The goblin general moved at once.
It did not hesitate, did not posture. The massive figure surged forward in a straight, brutal charge, each step cracking the earth beneath its weight.
Samantha saw it and clicked her tongue.
"Oi," she barked sharply, eyes already tracking the commander's trajectory. "Protect Illumi."
She didn't wait for confirmation. Her daggers were in her hands as she launched herself forward, body low, lethal, every movement stripped of excess.
For a moment, Hevert's senses snapped back into place.
He stepped in to intercept, blade flashing as he met the goblin general head-on. Steel screamed against steel. The force of the impact drove Hevert back several paces, boots skidding through blood-soaked dirt. He grit his teeth and pushed forward, but the difference in strength was immediate—and unforgiving.
The goblin general snarled and kicked.
The blow struck Hevert squarely in the chest, sending him flying dozens of meters before he crashed into the churned earth, rolling until he lay still.
Samantha glanced at the impact point and scoffed.
"Useless doofus," she muttered, already closing the distance.
The goblin general turned, sword swinging in a wide, murderous arc.
It cleaved through nothing.
An afterimage shattered like mist.
The real Samantha was already behind it, dagger flashing toward the nape of its neck—
A massive arm descended from her side.
Samantha twisted midair, barely clearing the strike.
"Whoa—that was close," she said flatly, landing in a crouch.
She rose slowly, posture loose, predatory. Her feet shifted in small, deliberate steps, light and steady. Then she moved—and split.
Two, three, seven images of Samantha peeled away from her form, each one solid enough to cast a shadow.
"Let's see if you can catch me," she said, voice laced with quiet malice.
The images surged forward together.
The goblin general roared and swung, sword tearing through one—then another—only for the blade to pass through afterimages. The remaining figures struck in unison. Daggers bit into flesh. Shallow cuts bloomed across green skin, real blood spilling, real pain registering.
The general swung again. Missed. Again. Missed.
Frustration boiled over.
A deafening roar exploded from its chest, a burst of compressed wind blasting outward in all directions. Samantha was hurled back, her images evaporating in the shockwave. She dug her heels in, skidding across the ground as she fought to regain balance.
"Shit," she hissed, dodging just as the sword slammed down where her head had been.
The earth split.
Before the commander could recover—
"Sword Spear!"
Hevert's voice rang out.
He had forced himself back to his feet, blood streaking his armor, eyes burning with stubborn resolve. Mana flared along his blade as he charged, accelerating until his movement blurred, sword aligned like the tip of a launched spear.
The goblin general sensed the threat at the last instant and wrenched its greatsword upward from the ground, meeting Hevert's attack in a brutal clash.
Metal screamed.
Hevert was thrown back again, boots digging trenches in the dirt as he barely stayed upright.
Amidst the chaos, Illumi closed her eyes and started chanting.
"Move back!" Samantha snapped.
Hevert didn't argue this time. He withdrew, breathing hard.
Samantha reappeared at the general's flank, movements sudden and precise. She drew in a breath, eyes cold.
"Corrosive haze."
She exhaled.
Purple mist poured from her mouth, thick and heavy, spreading to engulf the goblin general in a choking cloud. The air hissed as armor began to sizzle. Samantha retreated, watching carefully as the haze slowly thinned.
When it cleared, the goblin general still stood.
But its flesh was blistered and burned, patches of green skin sloughing away. Segments of armor clattered to the ground, eaten through and warped. Its eyes closed with tears, obviously irritated by the haze.
Samantha clicked her tongue, unimpressed.
"What a tough bastard," she said.
Samantha flicked a glance toward Illumi, irritation sharp in her eyes.
"Aren't you done yet, priestess?"
Illumi did not answer.
Her eyes were closed, lashes trembling faintly as she knelt with her grimoire floating before her. Her lips moved in a steady, unbroken chant, voice soft, almost tender, as if she were praying beside a sickbed rather than standing in the middle of a war.
Samantha clicked her tongue and shifted her weight. She glanced toward Hevert, who stood several paces away, blade lowered, gaze unfocused—half on the goblin general, half on the distant chaos where smoke swallowed the fleeing slaves.
"Fine," Samantha said flatly. "Let's entertain our guest until she's done with her little miracle."
Hevert snapped out of it and nodded once. No words. Just motion.
He surged forward, sword arcing down in a powerful overhead strike.
The goblin general—vision still clouded from Samantha's haze—didn't see him, but it sensed him. With a guttural snarl, it raised its sword just in time, steel colliding with steel in a thunderous clash that shoved Hevert backward.
The general swung wildly after that, massive blade carving the air in wide arcs meant to keep anything from getting close.
Samantha slipped through the gaps with practiced ease, dodging the swings by inches. She carved shallow lines across exposed flesh, testing, probing, never overcommitting.
"Tch. Still standing," she muttered. "You're annoyingly sturdy."
A sudden backhand from the general forced her to retreat, boots skidding across bloodied earth. The beast shook its head, blinking hard. Its vision was returning.
Samantha shot another glance at Illumi.
"Priestess," she called sharply. "Time's up. You done yet?"
Illumi's brows knit together—just slightly. The chant never stopped, but a hint of strain crept into her breathing.
The goblin general roared and surged forward again.
Hevert stepped in, dodging a downward strike and countering with a slash at its leg. The blade bit—but not deeply. The flesh resisted like thick leather reinforced with iron beneath.
"Damn it," Hevert hissed.
Samantha didn't slow. She pressed harder, striking again and again, blades flashing, forcing the general to react rather than attack. A heavy downward swing nearly caught her, but she vaulted forward, closing the distance.
The general's fist shot out.
Hevert struck the arm at the same time—but the blow rang uselessly off reinforced armor.
That single interruption was enough.
Samantha drove her dagger straight into the commander's eye.
The roar that followed shook the battlefield.
She twisted free and leapt back as blood poured down the creature's face. One eye burned with blind rage, the other ruined completely.
Samantha exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulders.
"Yeah. That's better."
She looked at Illumi again.
"Now. Please tell me you're done."
This time, Illumi answered—not with words, but with light.
"Chain of Light."
Her voice was calm, almost soothing.
Golden radiance burst from the ground.
Chains rose in every direction, luminous and heavy, wrapping around goblins, orcs, and commanders alike. Screams erupted as enemies were yanked off their feet and slammed into the dirt.
The goblin king shattered the bindings with a roar, raw power snapping the chains like glass. one by one, the chains around him started to break.
But the short moment of restraint was enough for the Keepers.
The goblin general froze mid-motion, chains locking around its limbs.
Samantha moved instantly.
She used the chains themselves as a pathway, sprinting along their glowing links. Before the bindings fully failed, she spun and struck—
The general's head fell to the ground just as the chains exploded apart.
Elsewhere, Arnold was fighting on borrowed breath.
The battle with the orc commander had been even until exhaustion crept into his limbs. His hammer felt heavier. His shield slower.
They clashed again—hammer to sword.
Arnold tried to follow with a shield bash, but the orc grabbed the shield, kicked him hard, and sent him crashing into the dirt. The shield flew from Arnold's grasp, skidding across the field.
The orc advanced, confident.
Arnold forced himself up, teeth bared, hammer shaking in his grip. Pride burned hotter than pain.
Then, golden chains wrapped around the orc.
Arnold didn't waste the moment.
He charged, swinging his hammer with everything he had left—
The chains shattered with the roar. The orc raised its arm and crushed by the blow, Arnold's arm gone numb with the impact.
The beast roared and attacked again.
Arnold ducked, rolled, and lunged for his shield. He turned just in time to block another strike, then slammed his hammer into the orc's leg.
Bone cracked.
The orc knelt.
It tried to raise its sword again.
Arnold brought his hammer down, shattering the blade, then spun and hurled his shield like an executioner's axe.
The orc's head left its shoulders.
Arnold stood there, chest heaving, staring down at the corpse before finally letting out a hoarse laugh.
"Still standing," he muttered proudly.
Illumi lowered her hand, exhaustion finally showing as she looked toward Hevert.
"We can manage this," she said softly. "You may… pursue the slaves."
Hevert nodded without hesitation and turned toward the ruined camp, already moving.
Samantha watched him go, unimpressed.
"Honestly," she said, wiping blood from her blade, "his priorities never change."
Illumi closed her grimoire gently.
"That," she replied, voice calm but tinged with quiet sadness, "is how he became a Keeper. Doing the dirtiest work for nobles… just to climb the ranks."
Samantha wiped a smear of blood from her cheek with the back of her glove and flicked her gaze toward Illumi and Arnold. "That's it," she muttered, voice flat and edged with irritation. "No more distractions. The raid boss is ours now."
Ahead of them, the Goblin King straightened from the carnage, towering above fallen soldiers and broken war-beasts alike. Its armor was cracked and blackened, but its posture remained proud and defiant. One yellow eye burned with something sharper than rage—calculation.