God Agent: All Hail The Great Kobold

On the other side of the battlefield, the fight had completely devolved into chaos. The carefully organized formations that had existed only minutes earlier were gone, replaced by individual clashes between kobolds and goblins fighting wherever they could find space. Spears clashed against crude blades, clubs smashed into shields and bodies fell beneath the feet of those still fighting.

The narrow tunnel amplified every scream and battle cry, making the entire passage feel like a living beast roaring in pain. Blood had already spread across the ground, making every step slippery, but nowhere was the battlefield more concentrated than around Ka’z.

The young kobold stood several meters away from the main clash with fifteen hobogoblins surrounding him from both sides. Brox and Lucy stood at the front, while the remaining goblins spread themselves carefully around them, making sure Ka’z had nowhere obvious to escape.

They had already seen enough of the boy’s capabilities to understand that numbers and positioning were necessary. He might be young, but he had already fought Grash and survived long enough to stop the chieftain twice. None of them intended to make the mistake of underestimating him.

"He’s determined, I’ll give him that." Brox said with a deep frown as he slowly studied Ka’z from head to toe.

He remembered the battle from two days ago clearly. The young kobold had stood against Grash despite knowing almost nothing about the goblin’s true strength. He had been defeated quickly once Grash became serious, but before that happened, Ka’z had forced the chieftain to acknowledge him twice. For someone so young to possess that much courage, strength and knowledge of the Words of Power was abnormal. Brox had no intention of becoming another corpse scattered across this tunnel because he assumed a child was harmless.

Ka’z remained silent.

His blood red eyes swept across the goblins while the world around him appeared stained beneath a crimson veil. Every movement seemed sharper than usual. He could see the slight tightening of muscles before an attack, the shifting of feet against the ground and the subtle movements of hands gripping weapons. Yet despite having the opportunity to strike first, Ka’z hesitated.

His problem wasn’t fear, it was his own magic.

Ever since awakening Blood Magic, Ka’z had noticed something deeply disturbing about it. Whenever his emotions became overwhelmed by anger, hatred or desperation, the power seemed to respond on its own. It had happened when he interrogated Rok. At first, Ka’z had only wanted to torture the goblin for lying about Grash’s arrival.

Instead, the Blood Magic had awakened.

Ka’z had felt every drop of blood inside Rok’s body as though it were his own possession. He had pulled it without thinking, and only after everything was over did he realize that Rok was dead. The goblin’s body had been completely drained, leaving Ka’z staring at the corpse while struggling to understand what he had done.

He hadn’t intended to kill him. At least, not that quickly.

That memory remained fresh in his mind, especially because of the warning attached to Blood Magic. Continued use would slowly alter his appearance and corrupt his core, eventually cutting him off from the Orthodox elements he had spent so much time learning.

Ka’z didn’t want that.

Fire, earth, wind and the other Orthodox elements were too valuable to him. He had no intention of sacrificing them simply because Blood Magic happened to be powerful.

But that was exactly what made the situation so frustrating.

Whenever the Blood Magic began awakening, Ka’z felt stronger. The sensation was intoxicating, as though every limitation placed upon his body had suddenly disappeared. His muscles felt lighter, his senses became sharper and his strength surged far beyond what his body should have been capable of producing. Resisting that power meant fighting with restraint, but surrendering to it meant risking everything he had built.

Ka’z slowly clenched his fist.

’If I resist it, it will hinder my fighting capabilities. And I can’t afford to make a mistake here.’

His gaze moved across the fifteen hobogoblins again.

They were not ordinary goblins. Every one of them possessed a physique comparable to a heavily trained human warrior, with broad shoulders, thick limbs and powerful bodies developed through years of combat. Their numbers alone were enough to overwhelm him if they managed to surround him properly.

Brox suddenly rolled his shoulders and shifted his massive iron club from one shoulder into both hands.

"I’ll take the initiative. You guys support." Brox spoke without looking away from Ka’z.

The other goblins immediately adjusted their positions and nodded. They had already learned that Brox was the best person to initiate against an opponent like this. His physical strength was overwhelming, and his massive club could break through shields with a single swing.

Lucy tightened her grip around her bow.

"Be careful. We already lost Tal and Poh to carelessness. I can’t afford to lose another friend." Her voice was stern, and the pain behind those words was impossible to miss.

Brox’s expression softened slightly.

For all his arrogance and rough behavior, he understood what she meant. Tal had died because he rushed ahead without thinking, while Poh had been crushed because he believed his speed would be enough to overcome Tong’a. Brox had watched both happen and he didn’t intend to join them.

A small smile tugged at the edges of his lips before he nodded calmly.

"I know."

He turned his attention back toward Ka’z and began walking.

Huff!

Ka’z slowly exhaled.

The breath left his lungs in a controlled stream as he lowered his center of gravity and began walking forward as well. Neither side hurried. Their footsteps gradually became synchronized as the distance between them disappeared.

Thud.

A few seconds later, they stood directly opposite each other.

Brox towered over Ka’z, his massive frame casting a shadow across the young kobold. His iron club rested beside his body while his thick fingers tightened around its handle. Ka’z looked tiny by comparison, but there was nothing small about the murderous gaze burning within his crimson eyes.

"You have guts for a kid your age, I’ll give you that." Brox said before calmly raising his iron club.

The weapon rose above his head and it descended ruthlessly.

Swoosh!

The massive club came down with enough force to shatter bone and crack the stone beneath Ka’z’s feet. Brox expected the young kobold to dodge.

Instead, Ka’z raised one hand.

BAM!

His palm caught the iron club and the impact sent a violent tremor through the ground, but Ka’z’s arm barely moved.

Brox’s eyes widened and Lucy’s jaw dropped. The surrounding fighters momentarily stopped fighting as their attention snapped toward the two.

Golden scales had emerged across Ka’z’s palm and forearm, thick and overlapping like natural armor. They covered his fingers and crawled up his arm, their surface reflecting the dim light of the battlefield.

Dragon scales!

Brox’s expression slowly hardened as he pushed downward with both arms. His muscles bulged beneath his clothing, and his feet dug deeper into the ground as he poured more strength into the weapon.

Yet nothing happened.

Ka’z didn’t move. The boy’s arm remained completely rigid while Brox’s expression shifted from surprise to disbelief.

How could a two year old possess enough physical strength to stop him?

Ka’z’s crimson eyes narrowed.

"You talk big for a pile of trash!" Ka’z said, his voice low and filled with restrained fury.

Brox’s face twitched.

The insult struck harder than the resistance. His pride as one of the strongest warriors in Grash’s elite group had just been challenged by a teen barely old enough to be considered a proper warrior.

"In your entire pitiful clan, only Grash can stop me." Ka’z snarled.

Brox’s face immediately twisted with rage.

"You lizard swine!"

The mana inside his body surged violently.

His muscles expanded beneath his clothing as veins became visible across his arms and neck. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the sudden increase in pressure as he attempted to overpower Ka’z through sheer physical strength.

But Ka’z wasn’t standing still. Something else had begun moving around them.

Blood scattered across the battlefield moved. Thin streams began crawling across the ground, slipping between the feet of fighting warriors and flowing toward Ka’z. Blood from fallen kobolds. Blood from wounded goblins. Blood that had already soaked deep into the earth.

One stream became several and several became dozens.

The surrounding fighters noticed them only after the crimson liquid began climbing over Ka’z’s feet.

"What the hell...?" Lucy whispered.

Ka’z’s eyes widened slightly as he felt the blood entering his body.

His scales began glowing crimson as the blood flowed beneath them. His muscles tightened, and the pressure radiating from his small body increased so rapidly that even Brox instinctively shifted his footing.

Ka’z’s crimson eyes burned brighter as the hesitation that had plagued him moments earlier began disappearing beneath the overwhelming sensation flooding his body.

He knew this power was dangerous. But right now, surrounded by enemies and with his colony fighting for survival, Ka’z couldn’t afford to hold himself back.

His fingers slowly tightened around Brox’s massive iron club.

Blood Magic: Blood Empowerment!