VOLUME 2: CHAPTER 136 – SYLPH UNIFICATION WAR XI (1/2)
Status
Race Goblin
Level 59
Cla.s.s King; Ruler
Possessed Skills Ruler of the Demon Children of Chaos; Defiant Soul; World Devouring Howl; Sword Mastery A-; Dominator; King’s Soul; Ruler’s Wisdom III; Household of the G.o.ds; One-Eyed Snake’s Evil Eye; The King"s Dance at the Edge of Death; Magic Manipulation; Soul of the Berserk King; Third Impact (The Third Chant); Warrior"s Instinct; Blessing of the Underworld G.o.ddess; Guided One
Divine Protection G.o.ddess of the Underworld (Altesia)
Attributes Darkness; Death
Subordinate Beasts High Kobold Hasu (Lv77); Gastra (Lv20); Cynthia (Lv1); Orc King (Bui) (Lv82)
Abnormal Status Blessing of the One-Eyed Snake; Protection of the Twin-Headed Snake
Living trees opened the northern gate from inside, revealing the crimson bloom of the red burning flames within. A smile surfaced on my lips, but the cruel thoughts that lingered within my mind, made that smile come out cold and cruel.
“The demihumans are allies! Those who surrender, capture them! Those who fight, end them! Go!” I led the horde through the gates while I swung Flamberge from my shoulders.
“Don’t let the goblins leave you behind! Onwards!” The araneae, Nikea, said from the darkness.
Fire spread to the trees, dyeing the elven village in the red hue of the flames. It seemed it wouldn’t be long before the flames burned everything.
“At this rate, the village will…” Some elves spoke among themselves anxiously.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the leisure to hold back. The enemy forces are at least twice as big ours. On top of that, they’re outfitted with superior equipment. We have to fight like this if we are to win.
“Defeat the enemy quickly, then extinguish the flames. If you’re worried about the village, then defeat the enemy first!” Fei told the anxious elves.
His words were reckless, but they were agreeable words.
If we don’t defeat the enemy here, setting the village on fire would have been for naught.
“Let us settle things here once and for all!” Fei said.
With that his men finally showed some resolve.
As the elves picked up their bow and sword, I ran after Fei and ran alongside him.
I thank him for getting the elves in order, but he shook his head and said, “It wasn’t for your sake. Someone had to tell them, and we couldn’t possibly push that onto Master Shure.”
He nocked an arrow as he ran, barely stopping even as he shot it toward the elves.
A worrywart for his master, huh.
“WooOON!” Cynthia, a daughter of the fang tribe despite being born away from it, led the pack of gray wolves to the south ahead of us. Behind her were the giant gray wolves as they made their way for the Fang Tribe.
“”Gi Jii Yubu! Move your forces from the north to the west! Limit the enemy’s escape route!” I commanded.
“As you command!” He responded.
The battle demon, Gi Jii Yubu. He has grown enough that I can now feel at ease leaving one side of the army to him. The newly evolved rare goblins, Gi Ah (One Who Encroaches into the Divine Region), Gi Ii (Explorer), and the Ferocious Gi Ba are with him as his a.s.sistants.
“Gi Ji Arsil! Move your forces to the east and stop the enemy at the south! Don’t get caught in the fire!” I commanded.
“As you will!” He responded.
Ru Rou and Hal from the tribes are with Gi Ji Arsil. The araneae chieftain, Nikea, is with him as well.
I’m a little worried, but he should have more than enough firepower to take down some panicking elves.
“Rashka, Fei, Gi Za Zakuend! Lead your forces and follow me! We’re going south!”
“My fists will make songs out of their skulls!” Rashka said.
“Very well!” Fei said.
“Exactly as I was hoping for!” Gi Za Zakuend said.
Like that we followed after Cynthia.
Our army consisted of elves, normal goblins, and even druids, which the shaman, Gi Za Zakuend, led. The wind magician, Gi Do, and the water magician, Gi U, are under him well.
Rashka is following me because I couldn’t think of anyone else he’d be willing to follow. As a member of Gaidga and their chief, his power as a duke cla.s.s is something to fear.
Gi Jii has just recently become a n.o.ble and Gi Ji has only started to get his feet into commandership, so since I couldn’t leave Rashka with anyone, I decided to just take him with me instead.
As I ran while giving commands, Shumea ran up to me.
“Boss, let me go too!” She said.
The distant fire illuminated Selena’s face, who was behind her.
“Sure, I don’t mind. Though it sure is rare to hear something like that from you,” I said.
She wasn’t the type to seek battles out on her own.
—Oh I see… It must be because of that person Selena is looking for.
“Don’t worry, we just have some errand to take care of!” Shumea said as she took Selena with her and left, spear in hand.
She could have asked for my help, and yet she didn’t. She probably considers it something personal.
But I did promise to help…
“Fei, can you send someone to go with them?” I asked.
“Would 5 be enough?” Fei asked.
“Yes!”
At Fei’s behest, 5 elves followed after the two girls. I couldn’t send goblins, as they might end up causing needless battles.
I thought the strong winds would blow the fire, spreading it even more, but it seems the roads and the wide plazas in the village have kept them from spreading.
Well, that’s alright. We have more than enough chaos.
“To victory! Onwards!!”
I led my army to meet up with Mido in the south.
◆◆◇
Fires rarely broke out in elven villages. One reason was because they hadn’t fought wars in a very long time, and another reason was because of the forests’ barriers. Besides, how could fire be likely to occur in the elven villages, which were blessed by the wind and water G.o.ds themselves?
But unfortunately for the elves, their unrest had changed the barrier.
That was especially true for Sinfall, where the elves had built gates and walls with living trees to make a fortress of sort. Of course, the alterations made wasn’t enough to affect the barrier spanning the whole forest, but it did affect the arrangement of the giant trees. And that was enough to alter the blessings of the wind and water G.o.ds. Like that, the elven villages, once impervious to fire, became fuel for the red blooming flower that was fire.
Fortunately, they had a central plaza, which separated the southern and northern districts, keeping the flames from spreading too quickly. But to the elves who weren’t used to fires, that was irrelevant.
When the elves saw the billowing smoke and the red burning flames, many of them chose to flee. Those who couldn’t fight fled to the north, while the warriors, despite being intoxicated, moved about haphazardly as they looked for their platoons.
Of those elves, the ones who fled to the north faster than the others ended up clashing with Gi Ji Arsil’s forces. With the fire yet distant, the ones who ruled the darkness and fought ferociously were Nikea and her araneae.
By grinding a subspecies of glowing moss, and then using that as medicine, the araneae were able to see despite the darkness and were able to put up threads around the area, allowing them to intercept the fleeing elves.
“A mere swing of our blades will not suffice to thank the Forni elves for all that they’ve done!” Nikea said.
At that, the araneae used the threads they’d set up to run the village’s outer walls, raining attacks on the unsuspecting elves from above. In no time at all, the fleeing elves were subjugated.
The elves had run as fast as they could, not even bothering to take any belongings with them. Because of that most of them didn’t even have any armor. Their bows were all that they had.
With their sharp claws and their nimble bodies, the araneae made short work of the elves. Yet even scarier than the cl.u.s.ter of araneae was Nikea, what with her claws dripping with poison and her threads that entangled the elves.
The araneae weren’t the only ones attacking the elves, however. While the araneae were attacking the elves, Gi Ji Arsil and his goblins aimed for the elves’ throats from the darkness.
After failing to infiltrate the human fortress and meeting the orcs, Gi Ji learned the importance of number. And so, after returning to the Fortress of the Abyss, he requested for normal goblins to be given to him.
He trained those goblins during their march here, and somehow he managed to make it in time. This war would be their first battle. Lurking in the darkness, they jumped for the throat of the weakest looking prey from the flock.
Gi Ji and his group of specially trained goblins used their short swords to attack the elves from the shadows. They picked them off one after another, leaving the panicking elves as helpless as sleeping kittens. The resulting mental strain from fighting an opponent one couldn’t see was even greater than the actual damage dealt by Gi Ji and his gobs.
“Surrender! Or else you shall all die!” Hal declared on rider-beast-back as he led the Paradua goblins.
“Show the chief our strength! Onwards!” Dashka said as he led the goblins. Rashka’s partic.i.p.ation in the battle had greatly roused his spirit.
“Don’t hit your allies! Remember, we have our own battle!” The young Ru Rou of Ganra said as he led the lone archer unit of the goblins.
Like that Gi Ji Arsil’s battle at the east gradually moved down to the south.
At the same time, the elves to the west were also being pushed back by Gi Jii Yubu.
“Gi Ba, take 8 groups of goblins to the front, and stop the enemy! Gi Ii, take 10 groups with you and take a detour from the right. Gi Ba, take the enemy head on!”
Gi Jii Yubu gave precise instructions as he led the rare cla.s.s goblins.
“Boss, enemy, many coming,” Gi Ah reported after returning from his scout.
“So the main force is coming here? It seems we will be getting the tastiest part.”
Closing his eyes for a bit, Gi Jii thought of the terrain and their forces, then he struck his iron spear into the ground.
“At the behest of our lord, we shall drive the enemy to the south! Gi Ah, speed up the extermination of the enemy. Take 12 groups with you and attack the enemy Gi Ba is fighting with from the flanks!”
“Understood!”
As Gi Ah set off, Gi Jii set off as well.
“Pale Symphoria, was it? I think it’s about time I paid you back for all those defeats.”
As Gi Jii looked toward the south, he said those words. With resolve, he went down further south.
Tl Note: Chapter is quite long, so I’m cutting it into half. I’m stopping here, as it seems to be a good place to stop.
Thank you to all those who wished me luck and prayed for me during exam week. I hope and pray you all do great on yours too! – If you have. Of course, that extends to everyone as well.
Translations resume this week. There should be four chapters of GK (this counts as one) and one chapter of TMPG this week. I’m aware that there’s still another chapter that needs to be posted, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.
VOLUME 2: CHAPTER 136 – SYLPH UNIFICATION WAR XI (2/2)
Status
Race Goblin
Level 59
Cla.s.s King; Ruler
Possessed Skills Ruler of the Demon Children of Chaos; Defiant Soul; World Devouring Howl; Sword Mastery A-; Dominator; King’s Soul; Ruler’s Wisdom III; Household of the G.o.ds; One-Eyed Snake’s Evil Eye; The King"s Dance at the Edge of Death; Magic Manipulation; Soul of the Berserk King; Third Impact (The Third Chant); Warrior"s Instinct; Blessing of the Underworld G.o.ddess; Guided One
Divine Protection G.o.ddess of the Underworld (Altesia)
Attributes Darkness; Death
Subordinate Beasts High Kobold Hasu (Lv77); Gastra (Lv20); Cynthia (Lv1); Orc King (Bui) (Lv82)
Abnormal Status Blessing of the One-Eyed Snake; Protection of the Twin-Headed Snake
The elves running up ahead froze the moment they saw us. Some carried a babe in hand, others were unarmored women, some were elderly. Apparently, most of the noncombatants were fleeing through the north.
There were so many of them I didn’t know what to do.
“…Fei, can the elves take care of these people?” I asked.
“Of course!” He replied.
The gray wolves running up ahead under Cynthia’s lead cut a path through the elven crowd. We had to hurry, lest we wished to find ourselves drowned in this sea of refugees.
The elves probably won’t follow goblin leadership, but if it’s their fellow elves ruling – even if they are their enemies – they should be more compliant.
“Open a path! Don’t block our way!” I commanded.
When the elves heard that, they split into two groups, opening up the middle.
“Thank you, King of Goblins,” Fei said.
I looked at him oddly, not sure why he was being thankful.
Sensing that, he continued. “Though they come from different villages, they are still our brethren. We are much obliged that you have chosen not to harm them.”
“You don’t need to thank me. All I seek is victory, so don’t go start seeing me in some strange light.”
I have no intentions of ma.s.sacring the elves.
Besides, I actually want to fight with them as allies one day. Needless slaughter is best avoided.
Fei chuckled a bit when I said that, then we continued on our way.
Gradually, we neared the distant torchlight. As we did, more and more burning trees came to view. The wind that blew was already warm. Fortunately, the smoke billowed up above our heads.
The sooner this battle ends the better.
“Mido! Where are you!?” I called out as I searched for the leading actor of this battle under the crimson sky.
It was then that elven warriors stood before me.
There were about 50 of them.
“Surrender! Or die!”
As I said that, I filled my legs with ether and swung Flamberge. With a single stroke, the enemies outfitted in srilana equipment flew to the sky.
“We’re under attack! Enemies are coming from–”
I ran with the black smoke as cover, then I swung Flamberge – and with its great weight – cut down the screaming elf.
When I neared the elves, they looked blankly at me.
I warned you!
“Turn me into a blade!Enchant”
Ether coursed through the blade of Flamberge, giving rise to sonorous black flames.
First stroke.
In an instant, the black burning great sword cut the elves in half.
Second stroke.
Then in the next moment, it claimed their necks.
It didn’t matter how thick their armor were. Before Flamberge, they might as well wear leaves.
“GURUUuUoOoOAaOAaA!”
At the bellowing of the World-Devouring Howl, the elves cowered. I leaped for the elves, sword in hand, and though they tried to defend, Flamberge mercilessly took their lives.
I ran through the now open path.
“Follow the king!”
After I broke through the elves, the army behind me followed. There was no rest for the elven soldiers. In fact, it only got worse. For the shaman, Gi Za Zakuend, followed after me and used his magic to summon blades of wind, ripping the elves into shreds as the druids under Gi Za’s lead casted their own spells.
Srilana armor might have the ability to disperse ether, but that also has its limits. Once that limit was crossed, the srilana armor will no longer be able to protect its wearer. The elves cowered before the might of the druids.
“My fury howls!Slash
Then Rashka came along and sent the elves flying with his burly arms. Like a one-eyed fiend, he swung his club and wreaked havoc on the elves, stirring up a bath of blood and flesh.
“We will expand the opening the Goblin King has made. Three parallel shots! Fire!”
At Fei’s command, the few elves under him shot their arrows toward the enemy elves.
“WoOn!”
I looked up when I heard Cynthia’s cries.
“Mido! Are you alright!?” I asked.
As the light of the fire touched Mido’s body, it revealed his bloodied figure.
“Ah, ahh… If it isn’t the Goblin King! How about it? Wasn’t the result great?” He said.
“Indeed. With this, victory is ours. The only question now is how much further we’ll be able to push this advantage.”
“Today shall be a day of reckoning. Those who’ve sullied their hands with the blood of my brethren will pay!”
“WooOON!” Cynthia barked.
“Y-Young lady! You actually came!”
One moment, Mido’s face was like that of a devil’s, then in the next moment, his face was like that of an excited little boy.
It didn’t last long, however, as he quickly a.s.sumed that scary face again.
We were still in the middle of a battle.
Once, the gray wolves Cynthia led meets up with the Fang Tribe, we will be changing our attack patterns.
Gi Ji and Gi Jii are fighting at northeast and northwest respectively. Their battles should be progressing downwards. Naturally, that means the enemy will have to respond accordingly, or they could get caught in the smoke and head north.
We came here to the south to meet up with Mido, but more than that, our real objective was to hit the enemy from behind.
East or west? Which one should we attack from both sides first?
—East, huh.
*THUMP THUMP. For a moment, Verid throbbed.
My warrior’s instincts are telling me to go east, but in any case, the only difference is which one we get to first.
“Eliminate the enemy to the east. Follow!”
◆◆◇
The whole village went into an uproar as it caught fire.
“By the G.o.ds… They’re willing to go this far?” Felbi muttered in disbelief.
Pale agreed with him though she didn’t bother to voice it out.
The distant fire seemed like it would cover the whole village in the blink of an eye.
Pale’s face was as cold as ice, but inside, her brain was running as fast as it could to devise a plan. The fire they were seeing was coming from the south.
Pale might have experienced a fire or two herself, but most elves hadn’t. They looked on blankly at the scene before them.
“The village is burning…” They muttered.
Pale had overcome many fires with her adventurer friends in the human world before.
She spoke firmly to stifle the unrest she was feeling. “We can still make it!”
“But the village is…” The elves argued.
“That fire won’t go beyond the south. Remember! What is the geography of the village? There are roads and a plaza in the center, right? The fire from the southern side won’t be able to cross those. The northern side should be safe.”
Pale’s words managed to persuade the elves.
“However, this fire was probably started by someone. We have to make a decision, Felbi,” Pale said.
“W-What?” Felbi asked.
“Are we going to fight? Or are we going to flee? Make a decision.”
Pale’s gaze shot through Felbi. Pale was feeling partly responsible due to her failure to predict this sort of counterattack. In the end, however, the commander was Felbi. He had to be the one to make the decision.
Pale could only watch intently at the male elf commander as she awaited his orders.
The initiative has already been taken by the enemy. Be it momentum or position, the enemy is superior in all fronts.
But they haven’t lost yet.
A fire burned within Pale, though at the same time, reason told her they should flee. That wasn’t a wrong choice, but they could still fight.
Without the chiefs pulling her around, she would be able to fight as she pleased. Of course, they would be fewer than the enemy at the start, but if they could confine the enemy within Sinfall, they might eventually be able to turn the board against them.
Pale refused that tempting voice that sought to convince her to fight. The one calling the shots wasn’t her but Felbi. That was her excuse, at least.
“…Do you think the chiefs have fled already?” Felbi asked.
“With this fire they’re probably still in the process of—” Pale responded, but Felbi spoke again before she could finish.
“In that case, we fight!” He said.
When Felbi said that, Pale closed her eyes for a moment.
This battle was their loss, but she had a duty to make mitigate their losses as much as possible.
“There will be many casualties,” Pale said.
“I know,” Felbi nodded.
Pale began organizing the soldiers. “First Platoon to Sixth Platoon, equip yourselves with swords! Seventh and Eighth, bring your bows! The first and second platoon are to bring their armor as well! Soldiers who can use water magic are to report to me! You will be the keys to our victory.”
Their formation this time around was much more melee-oriented compared to normal.
“May we all live through this. The blessings of Chenzhen (Forest G.o.d) to all!”
The soldiers spoke after her.
“With Za Ruga (G.o.d of Bows) !”
“Glory to Iren (Water G.o.ddess) and Castor (Wind G.o.d)!”
The soldiers under Pale were filled with morale.
They went straight south for the village, picking up other soldiers along the way.
“Gather under the flag of Symphoria!” Felbi said as he led the army.
As he did, he made sure to put the wounded and the able into different groups. Those who couldn’t fight were put on standby at the back. They hurried even more to where the flames were.
By the time they got there, the flames were already walls of flames.
“The demihuman units have rebelled? Felbi! From here on, consider all of the demihumans enemy!”
Though the approaching demihumans were few, Pale still trembled. With the demihumans’ rebellion, 200 soldiers were taken from their forces and added to the enemy’s. All that was left was the 300 soldiers under her and the scattered soldiers.
“Cast water onto the flames! Create a path!”
The water mages forcefully separated the elven warriors from the demihumans and extinguished the flames. After a big enough path was created, Pale and her soldiers left the area.
They made their way toward the village while fighting a hard battle and paying attention to the direction of the wind. From time to time, when the black smokes were low, they would use magic to stir it up, allowing them to make their way with the smoke as cover.
Breaking through the wall of flames, Pale ordered her soldiers through the opened path.
On the other side, the village was still standing.
“It deviated to the west a bit!” Pale muttered to herself.
They could still do this, she told herself.
There were some elves surrounded by goblins.
“Save our allies! First Platoon to Third Platoon, attack!” Pale commanded.
“Alright! Let’s go, boys! Attack!” Felbi said after Pale.
The moment Felbi led the vanguard to fight the goblins, Pale gave orders to the archers at the back.
“Watch our allies. High-angle fire, two shots!”
Pale drew her bow as well.
“Fire!”
At that, the goblin encirclement broke, but before they could finish them off, they retreated.
“They’re getting used to this, but… We can’t lose yet,” Pale said as she confirmed the situation.
The scope of the fire wasn’t that big. They should be able to save several of their brethren.
“Felbi, keep going and push back the goblins! Archer unit cover them! Fourth to Sixth Platoon, you are to rescue our brethren!”
After saving their allies, they asked them were the chiefs were.
When they responded ‘East’, for some reason, Pale’s eyes went dark. That was a long way away, but they had to do it. After collecting herself, Pale started handing out orders again.
“First Platoon, Second Platoon, watch the rear. Third Platoon to Sixth Platoon, you are to rescue our chiefs! Forward!”
The heavy infantry – the First and Second Platoon – were to suppress the goblins, while the light infantry were to save the chiefs.
Like that Pale headed east with the elves they’d saved as their guides.
◆◆◇
After crushing about three elven platoons, the battle demon, Gi Ji Yubu, received a powerful attack, causing their encirclement to break.
“This is…”
The force of these new enemies were clearly much greater than before! They were faster, stronger, and had high morale! But more than anything else was that powerful pressure they exuded!
Gi Ji Yubu knew this pressure well. After all, he had lost the king’s soldiers countless times to it. He couldn’t possibly forget it.
Gi Ji grit his teeth. “I’ve been waiting, Pale Symphoria!!”
He held his spear so tight it seemed like he was about to crush it, then he ordered his men. “Reform battle lines! Gi Ah, Gi Ii, hold position until Gi Ba finishes retreating, then retreat in order!”
The goblin forces that had become panicked because of the raining arrows gradually fixed their formation.
A fire burned within Gi Ji, but despite that, his mind was perfectly clear.
“Gi Ah, Gi Ii, spears at the ready! Take a detour through the left and attack the enemy inside the flames!”
The fire was gradually nearing the back of Pale’s soldiers, but it was also burning the village.
The soldiers at the vanguard were equipped with armor as usual. Neither spear nor sword could really get through them.
If so, then the most they could do now was to attack them inside the flames even if it means incurring damage themselves. That was the only path to victory.
Gi Ji gave those orders after immediately realizing that.
“Nu!?”
But just when he thought the enemy would push toward them, they suddenly retreated. In fact, the light infantry that were suppressing them all this time were actually moving east.
“You intend to go to our lord?”
Gi Ji thought the enemy was aiming for the king.
“I don’t believe our lord will lose, but… As long as I’m still standing, you can forget about touching the king!”
For the sake of the famed name of Gi Gu Verbena, Gi Ji, who had been given authority over the king’s army, could not allow the enemy to run from in front of him.
“Gi Ii, take the vanguard and pursue the enemy! Don’t let them near our lord!” Gi Ji commanded.
The explorer, Gi Ii, led his goblins and pursued the enemy.
“Gi Ah, Gi Ba, you are to take the enemy from their flanks!”
After the three rare-cla.s.s goblins went their way, Gi Ji ferociously laughed.
“My lord, soon I will be able to offer you Pale Symphoria’s head.”
◆◆◇
I went south according to my warrior’s instinct. I counted the time we had left after glancing at the fire approaching from behind, and then I prompted the soldiers to move faster.
As we pa.s.sed by the trees the elves used for their dwelling, the enemy elves came to view. They stood close to each other in a tight formation.
“Go! Trample them!” I commanded.
As I swung Flamberge, Rashka ran alongside me.
“I’ll be going ahead!” Rashka said with a fierce smile.
“You wish to go ahead of me? Then go! But don’t ever stop, Rashka!” I said.
“Ridiculous! Who do you think you’re talking to? In front of me, even the mountains will make way!”
A black light filled the two clubs in Rashka’s hands.
“Clad me in violence’s dignity!Ra Gilion”
Black light gathered onto the two clubs, and then it shot towards the tight formation of the elves, scattering them.
“Anyone who stands in my way will be crushed!” Rashka’s bellowing declaration made the elves cower.
As I watched Rashka’s gallant figure create an opening with brute force, I ordered the soldiers. “Follow Rashka! Slaughter the enemy!”
Battle cries resounded from behind at my command.
The srilana armor of the elves were crushed before Rashka’s brutish strength. When his clubs swung down, helms were crushed. When his clubs swung up, elves went flying. Even the heavy infantry wasn’t spared.
One of the elf groups stood out. Heavy infantry surrounded numerous gaudily dressed men. They were probably the bigwigs.
Good! If we get them, we can put an end to all this!
“The enemy’s leaders are there! Take their heads and put an end to this war!”
At my behest, the elves, the Gaidga tribe, the demihumans, the normal goblins, everyone followed after Rashka and wreaked havoc throughout the battlefield.
—255 days until the war with the humans.
Tl Note: Second part of the last chapter. This counts as a chapter. Two left to go!