Seeing Zoe dodge the attack, the goblin high priest did not delay. It leaped onto the back of a nearby giant goblin, preparing to relocate.
Meanwhile, Vera swooped down from the air and unleashed her frost breath.
The ground froze solid, and one goblin after another was turned into ice sculptures. The freezing frost breath swept past the icy figures, heading straight for the goblin high priest.
“Gagu!”
The goblin high priest let out an angry roar and raised its bone-carved wand.
Another dark-attribute beam shot forth, colliding with the frost breath in mid-air.
The frost breath was quickly swallowed by the dark-attribute beam, forcing Vera to hastily flap her dragon wings and dodge to the side.
The goblin high priest let out a few mocking shrieks, trying to provoke the arrogant nature of Vera, a dragon.
However, Vera was entirely unmoved. Seeing that her strongest frost breath was useless, she quickly realized she was no match and flew off directly, choosing instead to continue chilling the area with her frost breath from a distance.
If I can't freeze you solid, I'll still freeze you to the bone!
Vera, after all, was the wisest white dragon.
“Gagu! Gutless white dragon!”
Zoe was already closing the distance on Dark Wolf. The goblin high priest merely spat out an insult before continuing to back away.
Acid: Heart-Piercing Needle!
Zoe spat out sharp steel needles enveloped in acid, piercing straight toward the back of the goblin high priest.
The goblin high priest quickly spun around and blocked the steel needles with its wand.
But that momentary delay was enough to bring it within Dark Wolf's attack range.
It was currently night, the absolute domain of Dark Wolf.
Shadow Bind!
Pitch-black tentacles rose from the darkness, tightly binding the goblin high priest in place.
The goblin high priest hurriedly waved its wand, transforming its body into shadow to break free from the shadow tentacles.
Dark attribute against dark attribute.
Then let's try my Dragon Flame.
Dragon Flame Bullet!
A Dragon Flame Bullet infused with eight hundred mana was spat out, tearing through the darkness in an instant. Under the intense heat of the Dragon Flame, the shadow that the goblin high priest had transformed into was forced back into physical form.
Staring in terror at the incoming fireball of Dragon Flame, it thrust its bone-carved wand into the earth.
Dark Magic: Shadow Wall!
A massive amount of shadow seeped out from deep within the earth. Guided by the power of the ground, it condensed into pitch-black shadow stone, sealing the goblin high priest inside.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, the Dragon Flame burst. The shadows evaporated instantly, and the goblin high priest was rapidly carbonized by the flames, dying in an instant.
[Killed Mid-tier Monster: goblin priest Lv.28, Experience +100]
[Experience is full. Your level has increased to Lv.25]
[Constitution +2, Free Stat Points +2]
With the commanding goblin high priest dead, the entire goblin force immediately descended into chaos.
Dark Wolf leaped over to the corpse of the goblin high priest, and Zoe quickly devoured it.
His mana, which had fallen below one thousand, began to rapidly recover as digestion took place.
Zoe had no intention of sparing the remaining goblins. He continuously unleashed large-scale Acid and Corrosive Gas Slashes, harvesting one goblin after another.
The monster army of the Slime Territory also fought with wild abandon, crushing the goblins one by one.
The battle rapidly tipped in Zoe's favor.
Seeing their imminent defeat, the remaining goblins lost all will to fight. Terrified, they fled westward toward the main goblin army's position.
Zoe did not allow his monster army to pursue them too far. Once he confirmed they were driven off, he reformed the ranks and tallied the casualties.
Because Zoe had broken through the goblin phalanx and eliminated their commander in time, the monster army's casualties were light.
They had suffered fewer than a hundred casualties, most of whom were injured, with only thirty-four dead.
Compared to the goblins losing over half their numbers, this was an exceptionally successful outcome.
The gates of Hera City did not open to welcome them inside.
Instead, the guard captain had his men lower him down from the wall in a basket, bringing him directly before Zoe.
“Thank you for your assistance, Lord of the Slime Territory. I will forever remember your kindness, as will Hera City and its people.”
The guard captain's nervousness was written all over his face.
“Puji.”
[I hope you can remember what you just said.]
Seeing that Zoe was capable of communication, the guard captain breathed a sigh of relief.
“You saved my life. I will never forget this kindness.”
After speaking, as if to prove his sincerity, the guard captain unclasped a necklace from his neck.
The necklace was made of silver and gold, inlaid with an emerald of exceptionally high purity that seemed to bear some sort of inscription.
“This is an heirloom necklace passed down in my family. My father gave it to me on his deathbed.”
“My father said that if the gemstone is immersed in dark yet pure flowing water, its hidden secrets will be revealed.”
“Though it is likely just a baseless rumor, this gemstone is of immense value and should be worthy of your status.”
“Please accept this as a token of my personal gratitude, humble though it may be.”
Zoe extended a tentacle and took the pendant.
He felt no magic from the pendant, but in terms of material value alone, this gem was definitely not cheap.
A gemstone of such high purity would easily tempt nobles and mages to collect it, even at a price of five hundred gold coins.
“Puji.”
[What is your name?]
“Leo, I have no family name.”
The guard captain hastily offered his name.
[The Slime Territory will always welcome you, Leo.]
Zoe leaped from Dark Wolf's back back onto Vera's.
Combat allowed Zoe's skill mastery to grow rapidly.
Zoe's [High-speed Regeneration] and [Devour] were only a tiny bit of mastery away from being completely maxed out.
He needed a battle of sufficient intensity to fill that final gap in mastery.
“Puji.”
[Dark Wolf, lead the army to fight on the outskirts. Do not engage in the center of the battlefield.]
“By your command, my Lord.”
Dark Wolf nodded.
Sending the monsters of the Slime Territory to reinforce Hera City was purely to make a good impression and establish familiarity.
He had no intention of letting the subordinates who swore allegiance to him truly risk their lives.
[Vera, take me to the west gate.]
The true battle was likely about to begin.
...
“City Lord, two separate armies of over a thousand goblins each are simultaneously attacking the north and south gates!”
On the main battlefield, hearing the grim news from the other two gates plunged everyone into despair.
“What should we do, City Lord!”
“We have absolutely no forces left in the city to reinforce the north and south gates! The guards alone cannot possibly hold them off!”
“Once these two goblin forces break into the city, the consequences will be unimaginable!”
Jaden clenched his fists.
“Reallocate forces immediately to reinforce the north and south gates!”
“Damn it, this is my failure. I have failed the citizens of Hera City...”
But in truth, everything was going exactly as Jaden had calculated.
By this time, the north and south gates should have already fallen.
Once the massacre within the city commenced, his foundation of soul power would be secure.
After that, all he had to do was gather the souls of these goblins...
“Report! Fresh intelligence! The north gate has held!”
Huh?
Had he heard wrong? How could the north gate have held?
The soldiers on the main field erupted into cheers.
“What happened?”
Jaden asked urgently.
“A Sacred Circle Knight led a reinforcing army of two hundred monsters from the Slime Territory, utterly crushing the one thousand goblins and slaying half of them!”
That woman!
How? Why had she returned? And how did she have a reinforcing army of monsters?
And what was with the Slime Territory? He did have intelligence on them.
But wasn't that just a monster territory established late last year? How could this be?
Jaden struggled to calm his racing heart. Even if the north gate had held, he still had the south gate.
While the soul power gathered from a single gate's massacre might be somewhat lacking, he should still be able to scrape together enough.
“Report! The south gate has also held!”
“The Lord of the Slime Territory led five hundred monsters to repel the goblin army, slaying more than half of them!”
Another wave of wild cheers erupted.
Jaden opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only force out:
“That is truly wonderful.”
Rate on N.U.
