Chapter 136: Joining The Fight
Golden feathers drifted through the ruined streets. Smoke rolled overhead, lit faintly from below by scattered lanterns still clinging to cracked archways. Buildings continued burning, and the sounds of screams, roars, and clashing weapons echoed throughout Dawn.
Vedas walked at the front, and behind him marched the entire Crownwall Tribe. Every Goblin wore ancient golden armor alongside the Direwolf accompanying them.
Not a single Goblin spoke.
They simply followed Vedas.
As they moved deeper into the city, frightened Goblin civilians slowly emerged from collapsed buildings.
One little Goblin rubbed his eyes. "...Mom."
The mother slowly looked up to see Golden armor and feathers. Then she saw Vedas rushing through the burning streets with countless golden figures behind him.
Her lips parted. "...We’re..." She couldn’t finish.
The little Goblin suddenly let go of her hand and ran toward the road. "More Goblins!"
The mother panicked. "No!"
Before she could stop him—
One Direwolf gently lowered its head.
The little Goblin happily patted its golden armor and the Direwolf simply wagged its tail. The child’s laughter echoed through the ruined street.
Soon another child stepped outside.
Then another.
The crying slowly disappeared.
One elderly Goblin suddenly dropped to both knees. "Reinforcement... There really is more."
Another Goblin blinked. "We’re going to survive."
The sight alone began raising morale throughout the city.
The army reached a large intersection where multiple streets branched off, and without slowing, Vedas calmly raised one hand.
He pointed toward the western district, and immediately several Goblin Hunters broke formation, Direwolf Riders following them.
He pointed toward the breached wall, and heavy fighters immediately peeled away. He pointed toward the rooftops, and Goblin Archers leaped upward, disappearing from sight. He pointed toward another district engulfed in flames, and another group instantly changed direction.
Nobody hesitated or asked questions.
Everyone already understood their role.
The massive army behind Vedas steadily became smaller.
One hundred.
Seventy.
Fifty.
Until only ten Goblins remained.
Suri and the Goblin Hunters who had fought beside Vedas against the Hobgoblin Chief. The same companions who had cleared the Veridian Secret Realm together.
The street suddenly became quiet. Vedas slowed, then stopped, and the remaining Goblins stopped behind him.
[King Aura].
Golden light erupted outward.
The street disappeared beneath it.
The light flowed through every cracked road, broken building, and forgotten alley.
BOOM!!
One Stone Guardian burst from beneath the earth. Then another and then another until entire streets exploded upward. Then buildings split apart as massive stone hands reached into the air and Goblin Statues stepped from forgotten halls.
Golden mist gathered before one Spectral Warrior appeared and then countless more appeared with them gripping their weapons.
Every one of them looked toward Vedas.
Then every ancient defender knelt.
The sound echoed throughout Dawn.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The Crownwall Tribe froze and even the Direwolves stopped moving.
Suri whispered, "They’re bowing."
A Goblin Hunter muttered, "To the Chief."
Gruk quietly corrected him. "To their King."
Every ancient defender remained kneeling.
Waiting.
Waiting for a command they had not heard for centuries.
Vedas looked over the city once more that was being destroyed and he quietly raised one hand. "Protect our people."
...
Nothing happened.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOM!!
Every Stone Guardian exploded forward.
One crashed through an entire row of burning buildings. Another leaped over a collapsing bridge. Goblin Statues sprinted through streets that had been silent for centuries. Golden mist burst apart as Spectral Warriors vanished in every direction.
A frightened Goblin mother stumbled through a burning alley, desperately shielding two children beneath her arms.
Behind her a Behemoth raised its massive fist. She squeezed her eyes shut.
Before the fist could fall—
BOOM!!
A Stone Guardian burst through the wall. And then its shoulder slammed into the Behemoth hard enough to send the giant monster crashing through three buildings.
The mother slowly opened her eyes.
The Guardian never looked at her.
It simply pointed toward a safer street.
Then charged after the Behemoth.
Elsewhere...
A collapsed tower began falling toward dozens of fleeing civilians.
A Goblin Statue stepped beneath it.
One hand caught the entire structure as stone cracked beneath its feet. Yet it refused to move.
The Goblins hurried underneath.
Only after the last child escaped did the Statue gently lower the tower. Then it immediately continued running.
On another street...
Three wounded Hunters collapsed as a Spectral Goblin appeared beside them. Without saying a word he lifted one Hunter onto his shoulder.
Another onto his back.
The third supported himself against the warrior’s arm.
The Spectral Goblin silently carried all three toward the Healers.
...
Vedas continued walking as if nothing extraordinary had just happened. And as he walked, the goblins who had been hiding close to the throne began looking out to see him.
One frightened Goblin slowly stepped out from behind a collapsed building, clutching his daughter tightly.
Then another family emerged.
Then another.
Nobody spoke, they simply watched the golden figure walking through the ruined streets. Golden feathers drifted around him like falling sunlight.
"W-Who’s that..."
"I think... That’s our King." A Goblin teenager blinked and then his eye widened. "I-I recognize that sword! It’s our Chief, Vedas! He has evolved again!"
These words made those around me freeze before their eyes widened in shock.
A little Goblin girl tugged on her father’s sleeve."Did Vedas really evolve into our King?"
The father stared for a long moment as he didn’t know. He had never seen a Goblin King before.
Yet...
Every instinct inside him answered before his mind could.
"...Yes."
The little girl smiled before without another word began waving her hand with a smile and cheering them on. The father hesitated only for a second before doing the same with a soften expression.
Street after street, more Goblins stepped out from hiding.
Nobody had been summoned.
Nobody had been ordered.
Yet one by one they quietly stood to the side and stared at the golden figures in awe. Some lowered their heads. Others simply watched him with tear-filled eyes.
For the first time since Dawn had begun burning hope walked through its streets. And the people followed behind it.
...
Across the western district, Direwolf Riders leaped over collapsed buildings.
One Fire Lizard lunged toward a crying Goblin girl.
She froze as the beast’s jaws opened.
Then—
A Direwolf crashed into its side.
The Fire Lizard smashed through two walls.
Before it could stand three Goblin Hunters landed around it.
One spear. Two swords. One axe.
All of them slashed out attacks simultaneously and cut through the Fire Lizard before it collapsed.
The little Goblin stared. "They... saved me."
One Cronwell Goblin Hunter simply smiled. "Stay behind us."
The Cronwell Hunters charged again.
...
A Crystal Serpent climbed onto the rooftop, its crystal-covered body slithering over broken stone as its jaws slowly opened.
The Goblin Archers didn’t panic.
One calmly drew his bow.
THUNK!
An arrow buried itself deep inside the serpent’s left eye.
The monster hissed violently but refused to fall.
Instead it lunged.
THUNK!
A second arrow disappeared straight through its open mouth. The Crystal Serpent’s body twisted violently as it lost control. It slipped from the rooftop and crashed toward the street below.
Waiting beneath it...
A Stone Guardian slowly raised one massive hand.
CRACK!!
Its fingers closed around the serpent’s skull before slamming the creature into the ground hard enough to split the stone road.
The Guardian crushed the monster’s head like fragile glass and crystal fragments exploded in every direction. Before the body even stopped twitching...
The Archers had already turned away as another Fire Lizard was sprinting through the next street.
"Third alley!" One Archer shouted before every bow shifted and all of them released their arrows.
THUNK!
THUNK!
THUNK!
Three arrows crossed the sky together.
The Fire Lizard stumbled.
A pair of Cronwell Goblin Hunters burst from the smoke. One slid beneath the beast and slashed across its legs while the other leaped high into the air. His spear came crashing down and thrust into the beast.
BOOM!!
The Fire Lizard collapsed.
The Crownwell Goblins never celebrated. "Next street!"
They immediately disappeared into the smoke.
...
The southern district had become complete chaos.
Wounded Hunters stumbled through ruined streets while Healers desperately dragged civilians away from burning homes.
A Titan Boulder Ape charged forward, raising both fists toward a group of exhausted Goblins.
Before the fists could fall—
CLANG!!
A Spectral Goblin Warrior stepped forward. His ancient shield absorbed the impact. The force shattered the street beneath his feet but the Spectral Warrior never moved.
One exhausted Hunter stared. "...Thank you."
The ancient warrior didn’t answer and instead, he lowered his shield.
The Hunter immediately understood and he smiled. "Let’s finish this."
The Hunter rushed past him and the Spectral Warrior blocked before the hunter struck with his sword.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each attack landed through the opening the Spectral Warrior created. The Titan Boulder Ape roared before collapsing onto its knees.
A Cronwell Goblin Hunter immediately appeared beside them. "Move!"
The Hunter jumped aside and the Cronwell Hunter spun once before driving his spear directly through the Ape’s throat.
Blood erupted.
The monster crashed onto its back.
Nearby...
A wounded Goblin Healer struggled to carry an unconscious child.
A Goblin Statue silently stepped beside her.
It lifted an entire collapsed wall with one hand.
The Healer hurried underneath.
Without slowing...
The Statue continued walking beside her like an unmoving fortress.
Elsewhere...
Another Spectral Warrior picked up a wounded Hunter who had lost consciousness.
A Cronwell Hunter cleared the path ahead.
Stone Guardians smashed apart charging Beasts.
Goblin Statues protected the streets.
Spectral Warriors rescued the wounded.
The Cronwell Tribe hunted every monster that slipped through.
For the first time...
The defenders of Dawn weren’t merely surviving but fighting together. Across every district, the Beasts stopped advancing. One by one they were being pushed back.
A Crystal Serpent suddenly stopped advancing.
It looked toward the streets.
One Fire Lizard had fallen.
Then another.
Then another and the endless Goblin screams had become Beast screams instead. For the first time since entering the city, the invading army hesitating.
...
Mithra swung her sword downward.
BOOOOOOM!!
The Behemoth beneath her exploded into the ground. She landed on its chest and looked toward another street. Golden armor flashed through the smoke.
A group of Cronwell Hunters sprinted between burning buildings while Direwolves leaped over piles of rubble.
Mithra smiled. "They are actually here? Amazing..." She didn’t need another explanation. Only one Goblin could have gathered every tribe together.
The one that was close to becoming a King.
And the one who made the greatest connection with them.
"Good job... Vedas." She slammed another charging Beast away before laughing. "Now let’s crush them."
Melo rushed above another rooftop. She watched a Cronwell Hunter throw his spear through two Fire Lizards before calling it back with a chain attached to the weapon.
Her eyes sparkled. "They’re stronger. All of them are."
She giggled happily.
"They’ve been training this whole time."
...
Sun drove his spear straight through another Crystal Serpent and the monster collapsed.
Kong suddenly began laughing.
Sun frowned. "What?"
Kong pointed frantically toward the distant streets. "It seems there is another miracle other than my evolution."
Sun blinks before quickly following his finger and then his eyes widened. He saw familiar Goblins in golden armor, either riding Direwolves or running beside them.
"...No way." He rubbed his eyes. "They are... Could they be the tribe Arthur and mention they met in Veridian Realm."
Kong nodded. "They should be, somehow they are here."
More Goblins emerged from the smoke.
Then more.
Then even more.
Sun slowly laughed. "Hahaha... How is this possible?"
"I don’t know but it’s awesome!"
Sun nodded. "We might really be able to push them out this time."
Kong nodded as he smashed a Fire Lizard into the ground before blasting a Titan Boulder Ape through another building.
Sun grinned. "Well we still can’t let them show us up, now can we?"
Kong grinned. "Let’s go!"
Both of them rushed out as they clashed more with the beasts near the wall.
...
Lightning exploded across the sky.
Arthur crossed spears with the Thunderbird Chief.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The shockwave blasted both apart.
Arthur slid backward across a rooftop before catching himself. His eyes swept across the city and heard the screams of the Goblin were disappearing. Instead, he was hearing cheers, battle cries, and even laughter as smoke still covered the city.
Arthur couldn’t help smiling. "I knew you’d figure something out."
He caught a glimpse of golden feathers drifting above the rooftops. And then he once again recalls the Goblin that had once struggled to hold a wooden spear.
Now he walked with a golden weapon and an army marching behind him.
Arthur laughed. "You’ve gone farther than either of us imagined."
The Thunderbird Chief screamed and vanished into another bolt of lightning.
He lowered his stance as a grin slowly spread across his face. "Looks like we’re winning."
He launched himself forward.
Above the city, this long battle continued changing.
...
Forax and Silverline continued destroying everything before them. Five minutes had passed when Silverline suddenly frowned. "Something feels wrong," she said.
Forax burned another building. "I noticed," he said.
Silverline listened carefully. The screams were becoming fewer. Instead she heard cheering. Weapons clashing. Victory cries.
Forax stopped walking. "Impossible," he said.
Then something stranger happened. The Spectral Goblins stopped attacking, and instead began carrying away children, Healers, Elders. Goblin Statues did the same.
Forax laughed. "Buying time?" he said.
Silverline smiled. "It won’t matter," she said.
The two Chiefs calmly followed, planning to finish everyone.
One Spectral Warrior slowly walked toward the center of the road.
Then another.
Then another.
Stone Guardians planted both feet.
Goblin Statues lowered their swords.
Nobody attacked.
Nobody moved.
They simply formed two endless lines like soldiers preparing to welcome someone.
Neither Chief understood.
Forax tilted his head. "What are they doing?" he said.
Silverline narrowed her eyes. "Waiting," she said.
"For?"
"That terrible feeling we felt minutes ago," Silverline frowned.
Then golden light began spreading across the street and the ruined road glowed. Golden feathers drifted through the smoke before every Statue straightened and very Spectral Goblin lowered their head.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
The lone figure of Vedas slowly emerged through the golden light. Behind him walked ten Goblins clad in ancient golden armor, each one carrying themselves with complete confidence.
The two Beast Chiefs instinctively stopped walking. Neither understood why, but neither took another step.
Forax narrowed his eyes. "So," he said. "You’re the one behind all of this."
Silverline studied him carefully. For the first time since entering Dawn she felt something she hadn’t felt in years.
Danger.
Vedas said nothing because no words could fully explain the rage he felt after knowing what those two have done. His golden eyes calmly met theirs, and the entire battlefield became silent. Even the wind seemed to stop. Golden feathers drifted between them.
Two Beast Chiefs.
One Goblin King.
The revenge was about to begin.