden wave of scorching heat burst out behind the coalition forces, catching Su Xingyu's attention. He turned around, curious, only to be met with a shocking sight.
Dozens of massive fireballs, each nearly ten meters in diameter, floated ominously in the air.
"Target the enemy's rear! Exploding fireball!" roared the leader of the fire lizard priests.
With his command, the fireballs streaked across the sky and plunged into the rear of the goblin horde like blazing meteors.
Panic surged through the goblins as they stared at the incoming inferno. They were on the verge of collapsing.
Their own priests could chant blessings or mend wounds, but fireballs? That was far beyond their capabilities.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of deafening explosions shook the battlefield.
The goblin rear was engulfed in fire. Body parts rained from the sky, charred and twisted, the ground littered with scorched limbs and smoldering debris.
"Holy crap!"
"That was incredible!"
"…"
Su Xingyu and the others stood frozen in awe. None of them expected Fang Xingchen to possess such a trump card. Zhang Kexin was so stunned she couldn't even form a sentence.
Su Xingyu glanced at Fang Xingchen, speechless. All this time I thought he was just another slacker like me. Turns out, I'm the real clown here.
"Kid, that was impressive!" Mo Kongwu slapped Fang Xingchen on the back with a grin.
Fang Xingchen gave a modest smile. "It's nothing. That's pretty much all I've got. I still can't compare with you top dogs."
The explosive fireball barrage, conjured by thousands of fire lizard priests working in unison, had dealt a devastating blow to the goblins. Yet even so, Fang Xingchen knew this was only a single spell. Compared to the vast military strength of the others, it was still lacking.
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed. "This is our chance."
Without hesitation, he gave the order. Two cavalry units surged from the flanks and charged straight into the disoriented goblin rear.
The result was carnage.
Wherever the cavalry passed, goblins were crushed beneath iron hooves, their bodies mangled beyond recognition.
Leading the charge, Ye Zhan swung his longsword. A massive arc of black sword energy, ten meters long, cleaved through the goblins like a blade through paper. The path ahead was instantly cleared.
The rest of the dark cavalry followed closely. Their swords, glowing with an ominous black light, cut through goblin flesh with terrifying ease. Every swing meant another body, another spray of blood.
Across the battlefield, the Light Heavy Cavalry followed suit. A young general led them, their armor glowing faintly with holy radiance. Their fighting spirit surged into their weapons, forming a barrier of light that protected them as they charged headlong into the fray.
They didn't stop.
They didn't hesitate.
Goblins were flung into the air like rag dolls, their bodies shattered by the brutal charge, only to be crushed beneath the hooves of those that followed.
The rear of the goblin army collapsed completely.
With the full force of the coalition unleashed, the goblin army—over 300,000 strong—was routed without even managing a proper counterattack.
Truthfully, both Su Xingyu and Lin Ye were amazed they had lasted as long as they had. After facing the precise and deadly rain of arrows from the elven archers, the rampaging brutality of the Minotaurs, the ferocious madness of the jackals, and finally being obliterated by a magical bombardment, the fact that the goblins held out until now was nothing short of miraculous.
They had fought goblins before. They knew what kind of creatures they were—timid by nature, reliant on overwhelming numbers. But once they failed to gain the upper hand, panic would take root quickly.
This group, however, had far exceeded the usual cowardice of their kind.
As the battle wound down, the coalition troops spread out to hunt the survivors.
It took nearly two hours before all visible goblins were rounded up.
"About 240,000 captured," someone muttered. "These things breed like weeds."
Despite the staggering death toll and those who had fled, the number of captured goblins was still overwhelming.
And now, a difficult question loomed.
What to do with them?
Everyone exchanged glances. The silence was heavy until Su Xingyu finally spoke. "It's too much trouble to keep them. Why not kill them all?"
His tone was flat. Merciless.
Goblins were nearly impossible to tame. Only gods with specific authority over their race could control them reliably.
Lin Ye hesitated. "Isn't that… a bit much?"
Fang Xingchen frowned. "That doesn't feel right."
On the battlefield, killing was expected. But once an enemy surrendered… slaughtering captives crossed a line.
Zhang Kexin's voice was barely audible. "Isn't this too cruel?"
Even Mo Kongwu fell silent.
Su Xingyu shrugged. "Then what do you propose we do? Post a garrison here to babysit them?"
There were only three realistic options: kill them, imprison them here, or take them back and imprison them elsewhere.
The last was out of the question. No one in their right mind would bring hundreds of thousands of hostile goblins back to their homeland.
"It's a real headache," Lin Ye muttered, rubbing his temple. He was starting to understand Su Xingyu's point. Keeping these goblins wasn't just useless—it was dangerous.
They weren't people. They were green-skinned beasts. If they couldn't be turned, they had to be eliminated.
One by one, the others fell silent, the grim weight of the decision settling over them.
Just then, a beep sounded.
[Plane Exploration Group]
[Black Star]: "Everyone, I've got an idea."
[Glorious]: "Let's hear it."
[Black Star]: "What if we trade the goblins to other players? That way, we don't have to deal with them and can earn resources. Two birds with one stone."
[Lava]: "The City of the Gods forbids trading living beings. How do you plan on handing them over?"
[Forest]: "Yeah, even if we find a buyer, how do we transfer the goblins to them?"
[Bull Warrior]: "@BlackStar, stop stalling. If you've got a solution, spit it out."
[Glorious]: "Wait… this could actually work."
[Eternal Night]: "How did we meet up here in the first place?"
The answer was obvious. If they could arrive using coordinates, so could anyone else.
All they had to do was shift the trade to a nearby plane fragment, and the exchange could go forward.
The others quickly caught on.
[Forest]: "It's doable, but complicated. How do we ensure the other side honors the deal? What if they just take the goblins and run? Also, if the coordinates get leaked, we might get raided."
Fang Xingchen gave a sideways glance and grinned. "If we can do this on one plane, we can do it on another. Just pick an abandoned fragment for the trade. And if someone stiffs us on payment, well, they'd have to be brain-dead to try that."
He looked around meaningfully.
[Black Star]: "Exactly. Just pick a neutral fragment. And don't worry about payment. I've got that covered."