Goblin Kingdom

Volume 2, Chapter 106: Man-Eating Tiger III

I tried to bind the enemy’s movements with my World Devouring Howl, but the enemy howled again. My World Devouring Howl seemed to have slowed it down, but that second howl allowed it to shake those effects off.

Equal? No, he’s a little weaker.

He’s mad though. If I’m careless, I’m the one who’ll end up injured. I still have three swords left. Can I finish him off with just those?

“Turn Me into a BladeEnchant!”

Black flames clad my sword as I faced the enemy again. The centaur kicked its hooves against the ground as it inclined its body toward me. It looked just like a bull about to charge.

“GYaaRUAaAAa!” The maddened centaur charged toward me.

I swung my sword from below.

I filled my legs with ether and kicked off powerfully against the ground to close the distance and nullify the long reach of the enemy’s spear. At the same time, I unleashed my sword from below toward the centaur with a force capable of breaking even a boulder.

The centaur swung down its spear as I swung up my sword.

—It’s a small difference, but the faster one is me!

The lower part of the centaur was cut as my sword slashed up to meet the descending spear. I stopped for a moment to confirm the enemy’s wounds.

“GYaaRURUAAAA!” The centaur howled.

But the enemy didn’t care about its wounds even a little, and it swung down its spear again. Taking on the force of the descending spear was just like taking a falling tree head on. I was pushed back.

—Is the enemy stronger!?

My legs sunk into the ground as my arms endured the pressure of the spear. When I tried to move, I found that I couldn’t. I clicked my tongue.

The enemy howled a deafening cry as it swung down its spear a second time. There was no hesitation nor pain to it, only the desire to crush the enemy before it.

“My life is like a cloud of dustAccel!”

I blew up ether behind me and rammed my body into the centaur again. I expected to send the enemy flying, but it managed to endure the force this time.

The centaur’s legs sunk into the ground, but the one suffering was me. The heat emanating from its body was just too hot.

The part that touched its body had already started to burn.

“Let my body be inviolableShield!”

The burns stopped when I invoked Shield, but then the enemy’s spear came swinging from the right. I dodged it by bending down my body, and then as I jumped back, I swung my sword toward its arms.

—It’s hard!

The skin of the demihuman was hard like an armor. As my sword flicked off, it affected the direction of the enemy’s spear. I managed to cut the enemy, but it was a shallow wound, unable to reach to the bones. Regardless, the enemy raged as it looked to kill me.

“GYaAaaRURUAaAA!”

Seemingly having lost itself in its rage, the centaur charged at me with its spear held high. It was a charge that wouldn’t lose out even to the human cavalry.

“Turn Me into a BladeEnchant!”

I invoked enchant along with theThird ChantThird Impact and the King’s Dance at the Edge of Death. All the damage I’ve been receiving until now would be inflicted double to the enemy. That power burned in the black flames that clad my sword. My Sword Mastery A- helped perfect my movement as much as it could.

Using only the necessary power to move my arms as my elastic legs supported them, I took a breath in preparation of the fastest attack I could muster.

The enemy was pointblank.

The spear was the first to descend, and then my sword.

—But the faster one is still me!

Spear and sword clashed in midair. Red flames mingled with black. It was a battle of strength as our weapons clashed, but in the end, we both deflected to the side.

Both of our stances broke, but I managed to endure it, and as I turned to the centaur, I saw the enemy wide-open.

Forcefully, I took my sword back and thrust it toward the enemy.

—I’ll be taking your life!

My sword entered the chest of the centaur, and it stopped moving.

Still clad in black flames, I gradually pulled out my sword from the body of the unmoving centaur.

When I’d pulled it out, it suddenly occurred to me that the battle might not be over just yet, so I reassumed my stance.

“Get back!” Gi Za said.

But then Gi Za called out, and I reflexively jumped back. The spot where I was just moments ago was now taken up by the fire pouring out from the wounds of the centaur. The shaman, Gi Za, tried to snuff out the fire with his wind, but like pouring water on hot stone it had no effect.

The raging flames dominated those powerful winds that could tear apart even iron.

“Abominable… Humans…” The words that left the maddened centaur were full of hate.

Seeing it speak surprised me a bit, but it didn’t change my resolve to kill it.

The flames looked for me, but Gi Za’s winds altered its direction, opening a path which I took. It was scorching hot, so hot just the

winds were enough to burn one’s skin and keeping one’s eyes open was nearly impossible. I called the black flames upon my sword once more.

If I could get past those red flames, I would be able to reach the centaur’s body. It won’t die with a sword to the chest, so this time I’ll have to take its head.

But when I was about to take the centaur’s head, the flames pouring out from its body tried to slam into me like a blunt weapon.

—How!?

Spitting the same words in my mind that Gi Za spat a while ago, I met the red flames with my own black flames, but I immediately regretted it. It was foolish to try and cut flames with a sword, yet contrary to my expectations, when my sword met the flames, I felt a weight behind them, and I was able to deflect them.

—A chance!

Quickly changing my thoughts, I took back my sword and held it underneath my arms as I ran for the centaur’s head.

I swung my sword with great power. If this hit, even its bones would surely be crushed.

But in that instant, something suddenly wrapped around me and the centaur, a white something… Spider threads!

“Ku!?” I said in surprise.

“…GYaaRURUAAaa!” The centaur howled.

“What are you doing, Lord Nikea!?” Gi Ji asked.

The thread wrapped around me and the centaur clearly came from her legs.

“It would be better if we could take him back alive,” she said.

Those words poured cold water over our intense battle.

So that’s what she was planning!

Nikea calmly pulled on her threads despite my glare.

“My threads are the toughest among our tribe. They cannot be cut no matter how strong one is. Goblin King, do not waste your strength,” Nikea said as she watched me struggle.

The assassin, Gi Ji Arsil, pointed his blade at her. He said in a cold voice, “Do you intend to harm the king? Release him at once!”

“I forgot to mention this, but…” Nikea began to say.

It was then that I noticed the centaur in pain. A closer look would show that the threads wrapped around it had turned purple.

“My threads have toxin in them. If you hurt me even a little, a powerful poison will enter your king,” Nikea said.

Suddenly, the threads wrapped around the centaur burned.

“Impossible! It’s been treated several times with water spider oil!” Nikea cried out in alarm.

It seems the situation has turned for the worse.

I wonder if I can get rid of these threads wrapped around my sword with Enchant.

“Turn Me into a BladeEnchant!”

I called forth the black flames and cut off the threads.

“!? That’s… Impossible…” Nikea cried.

I cut off the rest of the threads even as I ended up cutting myself a bit.

Just as I managed to free myself, the spear of the centaur approached. I deflected it with my sword clad in black flames.

Looks like I really will have to kill this guy.

“Abominable… Humans!”

Those words seething with hate resounded right in front of me as the spear descended and clashed with my sword.