Now that the goblins were all taken care of and Nova had finally calmed down, Drake could think without any distractions.
The goblin population is far too high. I've never seen this many attack all at once before, Drake thought as he stroked his chin.
Then it hit him a Goblin Lord. It must be. That would explain the random increase in goblins. Drake remembered a legendary A-class monster that he once read about in the mansion's library, with the ability to summon goblins and control them with shadow magic.
Drake was shivering with excitement. He had always wanted to test his skills against one of these monsters ever since he read about them.
He was ready to dash deeper into the forest in search of the Goblin Lord when he remembered that Nova was with him.
Right, Nova's here, and I can't bring him with me. Fighting against large groups isn't his strong suit, Drake thought, rubbing his head in frustration.
"Ah, okay, Nova, we're gonna have to cut our little trip short. One of the goblins evolved into a Lord," Drake said while pinching the bridge of his nose.
Nova's eyes brimmed with enthusiasm as he heard the words Goblin Lord. "Wait, one of those things finally evolved into a Lord? Come on, we gotta go see it!"
Drake grabbed Nova by the back of his collar as he tried to walk deeper into the forest, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"Did you hear what I said? You can't come along for this one. This thing summons goblins endlessly, and you could barely handle this horde so what makes you think you'll be able to handle an endless amount?"
Nova's face warped, going from excited to disappointed. "Come on, I'll be careful this time. Just let me come along."
Drake sighed. He wanted to bring Nova along, but the risk was far too great. "Look, Nova, I can't risk carrying you along for this one. If anything happens, I won't be able to save you like earlier."
"But..."
"No buts," Drake immediately shouted, cutting off any chance of bargaining.
Nova was filled with anger and pride. I can take that Goblin Lord myself. Those other goblins only caught me off guard. I'll prove it, Drake. I'll prove that I'm strong enough to handle this myself, he thought as his fists clenched.
Drake reached a hand out, trying to comfort Nova, only for him to slap his hand away and begin running deeper into the forest.
"Wait, Nova, don't you dare!" Drake screamed as he ran behind him.
"Celestial dragon magic: Gale Force Dash."
Wind surged under Nova's feet, lifting him a few inches off the ground and increasing his speed to almost rival lightning.
PHWEW
A high-pitched whistle echoed through the forest, attracting even more monsters as he continued to dash between the trees with little to no effort.
Drake tried his best to keep up with his brother, but he was too fast.
"Dang it, Nova, you're gonna get yourself killed," Drake whispered as he tried desperately to keep up.
"Earth magic: Seismic Sonar."
Drake's legs could now sense movement like sonar. He now knew the exact position of every single monster or animal in this forest.
He used this ability to find out how many monsters were alerted by the high-pitched whistle Nova's ability was giving off.
"Oh no." Sweat dropped down the side of Drake's face as he realized it was all of them. The sound wasn't that loud, but the frequency was so sharp it alerted every single monster in the forest.
"Nova, stop using that spell! You're giving away your position!" Drake screamed at the top of his lungs.
But Nova didn't hear him. He was too far away and too blinded by pride to even realize that his ability was alerting the monsters.
I'll show that I'm just as powerful as you, Drake. Nova these words continued to echo repeatedly in his mind.
WHOOSH WHOOSH
A shadowy figure dashed through the forest, leaping through the trees.
"What was that?" Nova deactivated his ability. His boots dug into the ground as he slowed his momentum, then grabbed his sword, ready to fight.
The shadowy figure continued to dart from tree to tree, cackling as it landed on each limb.
"Come out and fight me, coward!" Nova grinned. He believed insulting it would cause it to attack head-on out of rage.
"What, are you scared or are y...."
BAM
Before Nova could utter another word, a club slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground.
COUGH COUGH
"Wait, what was that?" Nova frantically tried to get up, only to feel a foot on his back. He turned his head to the side slowly, only to see a giant goblin.
This goblin wasn't like anything he had ever seen. It was as tall as an orc, its body looked similar to that of a half-giant wide and muscular. He carried a giant club with sharp stones stuck to the end, and his dark green skin was lined with cursed tattoos.
Nova smiled as he saw the beast. "You must be the Goblin Lord."
"Celestial Dragon Magic: Stone Spike Forest!"
Dozens of sharp, jagged rocks burst from the ground surrounding Nova. The Goblin Lord leapt off Nova's back, barely dodging the attack and landing on a nearby tree branch.
HEHEHEHE!!!
It cackled while pointing at Nova, mocking him for missing the attack.
"You insolent, little brat!" Nova's face reddened as he lifted his hand into the air.
"Celestial Dragon Magic: Star Burst Firestorm!"
Magic circles lined the skies, summoning giant fireballs radiating heat that lit the surrounding trees aflame.
The fireballs rained down, but the Goblin Lord was too fast for Nova. It weaved between the fireballs effortlessly while closing the distance between them both.
Nova saw the creature's terrifying speed and knew he needed to obstruct its movement. He quickly deactivated his fire spell, then stomped his foot so hard it dug into the ground.
"Celestial Dragon Magic: Mud Trap!"
The ground below the Goblin Lord turned to mud, making him slip face-first. He tried to lift himself out, only getting his face out of the mud, before it turned to solid stone.
"Celestial Dragon Magic: Super Nova!"
Several glowing red magic circles formed in the sky, all overlapping each other. A small ball of red and orange energy formed at the top circle.
Drake saw the magic circles as he leapt through the forest, trying to make his way to Nova. "Dang it, Nova, you're using too much mana! You'll be left vulnerable if you run out!"
FWOOOOSH!!!
The ball of energy shot through the circles, gaining more mass with each one it broke through, aiming straight at the Goblin Lord.
"Ah, see Drake, I can handle this brute all by myself!"
The Goblin Lord broke one of his arms out of the stone, then pointed his palm in the direction of Nova's spell.
ERRRRR
The Goblin Lord screamed, and a swirling vortex of black and purple energy erupted from his hands, pulling in Nova's spell and transforming it into mana.
The Goblin Lord cackled as he pulled his other hand out of the stone. He pointed and laughed at Nova, mocking him by beating his chest with his other hand as if to say, I'm still alive.
"HHHHHHAAAAAAA!" Nova screamed while dashing toward the Goblin Lord, sword in hand, blinded by rage and pride. He swung at its neck, only for it to catch the blade in one hand, then slam him in the chest with its club.
The club broke, sending Nova flying into nearby trees and leaving his ribs broken. Sharp rocks pierced his skin and blood splattered all over the forest ground.
The Goblin Lord used his club to break the stone around his leg, then leapt at Nova, ready to finish him off.
Nova pointed his palm at the Lord, trying to activate another spell, but he had used too much mana in his last attack. He was left defenseless, laid against a tree.
He raised his sword in a guard position, his eyes filled with tears.
His mind flashed to Drake, and even with all his pride, he still thought of his older brother. I'm sorry, Drake. I was too weak after all.
"Earth Magic: Stone Oni Wall!"
A giant wall with the warped face of an oni erupted in front of Nova, blocking the Goblin Lord's club.
Nova's eyes widened as he saw Drake land on top of the wall, crouched like a predator ready to attack its prey.
"Nova, are you OK?" Drake screamed as he pulled his sword from his back.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine just kill this thing," Nova muttered while coughing up blood.
"Alright, hang in there till I'm done." Drake's eyes scanned the area. He was surprised to see that the Goblin Lord hadn't summoned any other goblins yet.
"It beat Nova even without the numbers advantage. This thing is stronger than I thought," Drake whispered as he slid his finger against his sword's blade, engulfing it in flames.