“Sir, scouts have reported they’ve spotted goblins!” a soldier shouted, his voice echoing across the fort.
Alarms blared, and soldiers scrambled to their positions. Thankfully, I had prepared for this an hour ago, so everyone was in place almost instantly. But even with all the preparation, the soldiers couldn’t hide the fear in their pale, devastated faces as they saw the endless horde of goblins marching toward the fort.
Though for some reason, I wasn’t afraid like the other soldiers did. In fact, I felt calm like I was used to it. Was it because I was confident that my plan would work? or was I playing too much time that the sight of the goblins was disgusting to me?
Anyway, I grinned as I watched the system screen that I had put up.
STAGE 0
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Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
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Enemies:
??? Lv. 60
?
Goblin King Lv. 50
20
Goblin General Lv. 35
1,000
Goblin Knight Lv. 20
26,320
Elite Goblin Lv. 10
102,273
Goblin Lv. 5
600,023
And yep! The goblins’ numbers had surged during the past week. Their army had swelled to over 600,000, and to make matters worse, the elite goblins now numbered over 100,000. Even the goblin knights had grown in strength. The only good news? The goblin general and king had remained the same.
However, this was expected. After all, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t grow stronger, especially with goblins scattered all over the world. It wasn’t surprising that more of them would gather and bolster their ranks.
In fact, it would’ve been stranger if they hadn’t.
“My lord, are you sure we shouldn’t retreat?” Arion asked, his voice laced with concern.
He stood beside me, clad in his newly crafted armor, forged from the Infernoheart core. The armor gleamed with a faint orange glow, slightly boosting his fire magic and agility. It had an additional perk too, any enemy who touched his armor would take a slight but painful burn.
I glanced at him and chuckled, shaking my head. "Retreat? Don’t worry, Arion. We’ve got this." My eyes flicked back to the system screen though I wasn’t confident as before.
“Anyway, how did your party go?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“They were okay, it’s that…” Arion looked hesitant before answering his true opinion. “I don’t know if they are powerful enough to survive.”
I looked at the screen, which showed the basic stats of the party which Arion named, Royal Guards.
Party: Royal Guard
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Party Member:
Arion Solace
Level. 34
Knight
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Cyrus Iolan
Level. 26
Lancer
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Ava Iolan
Level. 25
Mage
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Cyrus and Ava, twins by blood and partners in battle. Cyrus was equipped with armor forged from the Celestial Ember Core, while Ava donned the StormBound Core armor. Both sets of armor were specially crafted to protect against mind control, though the focus on that aspect slightly reduced their other enhancements. Still, the boost they provided was nothing to scoff at.
Cyrus was a lancer who relied heavily on wind magic to enhance his speed and agility, darting through enemy lines with ease. On the other hand, Ava was a mage, wielding the power of lightning to strike down foes with crackling fury. Though neither had reached level 30 like Arion, it didn’t matter. Their mission wasn’t to confront the Goblin Emperor head on. Their job was simple: assist Arion in taking down the succubus controlling the Goblin Emperor and retreat before things got too dangerous.
Succubus was weak on its own, and without its mind control power or monsters, they were vulnerable, even weaker than the average monsters.
Once the mind control broke, the Goblin Emperor would no longer function as the terrifying leader it seemed to be. It would revert to its base instincts; panicking, fleeing, or even attacking its own. In a way, the emperor without the succubus was less of a threat than the smallest goblin with a plan.
Anyway, now that the goblins were approaching, it was time to welcome them properly.
"Catapults and Cannons! Ready to fire, but hold the magical ones!" I commanded, watching as the officers snapped into action, relaying my orders down the line. "Archers, wait until the enemy gets within range. Drones, assist the catapults and cannons however you can!"
"Yes, sir!" Despite their pale faces, the soldiers shouted in unison, steeling themselves for the battle ahead as they readied their weapons.
The first wave of goblins soon entered the range of our cannons and catapults. But I held my hand up, letting them march deeper. Their numbers seemed endless, a sea of green skin and weapons advancing toward the fort. Each step the goblin horde took felt like it made the earth tremble beneath us. The tension was palpable as we waited for the right moment to strike.
Then, as soon as the goblins entered the range of the archers, I gave the command, “Fire!”
The barrage began. Cannons roared first, hurling their deadly payload into the air, quickly followed by the catapults launching their heavy stones. The sky seemed to darken for a moment as cannonballs and boulders hurtled toward the goblin ranks. Then, the ground erupted in violent explosions, shaking with the impact as goblins were blasted apart. Their dying screams echoed across the battlefield, but I didn’t let up.
“Archers, fire!” I shouted, and waves of arrows soared through the air. The goblins below were soon met with a rain of sharp steel, the arrows piercing their flesh. Although not as devastating as the cannons or catapults, the constant barrage was enough to keep the goblins from advancing too close to the fort.
The process was relentless: goblins charged, only to be met with death from above. Cannon fire, catapult shots, arrows; all of it slowly but surely whittled down their numbers. Yet, despite our efforts, a new problem arose.
With so many goblins falling, their bodies began to pile up, creating makeshift barriers of flesh. The surviving goblins, clever or desperate, started using the corpses as cover, making it harder for us to target them.
But I was ready for this.
“1st Mage Division!” I yelled, and at once, a group of figures wearing red robes stepped forward.
“Fire everything you’ve got! Focus on the piles of corpses!”
“You heard him!” Olfoaid shouted, rallying his spellcasters. “Let’s show these stupid goblins what real power looks like!”
Magical circles flickered to life around the hands of the mages, glowing with intense power. In an instant, the circles emitted into fireballs, launching themselves to the battlefield. The fireballs ignited the piles of corpses.
The goblins hiding behind them barely had time to scream as they were consumed by the inferno. Thick smoke billowed from the battlefield, spreading quickly and shrouding everything in a dense, suffocating fog. Though the goblins were disoriented, it made it nearly impossible for our cannons, catapults, and archers to aim effectively.
“Drones!” I commanded.
In response, our mechanical drones shot into the sky, their sleek forms darting toward the smoke-covered battlefield. They plunged into the haze, scanning and relaying information back to our soldiers, giving us the ability to continue our barrage despite the growing cloud of smoke.
As the scout drones relayed information, battle drones joined the fray, unleashing a barrage of heavy machine gun fire. Goblins fell by the hundreds, their ranks shredded before they realized what was happening.
When the smoke finally cleared, the battlefield was littered with the corpses of goblins and a thick layer of ash. But before we could catch our breath, another wave of goblins surged forward, replacing the fallen without hesitation.
“Sir!” A soldier rushed up to me, his face pale. “Reports indicate that elite goblins have appeared!”
Elite goblins weren’t anything special compared to goblin knights or generals. They wore better armors, wielded better weapons, and some were capable of casting spells. While they were easy to deal with, they weren’t to be underestimated, as their presence could complicate our defenses and make it harder for our forces to hold the line.
The goblin mages in particular were annoying. While they couldn’t cast powerful spells, they could still attack my own soldiers from a distance, meaning they were hard to deal with. I needed to get rid of them soon as possible.
“Laser Shooters!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the chaos. My own soldiers immediately readied their long laser rifles, the weapons humming to life and their armor faintly glowing with energy. “Focus on the goblin mages! Ensure you conserve enough ammunition for any additional threats!”
Though it wasn’t easy to spot the goblin mages with bare eyes, it was nothing for my soldiers who had high-tech equipment by their side. Everytime I caught sight of a goblin mage casting a magical circle with my binoculars, they were pierced by lasers.
Even if the elite goblins joined the charge, they were still the same. The only difference was that the arrows were dealing less damage to them thanks to the goblin’s better equipment. However, other than that, the attack was going smoothly.
“My lord, when will I go to the battlefield?” Arion asked.
“Patient.” I said, keeping an eye at the battlefield with my binoculars. “Until the goblin general makes their appearance, you stay put on the wall.”
The wave of goblins kept coming, and this time, goblins wearing iron armors started to appear. Goblin Knight had made their appearance.
I checked the screen to see how we were doing.
STAGE 0
———————————————————————————
Enemies:
??? Lv. 60
?
Goblin King Lv. 50
20
Goblin General Lv. 35
1,000
Goblin Knight Lv. 20
24,310
Elite Goblin Lv. 10
92,221
Goblin Lv. 5
549,001