The battlefield had become a storm.
All around, goblin grunts shrieked and died under steel, spell, and fire. Arrows cracked against Robot's shimmering barrier, only to ricochet back into their shooters. Rabbit slammed through defenders with earth-shaking leaps, snapping bones with its new power.
In the chaos, Lena and Maya cornered the last archer perched on a crude wooden watchtower. The goblin hissed and loosed an arrow, but Lena's blade batted it aside as Maya's spear drove straight through its chest. The tower collapsed with the body still dangling.
But Kane had no time to watch.
Six Hobgoblins. One Warlord.
They encircled him, musclebound bodies twitching with rage, each one nearly a head taller than him. Their jagged cleavers gleamed in the firelight, teeth gnashing as they closed the ring.
Kane planted his boots in the dirt, raising his axe. His chest burned with the aftermath of [War Cry], but his blood sang with the challenge.
"Come on then—let's see if you can break me."
The first Hobgoblin lunged. Kane pivoted, axe sweeping in a brutal arc—steel met steel in a spray of sparks before his knee shot forward, cracking into the creature's gut. It howled and staggered back.
Two more came from the sides, blades cutting low. Kane dropped, twisting into a spinning strike. His axe split one's thigh, nearly severing the leg, while the second caught only air.
But the others pressed in. A cleaver slammed down into his shoulder guard, sending jolts of pain down his arm. Another nicked across his ribs, hot blood blooming through torn fabric.
Kane growled, but his eyes only sharpened.
[Iron Will] Activated
Pain resistance – 60%
Stagger chance – Nullified
The world slowed. The Hobgoblins' sneers blurred into red haze.
"MY TURN!" Kane roared.
He surged forward, axe glowing faintly as his strength flooded it.
[Warlord's Wrath – Tier 2]
The strike carved through the weakened Hobgoblin's chest, splitting bone and flesh in one devastating sweep. It dropped in two twitching halves.
The others roared, maddened by the kill. Four against one now.
They swung in brutal unison, but Kane slammed his axe haft into the dirt, bracing it like a shield. The blows crashed against him like thunder, rattling his bones, yet he stood tall—unyielding.
Blood streamed down his face. His chest heaved. But his grin split wide.
"You think numbers scare me? I AM THE WALL YOU BREAK AGAINST!"
The battlefield stilled for a heartbeat, the aura of the Warlord pressing down even the snarling beasts.
Meanwhile
Behind him, his team was finishing the rest.
The mage conjured another wall of flame, corralling goblins into a killzone.
The twins, exhilarated by their newfound power, unleashed volley after volley of mana bolts.
Survivors with weapons fought with renewed vigor, their morale bolstered by Kane's cry.
The goblin grunts fell in droves, leaving only smoldering huts and corpses behind.
But the real storm was where Kane stood—four Hobgoblin warriors circling, their fury met with the unshakable will of one man.
And with every second, the weight of his Warlord's presence grew heavier.
The circle of Hobgoblins tightened, bloodlust glowing in their yellow eyes. Kane stood in the center, chest heaving, axe dripping gore, his body battered yet unbroken.
The surviving warriors bellowed and surged forward as one.
Kane gritted his teeth, eyes flashing.
[Warlord's Execution – Tier 1] Activated.
"The weight of judgment falls on those who dare challenge the Warlord."
The skill ignited through his veins like liquid fire. His axe pulsed with crimson energy, heavy as if it carried the weight of a battlefield's will.
Kane spun with terrifying precision—one strike cleaving through a Hobgoblin's collarbone, splitting it down to the heart. Another swept across the waist of a second, severing it in half.
The final two howled and lunged, but Kane charged headlong instead of dodging. His shoulder rammed into the first, driving it back. His axe came down in a brutal overhead smash, caving in its skull like brittle clay.
The last warrior's blade cut into Kane's side, but he didn't flinch. He simply turned, meeting its stunned eyes.
"Execution complete."
His axe tore upward, splitting the Hobgoblin from groin to crown in one sickening motion.
Silence followed, broken only by the crackle of burning huts and the ragged breaths of his allies.
But before relief could settle, a foul stench spread.
From the ashes of the hut they had destroyed earlier, the Goblin Shaman's charred corpse twitched. Its single good eye opened, glowing crimson. With a guttural screech, it thrust its staff toward the heavens.
"I CURSE YOU, INTRUDERS!"
The dungeon shuddered. Dozens of magic circles bloomed across the cavern ceiling, their runes blazing with molten light.
System Alert:
[Fireball Barrage – Death Skill] Triggered
[ The Goblin Shaman sacrifices it's life essence to unleash catastrophic destruction within its territory. Escape recommended. ]
The Shaman's body convulsed, flesh tearing apart as its essence fed the spell. It burned away into ash, but the spell was complete.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of flaming spheres materialized above, rumbling with condensed mana.
Kane's eyes widened."This will kill us all if we stay—RUN!"
"OUT OF THE VILLAGE! NOW!" he bellowed.
His order cut through the chaos. Twins, fighters—everyone bolted as the first fireballs fell like meteors, crashing into huts with deafening explosions. The earth heaved, flames devouring everything in a storm of heat and rubble.
The team sprinted through winding paths, hearts hammering as the sky itself rained fire.
Elysia bounded with Reina in its arms, leaping over collapsing walls. Robot raised shimmering shields to block stray blasts, sparks dancing off its metallic frame.
Behind them, Lena and Maya ducked low, rolling through the flames as chunks of burning timber rained down. The mage staggered but pressed forward, pulling the twins along as their small hands trembled in his grip.
Kane stayed last, axe strapped across his back, blood trailing from his side. Every muscle screamed, but he refused to fall. He shoved stunned fighters forward, shouldering falling debris aside.
A fireball slammed into the ground just feet behind him, the shockwave launching him forward. He rolled, gritting his teeth, then forced his legs to move again.
System Warning:
Remaining Time before detonation ends: 20 seconds.
The boundary of the village loomed ahead. Beyond it—the barren dirt fields outside the settlement. Safety.
"JUST A LITTLE MORE!" Kane roared.
The final sprint turned into a mad dash. Fireballs crashed down all around, each detonation threatening to swallow them whole.
As the last wave began to fall, Kane dove through the invisible boundary—dragging two exhausted fighters with him.
Behind him, the entire goblin village was consumed in a single apocalyptic explosion, fire pillars clawing toward the cavern ceiling, shockwaves rumbling the stone beneath their feet.
The team collapsed outside the boundary, coughing and gasping. Ash and embers rained like black snow.
The Shaman's last curse had turned its home into a fiery tomb.