Chapter 110: The Hunt Begins
The Blazefang Lion stepped forward, its burning eyes locked onto the village. Then it roared.
Not at them. Into the forest.
Another roar answered. Then another. Then another.
Arthur immediately understood. "It’s calling the rest," he said.
Nobody wasted time. Arthur thrust one hand forward, and golden light burst from the King’s Mark.
"Guardian Shield."
A massive golden dome expanded outward, spreading over the entire clearing, covering everyone gathered there. The golden energy continued thickening until they resembled the walls of a fortress.
Arthur didn’t even look back. "Nobody leaves until we come back," he said.
Every Goblin immediately nodded.
Arthur lowered Dusk. "Quickly," he said.
The combat team exploded forward. The Lions leaped first, moving with the raw, unthinking hunger of predators that had never once needed to be clever. Arthur sidestepped one and drove his spear through its side in a single thrust. It crashed into the ground.
Before it could rise again, Vedas was already there.
[Armor Piercing]
His spear punched straight through its skull.
Another Lion came from the side. Kong caught it in both hands, spun once, and threw it into two more Lions charging in behind it. Sun appeared a half second later.
[Point Shockwave]
Boom. The blast sent all three crashing into nearby trees.
Above them, a Lion leaped toward Mithra. She calmly sidestepped, and Kusa flashed once. The Lion landed, then slowly split apart.
Melo’s tails shimmered, and several Lions suddenly charged toward empty forest, chasing nothing but illusions.
Athena watched through Athy overhead. "They’re spreading out," she said.
Arthur nodded. "Good."
Within moments, the first wave lay dead around them.
Then another roar echoed, much closer this time. Arthur looked toward the forest. The trees were shaking, not from one Lion, but from dozens moving through them at once.
Arthur didn’t hesitate. "We’re leaving," he said. He pointed toward the glowing trail. "I’ll lead."
No one asked why. If Arthur said that was the way, that was the way.
Arthur immediately began running without looking back. Vedas stepped forward, his voice cutting across the battlefield.
"Goblin Riders. The children. Now."
Instantly every Goblin Rider moved. Children, the elderly, the injured, and every last supply were loaded with surprising speed.
"Hunters. Rear formation."
Every Hunter fell in behind the convoy without a moment’s hesitation.
"Mu Tribe. Protect the left. Su Tribe. Right side. Yan Tribe. With me."
The entire convoy shifted at once.
Arthur looked back only once.
He expected confusion.
Instead—
The Mu Tribe immediately shifted to protect the left without needing another order. The Su Tribe spread across the right, already searching for blind spots between the trees. The Yan Hunters naturally fell into the rear, protecting the convoy exactly as Vedas had instructed.
Nobody argued.
Nobody hesitated.
It wasn’t three tribes trying to work together anymore. It was simply one army.
Arthur smiled to himself. "...They’re getting used to it."
Raku noticed the smile. "Our Prophet."
Arthur looked over. "What?"
Raku laughed. "You’ve been telling us to trust each other since the beginning."
Arthur blinked. "I did?"
Mara nodded. "You also kept throwing us into impossible situations."
Arthur thought about it. "Weren’t those normal?"
Behind them, Luka laughed. "It wasn’t but it did work though."
Arthur looked back at the convoy again. "Yeah, it did."
The convoy rushed into the forest, and Arthur followed the golden trail without slowing. Branches whipped past. Roots rose beneath their feet without warning. The trail constantly shifted direction, and Arthur changed course the instant it did. Everyone followed. Not because they understood the path. Because they trusted him.
The Lions caught up quickly. One burst from the trees, and Arthur jumped.
[Magic Burst]
Boom. His spear erupted with mana, and the explosion threw the Lion backward. Vedas appeared beside him a heartbeat later.
[Armor Piercing]
One clean thrust. Dead.
Another Lion lunged. Sun spun Long.
[Point Shockwave]
The invisible blast knocked it sideways, and Kong caught it midair before slamming it into the ground.
The convoy never stopped moving.
Another Lion burst from the undergrowth.
Before Arthur could move—
Three Mu Hunters reacted together.
One spear struck the Lion’s shoulder. The second swept its front legs. The third finished it before it could recover. The entire exchange lasted only seconds. The Hunters immediately returned to formation without waiting for praise.
Arthur watched them. "They’re already faster than last time."
One Hunter overheard him. "We’ve been practicing."
Another grinned. "We didn’t want to be a burn, so every moment we got was spent on training."
"Nice." Arthur smiled.
The Hunter smiled proudly. "We listened."
Another Lion burst from the trees before the another Hunter could return to formation. But then a Yan Hunter reacted first and lowered his spear to thrust.
Before he could thrust—
A Mu Hunter suddenly stepped in front of him and his two swords slashed down, cutting into the Lion. The beast stumbled to the ground and the Mu Hunter shouted. "Finish it!"
The Yan Hunter didn’t hesitate.
His spear drove into the Lion’s neck.
The beast trembled before the light faded from its eyes.
"...Thanks," the Yan Hunter said.
The Mu Hunter shrugged. "No problem!"
Neither of them stopped running.
Arthur watched the exchange.
A small smile appeared as the tribes were beginning to think like one people.
Athena quietly smiled as she wrote while running. "...Interesting."
Sun glanced over. "What?"
"They’re adapting faster than expected."
...
After three minutes of running, Mithra glanced back and frowned.
More and more Blazefang Lions were gaining on them.
Mithra glanced backward. "Melo," she said.
The fox nodded, and dream mist spread between the trees. Entire sections of forest seemed to disappear. New paths appeared where none had existed a moment earlier. False Goblins sprinted through the woods, and several Lions immediately tore off after them, drawn by nothing more than the scent and shape of easy prey.
Athena watched through Athy. "They took the bait," she said.
Mithra smiled. "Good."
Melo’s tails drooped slightly.
Another illusion flickered.
Arthur immediately noticed. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Still fluffy and amazing."
Arthur blinked. "Good enough!"
Mithra laughed despite herself. "I don’t think that’s how exhaustion works."
Melo puffed out her cheeks. "...It is today."
Later, Melo created another illusion. This time several Lions ignored it completely, snapping their heads back toward the real convoy instead.
Athena frowned. "They’re not falling for it anymore," she said. "Whatever’s driving them, it’s sharper than the others."
The battlefield immediately grew more dangerous.
Arthur looked back over his shoulder. "They’re strange," he said.
Sun blinked. "What?"
"They aren’t trying to kill us," Arthur said.
Another Lion attacked, and Arthur knocked it aside without breaking stride. "They’re pushing us," he said.
Athena immediately understood. "They’re driving us somewhere," she said.
Nobody liked the sound of that.
Arthur simply shrugged. "They picked the wrong prey," he said,
Another Lion suddenly appeared but this one didn’t charge. It slowly circled Arthur and its crimson eyes narrowed at him before freezing when it saw Arthur grinning.
And then as Arthur raised Dusk.
The Lion’s burning eyes narrowed and a hint of weariness flashed before it quickly leapt back into bushes.
Sun frowned. "...Did it just..."
Athena nodded slowly. "It was observing."
Arthur scratched his cheek. "I liked it better when they were less intelligent."
Nobody laughed.
Arthur quickly changed direction as the golden trail shifted. The entire convoy followed, and the Lions chasing them scattered briefly, unable to match the sudden turn, their pursuit built on raw speed and aggression rather than any coordinated plan.
Arthur glanced at the King’s Mark.
The golden trail shifted direction again.
Athena noticed. "Are you avoiding something?"
Arthur shrugged. "Not sure but the golden trail hasn’t let us down so far."
"That’s true."
The rear guard kept fighting as they ran. Another Lion lunged, and Vedas stepped forward.
[Armor Piercing]
One thrust. The Lion fell, and golden light immediately surrounded him.
Arthur noticed from up front, and a familiar notification appeared.
[Level Up!]
[Goblin Commander]
[Current Level 18 → New Level 19]
Arthur grinned. "Nice," he said.
Vedas blinked once, then smiled. "No time to celebrate," he said, immediately rejoining the rear guard.
Sun laughed. "That’s the most Vedas thing you’ve ever said," he said.
Several Yan Tribe Hunters began reaching their limits.
Vedas immediately turned around. "The hunters at the back are falling behind." Three Goblins immediately looked toward him. "Rotate."
Without another explanation—
The exhausted Hunters fell toward the middle.
Fresh Hunters immediately replaced them.
The convoy never slowed.
Arthur blinked. "Nice."
He hadn’t suggested it but he did imagine it. And without even thinking or hesitating, Vedas has simply grasped what he wanted.
It’s then he felt Vedas gratitude, delight, and embarrassment. He grinned as the image of him hugging appeared in his mind and most likely being seen by Vedas.
Then a familiar notification quietly appeared.
[Synchronization Increased: 65%]
Arthur smiled. "...We’re getting better."
Vedas looked over. "What?"
Arthur shook his head. "Nothing."
They kept running.
And soon, Arthur immediately started checking their Evolution Paths, reaching back every so often to tap a shoulder as he passed.
A notification appeared.
Then another Goblin and then another.
Sun noticed. "Please tell me you’re not thinking," he started.
"I am," Arthur said.
"While we’re being chased?"
Arthur nodded. "Sounds like the best time," he said.
Sun groaned. "I walked right into that question," he said.
Arthur suddenly pointed toward one Goblin. "You," he said.
The Goblin nearly tripped. "M-Me?"
"When the next Lion comes," Arthur said, "hit its left leg."
The Goblin looked completely confused. "Why?"
Arthur answered immediately. "Because your future says so."
The Goblin blinked. Wait! Prophet did you see my–"
"Yep, so can you do it for me?"
"Of course! I promise, I will use all might might and focus!"
"Then I’m counting on you!"
Sun slowly looked toward Athena. "Are they really treating that as normal?"
Athena nodded. "At this point, they are far past the point of no return."
"Damn it."
A little later, Arthur suddenly grabbed another goblin. "You."
The Goblin jumped. "Phrophet?!"
"Punch the next Lion."
The Goblin blinked. "With my fist?"
Arthur nodded. "Yes. Trust me."
Sun looked horrified. "Please tell me there’s context."
"There is." Arthur immediately ran away before explaining. "
"...He never gives context."
Mithra laughed. "The only thing we can do is believe in him."
"I worry that it will become a habit."
By the time the chase had gone on for a while longer, everyone had simply accepted that Arthur was somehow seeing the future while sprinting through a forest full of monsters trying to kill them. Every few minutes brought another ambush, another short clash, another sprint forward.
Nobody ever fully stopped moving.
Arthur kept following the golden trail.
Vedas kept reorganizing the convoy whenever the terrain shifted beneath them. Mithra and Melo constantly slowed the pursuit with illusions and quick strikes.
Sun and Kong stopped every breakthrough attempt before it could reach the convoy. Athena kept calling out changes through Athy circling overhead.
Arthur quietly looked around while they ran and saw nobody needed instructions anymore.
The Mu Tribe automatically covered weak points. The Su Tribe filled every opening. The Yan Hunters immediately reinforced wherever pressure grew.
It happened naturally.
Arthur smiled. "This is nice."
Sun blinked. "...That’s your observation?"
Arthur nodded. "They’re making my job easier."
Sun laughed. "I can’t believe that’s what impressed you."
Arthur looked confused. "Shouldn’t it?"
Athena smiled faintly. "It should."
Mithra looked toward the convoy. "It means they’re beginning to trust one another."
Arthur followed her gaze. "Oh right. That too."
Twenty minutes seemed to pass.
Everyone breathed heavily, sweat soaking through their clothes despite the cool forest air. Even the Lions had stopped charging recklessly, falling instead into something closer to a steady, relentless pursuit.
They were simply following now.
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Why aren’t they attacking?" he asked.
Nobody answered.
Then a roar sounded. Not behind them.
Ahead.
This one was different. Louder. Older. Powerful enough that the forest itself seemed to tremble at the sound of it.
Sun frowned. "That isn’t good," he said.
Arthur looked toward the King’s Mark again. The golden trail shifted, then shifted again.
The forest suddenly ended.
Everyone stopped.
In front of them stretched a massive canyon, hundreds of meters across. The golden trail continued straight across it. There was no bridge. No way around. No way down.
Then, roar.
The Lions were getting closer. To everyone’s surprise, the trees behind them began catching fire, flames spreading rapidly through the forest at a speed that had nothing to do with the Lions themselves.
Athy suddenly screeched from above.
Athena frowned. "...The fire is spreading too quickly."
Arthur looked up. "Natural?"
She shook her head. "No. It’s moving against the wind."
Sun’s expression changed. "Something started it."
Arthur watched the flames race through the trees. "Whatever it is, even the Lions don’t want to turn around."
Nobody liked that conclusion.
Arthur looked at the empty space ahead and then at the golden trail.
He smiled. "Well," he said. He twirled Dusk once. "Guess we’ll have to make one."
Sun stared at the canyon. "Arthur."
Arthur smiled. "Yeah?"
"Please tell me you actually have a plan."
Arthur looked at the canyon. "...I’m thinking."
Sun covered his face. "We’re doomed."
Arthur immediately shook his head. "No. I’ve got a really good feeling."
Mithra smiled.
Athena sighed. "That somehow worries me even more."