Chapter 21: Battle (10)

Chaos.

If one was to describe this scene in simple terms, the word chaos will naturally come out.

The goblins running in front of each other collided. The exchange time was very short. It only lasted for a moment.

There wasn't even a winner.

The one to finish off the survivor from that clash was a goblin from behind.

He attacked, swinging his fist and pushing the enemy goblin down. Without even checking if it's alive, he quickly spurred on forward.

The goblins that falls down regardless of whether it's alive or not, was stomped on by the ongoing pairs of feet.

Such battles are occurring everywhere in this land of trees. It couldn't even be seen as a battle.

Strangely, the ones who are dying all belong on the same side if one viewed it from the sidelines. The ones who were running just running forward to strike their foes were dying at an extremely fast rate.

At such battlefield, a man that is in tip of the arrowhead shines the most. The formation of the running goblins almost looks like an arrowhead. Piercing through one spot! Though in such cramped woods, it doesn't look like a sharp arrowhead.

When he punches, an enemy is sure to fall. When he grips, the enemy is sure to choke. For the enemy, this man is the very look of a demon!

Bam!

Loud noises of impact can be heard all around. The sound of bones breaking, dripping of blood and the breaking of twigs couldn't even be singled out now.

"Chwee!"

"Go! Push the enemy down and let the ones behind you die at their feet!"

The commander's orders on the charging side can be heard throughout the battlefield. The sound was faint but the goblins made sure to answer their commander through their actions.

The goblins from behind ferociously ran, strike, and stomp their feet. It's almost as if they are trying to catch up with him.

On the other side, no such orders or anything can be heard at all. It's as if the goblins were just running in front.

The reason for that is of course the large goblin in front.

'W-what is this! Who is that large goblin?!'

'That goblin! Isn't that a Baron?!'

'What...'

The leaders of the men that got and is still being mercilessly killed at the foot of their enemy, was eyeing the large man in front.

They viewed him as dangerous. The other goblins were just moving forward. It could be stopped when they went forward but that being in the very front...They were not confident.

In fact, all they had to do was to run in the same direction the goblins were running to. They didn't have uniforms or such to identify who sides with whom.

However as they were not used to such things, they couldn't give out such complicated orders. The goblins under them will probably not be able to understand it.

Furthermore, they were distracted at the large goblin, the king that was leading the charge.

"We can't beat that!"

One goblin said so as if to compile all of the opinions.

"What did you say?!"

"H-hwee!"

Raen, the Goblin Baronet and a member of the Black Race, heard his words. He brought his large fists down and punched the head of that impudent goblin. The goblin fell to the ground and didn't even suffer.

One shot.

That's all it took for Raen to kill a Goblin middle-rank.

The goblins turned pale after seeing their comrade. They tried to appease Raen's anger but to no avail.

"Go get him! All of you! Charge him with numbers! Kik! Kik!"

After hearing the order of Raen, their already pale face became even paler. They almost match the skin color of a light green goblin. They looked at the front to assess the situation once more but...

'I-it's hopeless...'

One thought was prevalent on all of them.

A demon that was killing everything on its path was in front of them and a tyrannical monster that spews out impossible orders on the back. Even though each of them was a goblin blessed by the battlefield, no one here will be blaming them for being scared.

Raen, seeing his subordinates not following his command, lashed out once more.

"If you don't move, I'll personally kill you!"

"Y-yes king!"

Knowing that Raen's temperament was bad, they all decided to just do it. After all, they couldn't escape. They just had to choose the greater fear to battle the lesser fear. And they chose the unknown goblin as the lesser.

"Cowards! Just a stray, tsk!"

Raen clicked his tongue.

The confidence he gained by having his subordinates to lick his feet in order to live was being demolished after seeing the scene in front.

He stared at the large goblin with cautious eyes and in that moment, he felt the large goblin's gaze. No, the goblin stared back.

While the goblin was smashing opponents with his fists, his eyes didn't back down at all. His eyes held strong resolve.

Raen felt a strange pressure coming from those eyes. He felt as if the world came down upon him. He faltered.

The ground beneath his feet caved in due to his weight, no, due to the pressure. He couldn't endure it.

Raen was trying hard to look back at the eyes that seemed so pure that none can taint it. None!

As he was looking in the eyes of the goblin, he felt fear for the first time. Fear!

That was a word beyond the understanding of Raen. His chest tightened.

His very soul felt like it was being gripped by a hand.

'W-what the hell is happening!' He was shaken.

The large goblin filled up his view.

Raen only saw the goblin.

Then, he said.

"King!"

Raen shouted.

"I am the king! Not you!"

He closed his eyes and his body shook.

Raen was fearless. He was braver than any other.

A being that looked down on him, he sneered at that being.

'No such being can exist!' He proclaimed within his own mind. He wanted it.

He wanted to be the king, the only being that can look down on other beings. The king!

To him, the king of the legends is just a ridiculous notion. He didn't believe in that kind of legend.

Raen only believed in himself, his strength, his rank, his achievements and the blessings of the battlefield.

The reason why he was exiled out of the Tabak Clan was because he laughed at the sayings of the old. That was disrespect!

Disrespect to the soon-to-be-born king and their God! However Raen didn't mind. In fact, he welcomed the exilement. He wanted freedom.

Using that freedom, he conquered, dominated and massacred all those that didn't obey him. Countless lives and honor were destroyed by his very hands.

That was Raen. Yet that Raen was cowering in fear. It took his all just to shout something but he couldn't take action. The pressure was making him crazy.

"Uahh!!"

Finally, the pressure broke Raen's mind.

He stomped out of the area to pursue that particular goblin's eyes. He wanted to crush it.

'This impudent stray dares to eye me?!'

In his madness, coupled with his intense anger, he charged through the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Hig and his group were moving around picking up something. They numbered a total of 15 goblins, the Elder included.

The group consists of the injured and the old goblins. The king told Hig that he didn't want the old to fight and so presented this plan.

Considering the members of the group, it was probably for the better that they weren't fighting on the frontlines however that is not the way of goblins.

"Hig, we already collected a huge amount. I believe this will suffice."

Looking at the ground that's decorated with a huge pile of rocks large enough to match a person's head made Hig satisfied. Seeing that, Hig nodded.

In front of them was the battlefield their tribe was fighting in. It was near but far enough to not be able to see them.

"Just to be sure, collect a bit more. After that, we just have to wait."

Looking at the distant fight, Hig murmured.

"The king is truly great."

****

"King!"

Shouting from his right side was Karkas and the one supporting him by his left side was Didi.

"What is it?!"

"The chieftains are on the move!"

Hearing the words that reached his ears, the king looked in front.

What he saw was the chieftains making their way towards him and Raen who was staring at him.

The king stared back at him. He knew that Raen was looking at him however he soon felt something that he should not feel towards his enemy and it made him feel rather awkward.

After a few seconds of staring at him, he soon shook his head and thought about it.

---Is that a clansman? He seems so familiar...

The king felt familiar towards Raen...no, towards his race. He didn't know what Raen was thinking when he was shooting glares when they didn't even fight yet but he sure enjoyed it.

---He's afraid of me.

Backed by his short but significant experience, he knew which of them the predator was.

---This proves it; he doesn't know how to fight.

The king was full of doubts regarding Raen's strength. The king knew what it means to fight against an enemy that knows his own weaknesses and strengths but an enemy that knows nothing but his predetermined strength, needless to say, is just cheap prey to him.

This doesn't mean he is underestimating Raen but this confirmed for the king that Raen was weaker than the wolf with all the benefits of his Race. He just had to create a situation similar to before and that was the main plan for this battle.

The king then turned around and said to his subordinates.

"Karkas, proceed with the plan! Didi will stay with me here."

"Yes king!" "Yes, my lord" They said simultaneously.

Karkas shouted with all his might.

"Turn left!!!"

Dududududu.

All of the sudden, the charging goblins that didn't know to back away even when they were full of injuries started to flood towards the left side.

Even though the enemy was superior when it came to numbers, they couldn't bring it all out. What with Raen's sudden order and the cramped forest.

As such, many goblins from the king's side was still alive. No, it would be better to say that only a few died.

And with the sudden turn about of the charge, the enemy goblins were flustered. They all looked towards the approaching chieftains.

"Chwee!"

"Give chase! They are running! They can't fight anymore!"

One of the chieftains, a Goblin Mid-rank, shouted out. He started to give chase personally after seeing the maneuver.

Boom!

"Where do you think you are going?!"

As he pushed aside the goblins blocking in his path, he heard a voice.

"Who are you!?"

Looking around, he desperately searched for the location of the voice. And what he saw was Didi together with the demon.

"Hee!"

He instinctively flinched. The normal goblins were turning left but Didi and the demon was staying.

'What do I do?! Do I give chase?'

He looked behind his back and saw his fellow chieftains stricken with fear and soon he saw that Raen started to move.

'Shit!'

Deciding that it is for the better to die on the battlefield, he charged straight through.

"Follow me! Crowd that large goblin and that cheeky goblin!"

He shouted with all his might, thinking that he could probably rouse his men however...

"W-what are you doing?! Move I said!"

Not a single goblin followed his order. The degree of fear on the goblins that were fighting on the frontlines is much greater than the ones watching at the back. There's no way they'll move.

"Hahaha! At this rate, we're going to get away!"

Didi provoked the angry chieftain. The goblins on their side already passed through them and they just had to follow.

"If you aren't going to chase..."

He didn't finish his words for he and the king soon started running after their comrades.

"Shit! Follow them!"

Knowing that the demon was running, the goblins then started to chase.

They thought that they were saved. They only had to run after the demon but of course...

A crueler fate awaits them on the other side of the battlefield.