It was nothing less of a shocking scene for the Goblin who stood still and rendered speechless.
he had seen all sorts of stuff in this crazy place, but this, this takes away the crazy in crazy, and adds in a whole new level of crazy, surpassing any other form of crazy he had ever come across.
A thoroughly deformed headless body, with holes in several parts, and all parts pouring out blood, moved not just a finger, but it's legs as well, as it walks itself out of the thorn it had been embedded in, and stood still, with its headless body facing the Goblin.
The Goblin had no time to bask himself in surprise at what the headless body had done. He charged at the body with rage, and sliced of the two legs with the thorn coming out of his palm, he also went ahead and sliced of the only arm left in the body.
"I don't know what in the fucking hell you are, but no way am I going to give you enough time to regenerate yourself back to normal".
The headless body with its legs cut off, fell on its knees helplessly. Just for insurance, in case the body won't die with just that, the Goblin placed his hand on the headless body's chest.
"this is really the end now, Goblin king. Skill activation, inferno touch".
The Goblin king's body, started to boil and bubble up, constantly changing form, with the sides growing bigger, and averting back to the shape its in, then bigger again.
It went on like that for some time, until the body could no longer handle it, and ended up exploding into tiny portions of meat, and the blood splattering itself on the Goblin's body.
What the Goblin had just done, is accumulate heat pressure in his hand, and transferring it into the body of the Goblin king.
when the heat pressure had gotten to a stage where it has completely filled up the body, and with the Goblin not allowing it to spread to other places other than the Goblin king's body, it leads to an overheating with the end result being to explode like it had just done.
He wasn't done yet, as he went over to the Goblin's head and marched it with his feet severally, shattering the head into multiple tiny pieces.
'Oracle.....'
The Goblin, wanted to make sure that he had done the deed for sure this time, thereby asking Oracle to confirm that it has been done. He cannot be too sure in a world were the word sure does not connotes its meaning.
"!!!".
"Goblin, Goblin, Goblin".
Before Oracle could give his master a reply, the desolate voice barged in, affirming the suspicion of the Goblin coming to reality.
"what..., what is it did I ever do to you that you just won't leave me be?....."
"why won't you just die like the rest of them did?...."
"what will it take, for me to finally send you on your way to the afterlife?..."
Turning his body to the direction where the voice had sprang up from, the Goblin saw another Goblin. Huge, but not as huge as the Goblin king or the Goblin generals, but far more than what the Goblin amounts to.
The Goblin, was naked with a cut on his neck. It also seemed like the cut had bleed out a lot, as traces of blood could be seen from his neck down to his lower body.
"I told you Goblin, I have taken an interest in you, and it is going to take more than this to kill me".
"i have survived and avoided death multiple times, one Goblin isn't enough to stop me from continuing my streak".
"nothing is ever going to stop me from having you Goblin, not even when death evades me".
The Goblin, fell down with despair in his eyes, bashing the ground with his fist while looking hopeless.
He had done everything he could think of, destroyed the Goblin king's body into several pieces, making it impossible for him to ever regenerate with whatever skill he has. But somehow, he is still not dead, and has come back in the form of another Goblin.
What the Goblin is sure of, is that the Goblin the Goblin king has come back as, is among the Goblin hoards he had killed, and proof of that, is the mark on the neck of the Goblin that looks exactly like the mark gotten from his thorn when he was fighting the hoard.
The Goblin king now in a new body, moved near the Goblin wallowing in despair, and started patting his head.
"accept your fate Goblin, the moment I had my attention on you, you had already become mine to own, and nothing is going to change that now".
The Goblin king is right, no matter what the Goblin does now, he knows it won't change anything. The body the Goblin king is currently inhabiting, is a body he had killed earlier, meaning it is already dead.
Even if he does blow the body to pieces like he did the first time, the Goblin king is only going to end up inhabiting another body, and from there, will mark the beginning of a continuous loop, and there is nothing the Goblin can do to stop it. Not even his strength can put an end to the circle.
'is this what is meant by, power cannot solve everything?....'
The Goblin thought, feeling pathetic with himself. He had overpowered the Goblin king, made it out safely, but he still can't nip it in the bud. There is only so far he can go with his powers alone, now he knows that for a fact.
If power can't solve it all, then he has to adjust to making use of his brain. He, is a former human, a race that managed to dominate the world with brains alone, despite living amongst a lot of animals with bigger brawns.
'Oracle'.
[yes master].
'do you have any knowledge on how, he is able to shift his consciousness into another body after having his own body destroyed'.
[what he is transferring, is the soul master].
[with my observation on him, I have come to several conclusions of what skills he might be using].
[i had a vague idea after seeing him try to heal with a breathing technique, but now I am more sure than ever after witnessing his transference of soul into a different body].
[master, the Goblin king, is a soulmancer].
'.....'
[a soulmancer is a job that deals mainly with souls like the name implies].
[by killing and collecting the souls of another, is the work of a soulmancer. And the Goblin king, judging from what he has done, is no ordinary soulmancer, but an high level one].
[whenever he is in a battle, he strengthens himself with the souls he has collected, adding their levels to his and with that he is able to increase his power output by several folds, temporarily reaching to the realm of an half spiritual entity].
[when he was badly wounded, the breathing he was doing, was using the souls to heal his outer appearance, absorbing the souls into his own soul to enhance all his abilities, including the healing ones and physical ones].
[before becoming a soulmancer, one must have total control over one's soul. So when he died, he transferred his consciousness over to his soul, and directly used it to control his body].
[when master destroyed his body beyond repair, he was able to easily transfer his soul to another body, dead or alive].
[soulmancer is a powerful and yet hazardous job, with the only downside being the amount of souls the soulmancer can absorb at once].
[too much soul absorption will indeed increase the soulmancer's capability beyond belief, but it will also risk having the soulmancer's soul getting corrupted by the souls].
[as a soulmancer, one must watch the amount of soul they can use at once, or they become corrupted and lose themselves in it].
[so far, the Goblin king had been able to match master's pace as an half spiritual entity, by infusing himself with souls].
'so all in all, you are saying, no matter what I do, he is only going to continue transferring his soul to another body?....., then does that not make him immortal'.
[no master, he is ose to being immortal with the ability to shift his soul into another physical body, but he is not an immortal, because there is a definite way to kill him].
'i an listening....'
[a soul present in the physical world, can only maintain its position in the physical world through inhabiting a physical body].
[if it stays too long in the physical world as a soul, it will end up wearing itself out, and die with no chance at rebirth].
'destroying all lifeforms nearby and leaving him with no body to take over in time, is that what you are saying?.....'
[yes master. The conclusion I have come to, is that you need to destroy this dungeon and everything in it if you ever want to stop the Goblin king].
'that, that is impossible for me Oracle'.
'destroying the Dungeon?, do you have any idea how big it is?.....'
'i have been here since day one, and not even I have a perfect layout of the width and length, and I have to tell you, I have walked to all sorts of nooks and crannies of this place'.
'not even a floor, but the whole dungeon?..., it's like you are telling me to destroy a place the size of earth'.
[no master, the Dungeon is not as big as your home planet, but it is as big as the two largest continents on your planet joined together].
'see, and that is what you are telling me to destroy'.
'its impossible for me Oracle, I...., I can't do it'.
[no master, you can].
[master's fire attribute is an attribute focused on destruction before anything else].
[with one blast, master can continuously fuel it with your mana attribute, leading to an extensive irregular explosion big enough to engulf the whole dungeon].
'and, any side effects'.
[yes. To destroy the Dungeon, master will need to expend all mana in master's core].
'is that all?...., what about my mana, will I ever get it back, or is it the same as naming a monster'.
[master will surely get to refill his mana, but it will take a while to make a full recovery, and until then, master will have to be in hybernation].
'until when...'
[years master, it will take years for master to refill the inferno core and wake back up].
'what...., what about Tarja, will she survive it'.
[master, every lifeform in here needs to be eliminated if you want to stop the Goblin king from ever getting his soul into another physical body].
'and miss dragon.....'
[she will survive it master. The Goblin king's soul would know better than to mess with her].
'but, what about him extending his range of body take over to outside of this dungeon'.
[that will not happen master].
'how can you be so sure of that'.
[master, after my observation on this dungeon, I have come to discover that just like the tomb, the Dungeon itself is also in a separate dimension with its entrance linked to another world].
[the Goblin king's soul is not at a level where it can breach through dimensions, just like the teleportation skill].
'are you sure about this'.
[i am certain master. Destroying this dungeon, is the way to putting an end to the soul of the Goblin king].
'i see'.
"sigh..."
The Goblin sighed into the air at the faith he is being dealt with. Oracle did predict he was going to win, but end up being vulnerable, he never thought this was what it meant.
The Goblin king, picked up the Goblin by the neck with one hand, and turned in the direction of his base.
"I told you Goblin, I always get what I want. Time is all it takes, and that time is all I have".
"yes, yes you are right. Your persistence on getting me is enough to tell me that".
"you were right about having a firm resolve. You resolved your self to getting me, and you walked towards achieving it. Unlike me whose resolve is too weak to decide on a particular thing".
"but not anymore, not anymore. Because henceforth, I am making a resolve of my own".
"hey Goblin king....."
The Goblin had finally put his thoughts together, and become sober enough to talk to the Goblin king.
"i know your secret, I know how you have kept yourself alive".
"!!!!!"
"you would have indeed achieved your resolve, if you hadn't messed with the wrong person that is".
"you are right, you are not immortal, at least not completely".
"killing you, is surely hard, but not impossible. sacrifices is all it takes to make it a reality".
The Goblin king stopped walking, and brought the tiny Goblin in his hand closer to his face.
"it doesn't matter what it is you think you know, or want to try, but it's not going to work on me".
"there is only one way we are going to find that out".
"Oracle...."
[yes master].
The Goblin, hesitated before giving out his next command to Oracle.
"I leave it all up to you".
He said, with a calming, heartbreaking, sorrowful expression.
"goodbye dungeon world, I will be leaving you for a little while, and Tarja, forgive me for bringing you with me in hopes of giving you a chance at survival only to end up killing you".
[With Master's permission, Oracle will now be taking over].
Oracle having taken over, placed his hand on the hand the Goblin king was using to hold his neck, broke the inner bones by just pressing his finger through the skin. The Goblin king, couldn't control the broken arm and had to let go of his hold on the Goblin.
The Goblin king, moved back ready for a second round with the Goblin.
"i see you still want to keep on fighting me, but I can assure you, it will always end with m..."
Oracle, had taken to chopping his head off before the Goblin king could finish his words.
With the Goblin king done for, he took his next action before the Goblin king revives himself in the body of another dead Goblin Hoard.
He stretched his two hands forward, slowly seeping out his mana and concentrating on spreading it to all corners and floors of the dungeon.
" skill activation, inferno Elemental, chain explosion".
This took it a while to achieve, and when it was done, it started a chain of explosion like the skill had indicated, with the Goblin standing at the center of it all.
A massive wave of explosion was instantly triggered, taking the shape of a whirlwind ravaging and challenging the ocean's might, except here it applies to forest full of trees, lit consumed by the fire at an alarming speed.
The explosion spread with the Goblin as its maker, covering the grounds and devouring everything it touches. Animate and inanimate, none were safe in the face of the tempestuous flames that kept on fueling itself with the mana being supplied by the Goblin.
***
"where?....."
He said out loud, looking all around him for possible clue as to where he might be.
"stomp!!"
He heard a footstep behind him, and he turned back with his guard up, ready to fight back.
"miss dragon, it's just you".
He said, looking at the black haired beauty putting on a black radiating gown matching with her glowing face.
"i am glad you are here, you know for a second there, I was worried you were going to be caught in the explosion Oracle had made".
"funny right?...., even though I know how strong you are, I was still helplessly worried about you. I have to be the biggest dumbass in the world for that".
Not a word from her mouth, she slowly walks up to the Goblin as the Goblin kept on rambling with a low spirited tone and expression.
"do you by chance know where this is, and why it's all white?....,"
"wait don't tell me..., am I in heaven....., did I die for real this time?....."
"Oracle never said anything about me dying, it only said I was going to be in hibernation for years".
"this, this wasn't a part of our deal".
She got to the Goblin, and without saying a word, crouched herself down, and brought the Goblin in her arms, embracing him tightly while patting his bald head.
"my poor child....., I do hope this lifetime will be one that brings you joy and happiness".
"uhhm..., miss dragon, are you okay".
The Goblin confused as to what the woman was talking about, asked her with a worried tone.
She skipped over the explanation course and continued with her words, not minding the confused expression on the Goblin's face , she rambled on.
"Orun...., that is your name my child, I want you to treasure it and live up to it".
"please my dear child, live a more fulfilling life this time. Never seek Vengeance, and only seek the light with which will fill you with happiness".
"this, is a plea from a mother to her child. Please my dear son".
With her final words, her body slowly starts to turn into white particles, disappearing into the air.
"miss dragon..., what are you talking about?..., miss dragon, miss dragon..."
The Goblin called out, as she left his embrace, wanting to ask what it is she is talking about, but his time was cut short as her body slowly starts to float into the air, breaking into smaller white pieces of dust.
He reached his hand out futiley to her wanting to grab unto her clothes, but before he could, she had all turned to dust and left him all alone.