The goblin king was everything you would think a king would be and more.
He stood at nearly seven feet in height, had dark, green messy hair that fell down his back and chiseled muscles that gave him the appearance of a gladiator.
In one of his hands was a large double-edged battle axe that seemed to take much effort to simply raise, yet the king held it like it was nothing.
And on the other hand…
Eliron's mood turned sour.
He had the last elven girl by the hair, pulling her along with him.
Ash was completely out of it, putting him against the goblin king even in a supportive role would lead to his death.
The same could be said for Artie. If she had not been sneak-attacked, then she could have been the only person of use in this fight…
'And Yennefer is a healer…'
The crossbows were good, but it would be best if the king focused on him alone and no one else.
While Eliron stood there, Artie stared at the goblin, her eyes displaying her shock.
'A goblin king?!' She thought, her heart racing.
How did they have a goblin king of all things? How had they reached the worst possible conclusion?
A hob goblin was often said to be around the level of a beginner knight. In a fight between the two of them, it was hard to tell who would win.
But a goblin king?
A goblin king is on the same level as a minor knight commander!
From behind them Ash struggled to get to his feet, his legs rattling from exhaustion as he stared at Eliron, a fire burning in his eyes.
"My lord! Allow me to deal with him!" Ash screamed with vigour.
Yennefer was staring at Eliron with worry in her eyes. She hurried to her feet and lifted her crossbow, then she smiled.
Although the crossbow was rattling in her hands from fear, Yennefer showed the same determination Ash had shown, if not greater.
"I-it's just another stinky goblin." She smiled wryly. "We can take it!"
'What is wrong with these people?' Artie thought as she watched the group.
This was an impossible fight, that much was pretty obvious. Yet they were ready to throw themselves into death, for what purpose?
While her thoughts were in turmoil, they were cut short by an oppressive wave of mana that washed over them.
And then—
Whoosh!
The goblin king launched his axe towards them, using all the strength it could muster to send the axe flying.
'Damn it, we got distracted!' Artie screamed internally, turning around just to see the axe mere inches from Eliron's face.
In that fraction of a second, her mind ran through countless scenarios, none of them pleasant in any way.
She thought through a hundred ways to save him, but none of them was practical.
Artie could hear Yennefer's scream from somewhere around her, and Ash's shout following it.
But it was too late.
Bang!
Dust picked up from the point of impact, the wind turning turbulent as it blew past her.
Artie had expected Eliron to be obliterated by the strike, but strangely, he still had one hand around her shoulder to steady her.
Then her eyes lit up with joy when the dust cleared.
The gigantic axe was right in Eliron's hand, steam fuming out of the point of impact, accompanied by the smell of burning flesh.
Artie let out a tired breath, nearly falling to her knees as relief flooded her heart.
And then Yennefer and Ash suddenly crashed into them, almost causing Eliron to trip.
They had been running towards him from the moment they saw the axe fly.
"Don't scare me like that you oaf! I thought you were really going to die!" Yennefer yelled, her eyes already moist with tears.
Ash on the other hand was already crying while saying unintelligible words.
Eliron scoffed. "So you thought a goblin was going to kill me?" He asked, seeming rather offended.
Then he stared at the goblin king who watched him with a surprised look in his eyes.
'He's different from other goblins…'
Most goblins would have charged at him mindlessly, but he had made sure Eliron was distracted before launching his axe at him.
Even now, he was still observing Eliron and his group before making his move.
The dead goblins and hobs were more than enough to tell him that they were indeed formidable.
"Not bad…" Eliron smiled.
"Yen, Artie can't walk right, take her back to the building and heal both her and Ash."
She frowned and shook her head. "What about the goblin king? Do you want to take that thing alone?"
"I can't let you fight alone my lord, with Yen's healing we will both be able to fight!"
Eliron tapped Yennefer's head, ruffling her hair. "You of all people should know what I am capable of."
She sighed, her golden eyes glinting with an emotion Eliron could not place.
"Let's go…" Yen said, her voice low.
"But Miss Yennefer—"
Before he could complete his sentence, Yennefer grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and held Artie by her arm, before suddenly flying towards the building.
Ash raised his hands towards Eliron, struggling to escape while choking. "L-let me go—My lord!!!"
Artie on the other hand was quiet, lost in a web of her own thoughts.
Eliron chuckled and turned to face the goblin king, still holding the tarp from earlier.
"Sorry for that, they can be a little clingy sometimes!" He shouted to be heard.
Then he raised the axe to observe it. "Nice weapon…."
He drew his right leg back, leaned backwards a bit—the gigantic axe clasped in his right hand. Eliron smirked.
Then using his mana to reinforce his strength, he launched the axe right back at the king.
"Here, you can have it back!"
Whoosh!
The wind seemed to distort, parting away as the axe cut towards the goblin king like thunder, winds rushing past the deadly weapon.
Bang!
The king caught the axe midair, the force of the collision creating a thunder clap that cut through the area.
The goblin king tried to remain firmly planted where he stood, but the force of the throw was too great and his feet slid over the dirt, moving a few feet back.
He stared at the axe and then back at Eliron, bewildered by what had just happened.
And then unexpectedly…
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" His laugh boomed over them.
He tossed the elven girl to the side and took a step forward, the girl whimpering as she clasped her hands around her head.
"I can see that this pale leaf sniffer has some spunk!"
The king's mana flared, red currents violently surging around him like a roaring inferno.
'He speaks English… as expected of a king…' Eliron thought.
The goblin king frowned. "You come to my camp!"
Step!
The earth cracked, rocks floating up as they made contact with his mana.
"You slaughter my people while I sleep!"
Step!
The grass underneath his feet withered, burning away as though it made contact with fire.
"Steal my bounty!"
Step!
"Shame my people!"
Step!
The goblin king now stood a few feet away from Eliron, a maddening grin on his face.
"Now, you must die!"