Harry unleashed the concentrated power of his two rune circles without hesitation.
His right hand released a Fire Tornado—a miniature whirlwind of red and orange flames—that slammed into the center of the Goblin formation. The Magical Manipulation Harry had acquired made the flames purer and more ravenous. Five Goblin Elites were instantly engulfed, their leather armor turning to smoke and their bodies screaming as the magical fire consumed them.
At the same time, Harry's left hand unleashed a Sonic Blast. The white, trembling shockwave of wind magic wasn't meant to kill, but to disorient and disarm. The blast struck the remaining Goblin Elites on the flanks, breaking their charge formation, sending three flying into the trees, and causing several to lose their grip on their rusty swords.
(The Fire Tornado and Sonic Blast consumed a significant amount of energy, but Harry's Flow Control mitigated the overall drain.)
Twelve Elite Goblins remained standing. Those who had been thrown to their feet rose, their eyes blazing with primal rage.
Harry activated Rapid Sprint. A gust of air propelled him forward, dodging a war-axe that whizzed past where his head had been an instant before.
He found himself in the middle of the horde. It was close-quarters combat where one hit would be fatal.
Harry used his iron sword in a torrent of Rapid Slash, fueled by sheer speed.
"Weakness, weakness!"
He used Appraisal to detect the armor's weak points: the seams between the leather and the flesh. With a swift, brutal motion, he sliced through one goblin's knee and another's exposed neck.
*Elite Goblin eliminated (x2). 10 remain.
But his speed cost him dearly. A Goblin who had fallen behind managed to react faster than Harry's Quickslash could recover.
A heavy mace, covered in spikes, slammed into Harry's side. There was no time to dodge.
"Stonehide!" Harry shouted.
His body was instantly encased in a gray layer of Earth Magic. The mace hit with the force of a truck. Harry felt a violent shockwave. The impact threw him three meters, and the Stonehide shattered, but his Stamina saved him from breaking bones.
"Damn it. I don't have enough Mana left for another area attack."
The wound in his side burned. The Goblin Leader (the largest and most scarred) ordered the final charge, seeing Harry's blood.
The Tactical Solution
Seven goblins charged at him. Harry couldn't fight seven creatures; that blow had broken something. He needed to end this in one swift motion.
Quickly, he used a Rejuvenation Berry from his pocket, instantly restoring some of his mana.
With his mana restored, Harry stood. His plan required not brute force, but precision and awareness. He looked up at the treetops of the Umbra-Root.
Harry began to cast his most powerful Meltdown spell to date, the one he had mastered in his ten months of training. A red/blue runic circle began to spin, pulsating with concentrated steam.
"Steam Lance," he murmured.
The spell manifested as a thin, white dart of superheated steam. Harry deliberately aimed for the thickest, most stable section of the trunk of an Umbra-Root that hovered directly above the horde of goblins.
The Steam Lance struck the trunk. The steam, combined with the magical amplification of the corrupted wood, caused an explosive internal pressure.
The trunk of the Umbra-Root split with a deafening crack. The 18-meter tree crashed down directly onto the Goblin horde.
*Elite Goblin eliminated (x7). 3 remain.
The tactic had worked. The three remaining goblins, traumatized by the fall, tried to flee into the thicket, but the Goblin Leader remained standing, enraged. Harry launched himself into a final Quick Slash.
A diagonal Quick Slash with his iron sword, assisted by the edge of Mana, sliced the Goblin Leader's shoulder before he could raise his mace.
*Elite Goblin (Leader) eliminated (x1). Two remain.
The two remaining goblins scattered into the darkness of the Demon Nest, their instinct for survival overcoming their rage.
Harry collapsed against the stump of the fallen tree, gasping for breath. The fight had ended as quickly as it had begun. Argena was a place of instant death. If he hadn't had his training, the first Elite Goblin would have killed him.