"Arion, your primary objective is to escape the goblin horde. If you encounter the succubus, kill it. But don’t get bogged down—if you can’t find it, leave it behind."

Those were the last words Arion heard before the communication device cut out completely, severing their link to the main fort. Though worried about William, Arion pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the mission. Instead of charging at the Goblin Emperor, their new mission was to escape. He relayed the orders to Cyrus and Ava, who had already begun fighting off the goblins surrounding them.

Their formation was simple but effective. Arion led from the front, using his sword to protect Ava, who cleared a path with her lightning magic. Cyrus covered their rear, taking down any goblins that tried to flank them.

Despite knowing it was a losing battle, the goblins kept charging without hesitation, as if they had no fear of death. This relentless aggression stunned both Cyrus and Ava. Everything they had learned about goblins was wrong.

According to Monster Mythology, written by a famous mercenary who had retired from the battlefield, goblins were supposed to be cowardly creatures, prone to fleeing when overwhelmed. But the goblins in front of them were anything but timid. Though William had warned them about this, the two hadn’t fully believed it—until now, as they faced the unending tide firsthand.

Every time Ava brought down goblins with a crackling burst of lightning, another took its place. The sheer number of enemies made it harder for her to keep her mana up. She had already downed five mana potions and had about 30 left, but it didn’t take a genius to realize it wasn’t enough. If this continued, Ava’s mana would run dry long before they made it out alive.

Unlike other elemental magic, lightning was among the most destructive. Its raw power surpassed most spells, even at a basic level. But it came at a cost: it drained enormous amounts of mana and required precise control. One wrong move and it could incinerate allies as easily as enemies. Fighting on the front lines, casting such mana-intensive spells while facing an endless swarm, was as close to suicide as it got. Yet Ava was doing it, proving she was no ordinary mage.

"Sir Arion, we can't keep this up!" Ava cried, downing yet another potion, her face pale from exhaustion.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Arion shouted back, his sword cutting through goblins left and right. "We were thrown right near the Goblin Emperor! Either we kill it, or we escape!"

"That's not much of a choice, you know?!"

Arion was about to snap back when he froze. A massive shadow loomed over him, blocking the light. No, not one—four towering figures, each wearing regal clothing and gleaming armor fit for a king.

The Goblin Emperors. All four of them.

But one of the Goblin Emperors stood out. Something was perched on its shoulder. When Arion realized what it was, he narrowed his eyes and spoke with cold resolve. "So you're the succubus."

The creature in question smirked. It was a male succubus, dressed in little more than revealing, skin-tight garments. His long pink hair matched his glowing, mischievous eyes, and a tail—ending in a heart shape—swished lazily behind him. Though his physique was undeniably male, the soft features and playful grin could easily lead someone to mistake him for a female at a glance.

The succubus crossed one leg over the other, lounging comfortably on the Emperor's shoulder as if the battle was nothing but entertainment. "Well, you’re not wrong," he purred. "But I’m not here for a chit-chat. Let’s wrap this up quickly, shall we?"

With a snap of his fingers, the three Goblin Emperors roared and charged forward like enraged beasts, rushing straight at Arion, Ava, and Cyrus.

[(0)]

I realized I had lost my communication device somewhere along the way, but that was the least of my worries now. The real problem? The defense had been breached—Goblin Kings.

Thankfully, the Goblin Generals all had been shot down by the magical ballistae, but while they were in the cooldown phase, the Goblin Kings appeared like they were planning it.

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These hulking figures were even larger than the Goblin Generals, draped in fancy clothing and light armor that did little to hide their overwhelming power. They had torn through all the defenses I and the soldiers had set up, reaching the walls as if they were nothing.

But they didn't stop there. One of the Goblin Kings charged headlong into the first wall, and with a thunderous crash, it crumbled under the brute force. Then, without hesitation, it set its sights on the second gate.

The constant barrage from our cannons and catapults only slowed it down, annoying it more than anything. But instead of charging again, it did something that made my stomach drop—it jumped.

The Goblin King's leap was monstrous, clearing the wall with ease. As soon as it landed, chaos erupted. It swung its massive club, smashing cannons, catapults, and soldiers alike, sending everything flying in all directions. Soldiers scrambled to fight back, but nothing worked—spears shattered on impact, swords snapped like twigs, magics didn’t even leave a scratch and even laser rifles bounced harmlessly off its thick, impenetrable skin.

"It's a monster!"

"Run!"

"Don't ru—Arghhhh!!!"

Cries of panic echoed across the wall as the number of injured and dead quickly began to rise. The Goblin King rampaged across the walls, destroying everything in its path. Soldiers were helpless under its relentless assault.

Meanwhile, on the ground below, things were even worse. The remaining 19 Goblin Kings had broken through the second gate with a thunderous crash, leaving only the final, main gate standing between the fort and the full goblin horde.

The final gate groaned under the pressure as the Goblin Kings battered it with their clubs. The soldiers braced for the inevitable, desperately firing their rifles and launching whatever artillery they had left. But with the Goblin Kings leading the charge, it was only a matter of time.

And then it happened. With a deafening crack, the main gate was breached.

The goblins poured through the opening, a flood of snarling creatures swarming into the fort. Soldiers clashed with them, their formations breaking down as the goblin horde pushed deeper and deeper into the defenses. The battlefield became a chaotic swirl of iron and magic as soldiers fought valiantly, but the sheer number of enemies seemed overwhelming. The line was breaking and soldiers were dying.

Amidst the chaos, I gave the order. "Magical Ballistae, fire!"

The magical ballistae, powered up, fired. Each bolt struck with thunderous force, exploding into lightning energy that tore through the ranks of Goblin Kings and their horde, scattering goblins like leaves in a storm.

Several Goblin Kings were burnt black by the sheer force of the magical bolts, some even toppling to the ground under the intensity of the assault. The soldiers on the ground saw their opportunity and surged forward, striking down any goblins that had been left vulnerable.

But the price of victory was steep. The ballistae had fired far too quickly, skipping their cooldown phase in the frantic rush to save the fort. The whirring of weapons turned into groaning, and the creaking of overworked components was soon followed by a series of sharp, metallic snaps.

"Sir! The ballistae—" a soldier called out to me, but I quickly ordered another round.

“I don’t care if they break down! Fire!”

Another round was shot and the Goblin Kings and goblins were shot down. Only two Goblin Kings were left standing while the other was burned into black ashes. Even so, their attack never ceased.

Worse, ten of the magical ballistae broke down, their mechanisms overheated, rendering them useless.

The rest of the goblins kept pouring in through the gate, attacking the soldiers who remained. One by one, the soldiers disappeared beneath the endless waves of goblins.

All I could do was watch from the wall, gritting my teeth, struggling not to vomit at the bloody carnage below. It was too much. Too bloody. Part of me wanted to curl up and cry, to shout that I wanted to go home. But if the commander broke down in a hopeless situation like this, the battle was as good as over. I couldn’t afford that.

"Fire..." I ordered weakly. "Fire the magical cannons and catapults at the Goblin Kings."

"Sir?" A soldier cried out in shock. "If we fire now, our allies will get caught in the crossfire!"

"And risk getting annihilated?!" I snapped, striking him across the cheek. "I said, fire!"

The soldier glared at me in anger but relayed the order to fire. However, just as they were about to, something changed. The goblins, as if waking from a long dream, suddenly began to panic. They were still fighting, but their ranks broke.

The front line of goblins collapsed, and they started running back toward the gates. Fear spread like wildfire, and soon, the entire horde was in retreat. Even the two Goblin Kings, who had been fighting fiercely, were forced to flee, swept away by the panicked crowd.

"What...?" a soldier muttered weakly as we all watched the goblins fleeing, as though the battle had never begun.

I exhaled a deep sigh of relief, finally realizing what had happened. Their mind control had broken, and now they were retreating. Arion must have taken down the succubus.

Just as a smile spread across my face, a soldier rushed toward me, panic evident in his eyes. "Lord William! Sir Arion and his party are in danger!"

My heart sank. How? The goblins were supposed to flee—they were cowardly creatures! But then I remembered: only the normal goblins would flee. The elites, Goblin Knights, Goblin Generals, Goblin Kings, and Goblin Emperors were different. They would fight to the bitter end.

I hurried to the edge of the fort and, sure enough, saw Arion and his party surrounded by Elite Goblins and Goblin Knights, locked in a desperate fight.

I quickly shouted my orders. "Have every available soldier aid Arion and his group! War machines, fire! We can't let him die!"