CH 17

The spectacle that is unfolding is truly one of war.

While sheltering in what appears to have been a hastily assembled position, the humans are forming a flanking formation, obeying the orders of their commanding officers to deter the goblins from approaching their positions by firing their rifles in rapid succession. Furthermore, it can be witnessed that they are occasionally utilizing marksmanship skills such as ≪Firebolt≫ and origin-specific skills such as ≪Blast≫.

The goblins, on the other hand, are simply capitalizing on their superiority in numbers… or not. They simply charge and shield themselves with the corpses of their comrades. Even goblin mages and goblin archers who are competent in long-range attacks are not performing their respective roles. In all likelihood, the goblins won’t even succeed in reaching the humans’ position.

I have to confess that the spectacle before me is unexpected. I didn’t expect the “Demon’s Fortress” side to be this dim-witted.

“Whew. I guess there’s no helping it. First, I’ll disintegrate the human side to create a rough‐and‐tumble fight.”

Simultaneously activating ≪Short-range Teleportation≫ and ≪Fog Cloak≫, I advance to the rear of the captain on the human side and execute a swift blow using ≪Decapitation≫. After confirming that the opponent died before he could scream, I once more invoke ≪Short-range Teleportation≫ and shift to a place out of sight of the surrounding people before they can fully recognize my figure.

“With this, a human has died so far.”

Owing to my action, the battle situation has been disrupted, and the goblins are able to reach the camp through the gap at that one point. However, no deaths seem to have ensued due to a human with a barrier-type skill stepping forward immediately.

“What happened!?”

“I don’t know! The enemy appeared out of nowhere, and then suddenly disappeared!”

“There’s a teleporter out there! Detection team, scan the perimeter immediately!”

Hmm. They don’t seem to be in such a state of fluster. It would be better if it were slightly more chaotic for me to make my move… but on top of that, you also have detection skills? It can’t be helped then.

“Detection initiated! Sca… guh!”

“Gah!”

“Aah!”

Whew. That was dangerous. All I had to do was quickly fly behind the five members of the detection team and deliver a single stab to the heart and head, but as expected when dealing with this many people, it was a close call. Nevertheless, I can’t let my presence be widely noticed just yet. At this rate, the human side will start crumbling. There must also be a reduction in the number of goblins.

“(Activate ≪Fog Cloak≫ and ≪Short-range Teleportation≫. Continue with ≪Decapitation≫.)”

“Gii!?”

“Gah!”

“Abeshi!”

I have finished disposing of two goblins and a goblin mage. Although I have a feeling that one of the goblins produced a bizarre scream at the end, I pay no attention to it. Hmm… It seems that the boss (the king of the hot-blooded idiot) has shown up. I shall advise the leader of the human side.

Even so, I wonder how much of a hot-blooded idiot he is that he can detect my presence without using any skills. Is his sensing stats that high? I would be interested to have a look at his status.

While deactivating ≪Fog Cloak≫, I activate ≪Short-range Teleportation≫ in such a way as to blend in with the human crowd. Once the ≪Fog Cloak≫ is undone, I, who am clad in military gear, can mingle with the humans.

Then, I covertly approach the person I assume to be the captain and whisper a few words in his ear.

“The Demon King is approaching. As we are powerless to stop him now, it is advisable for us to retreat.”

And before the captain can respond, I teleport out of the dungeon.

As for “Why did I teleport out of the dungeon?”, that’s because I have over-hunted the goblins. Besides, if one of them escapes, the remaining humans can easily escape as well.

“The Demon King is approaching. As we are powerless to stop him now, it is advisable for us to retreat.”

“Who is this!?”

By the time I replied to the voice I abruptly heard, the owner of the voice was already gone. And then I sense the presence of a formidable entity. I see, this is certainly a dead end. If this is the case,

“All units, fall back! My unit will serve as the rearguard! Listen up! Calm down and retreat! There shall be no more casualties in this struggle!”

I use my ≪Command≫ skill to impose orders on the entire army compelling them to act regardless of their opinions. Although it is plausible, it seems that the other members of the force also recognize the presence of the Demon King, according to the mysterious voice. They promptly but unflusteredly withdraw from the area.

And just as soon as the rest of the team steps out of the labyrinth with the rearguard, that guy emerges with a thunderous bellow.

“I see… That is indeed the Demon King.”

When I behold his figure, I understand that my judgment has not been flawed.

“Goddamn youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!! Don’t you dare freaking run away from me! You f**ing pieces of sh*t!”

When I have arrived at the entrance of the dungeon, it is scattered with the corpses of my goblins, and the humans are on the verge of evacuating. Moreover, from the looks of it, there are only very few humans that have been slain.

“Gaaaahhhhhh! I’ll have you all remember this! This ‘Demon King of Dominating Herculean Strength’ will definitely wipe you all out someday!”

As I stomp and crush the floor closest to me, I let out a screech while intimidating the goblins surrounding me.