“When are the Goblin Generals coming?” I cried out in frustration. In the game, the best I had ever managed was wiping out half the goblin force before being overwhelmed. I had no idea when the Goblin General would show up this time.

The only reason I knew the Goblin Emperor and the succubus would appear after the Goblin General was because the game developer had shared that bit of information with everyone. Of course, it was met with rows of curses and boos since it didn’t help much in actually solving the tutorial.

Then, a soldier shouted right next to me.

“Lord William! Strange goblins have been spotted. They're wearing black armor!”

At his words, I immediately grabbed my binoculars and scanned the battlefield. And there they were. Goblins clad in thick black armor, flags waving on their backs. They were far bigger than the normal goblin and maybe even larger than the average human, making them easy to spot. Their intimidating presence sent a chill down my spine, but despite the fear, I couldn’t help but grin.

"Arion!" I shouted. "Get Cyrus and Ava. It’s time for you to shine!"

"Yes, my lord!" Arion immediately ran off to fetch the twins while I kept my eyes on the Goblin Emperor's forces.

"Magical Ballistae, aim for the Goblin Generals!" I commanded as soon as they came into range.

There were easily a hundred of them, but only fifteen magical ballistae. Thankfully, unlike the cannons and catapults, the ballistae could fire up to ten shots before entering cooldown, so we had plenty to work with.

The massive arrows launched from the ballistae, soaring toward the Goblin Generals. At first, they simply shrugged them off. The arrows barely scratched the thick armor they wore. Yep, they were as tough as expected.

But these were magical ballistae, not ordinary ones. Just as the Goblin Generals prepared to march again, black clouds began to gather above them. Without warning, multiple lightning strikes slammed down, hitting the arrows embedded in their armor.

And it didn’t stop there. The lightning surged along the arrows, reaching their tips, which then detonated, unleashing hundreds of lightning arcs across the ground. Any general unlucky enough to have an arrow buried in their armor was struck down. Even their reinforced armor couldn’t withstand the raw power of the magical lightning.

In less than a second, the air was thick with the smell of burnt flesh. Nearly a hundred Goblin Generals lay dead, charred beyond recognition. Some had managed to avoid the arrows or swat them aside, but it was still a strong start.

“My lord," Arion returned, the twins following closely behind. "We’re ready for battle!"

I grinned. "Alright, come with me."

As we began walking along the wall, carefully weaving between soldiers, Cyrus spoke up. "Um, Sir William? How exactly are we going to get off the walls? I mean, everywhere I look, it’s just goblins."

"He's right, sir," Ava added. "I don’t see how we can cross. The drones are too small to carry us, and even if they could, they'd be shot down by the Goblin Mages."

“And when did I say we’d be going in the normal way?” I asked, smirking.

At my words, Ava and Cyrus exchanged nervous glances, while Arion looked unfazed. If anything, he seemed confident. I suppose he had already figured out what I had in mind.

I led them to one of the catapults, still launching its payloads across the battlefield. The soldier in charge saluted when he saw me, and at my signal, ordered the catapult to cease fire.

“Sir... you’re not seriously going to make us ride the catapult?!” Ava shouted, her face pale with horror. Cyrus took a few cautious steps back, equally uneasy, but I just grinned.

“Of course. After a round of magical artillery, you’ll fly through the air and land as close to the Goblin Emperor as possible.” I handed Arion a small device. "When you land, use this."

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The object was a doll-like figure with a red button. Simple but effective. Once pressed, it would expand, unleashing wind magic to slow their descent. It was the best solution I had come up with for getting them into position quickly. And alive.

"Now hop on!" I ordered. "The plan begins in one minute."

Cyrus and Ava hesitated, but Arion wasn’t having it. He dragged them to their positions on the catapult, both of them clearly uneasy but now ready to be launched into the air.

"Lord William," Arion said suddenly, looking at me with unexpected seriousness. "I just want to say, please stay safe."

"Yeah," I replied, managing a small grin. "I’ve got no intention of dying right now. So, promise me you'll come back in one piece."

"And if we don’t?" Cyrus asked, his face still pale.

"Then I’ll hunt you down in hell and execute you again for disobeying an order from royalty."

Ava looked like she might cry, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. The minute had passed.

"Fire!" I shouted.

The boom of magical artillery echoed across the walls. With no delay, the catapult flung Arion, Cyrus, and Ava into the sky. I could hear their screams as they shot through the air like rockets. Watching them go, I couldn’t help but grin. I had ordered the catapult to aim for a weak spot in the goblin ranks, the closest point to the Goblin Emperor. And that device I’d given Arion wasn’t just for slowing their fall. It would detonate on impact, taking out a wide swath of goblins when they landed.

Suddenly, a soldier sprinted up to me, panic written all over his face.

"Lord William! The goblins have broken through the first gate! It won’t be long before they break the second one!"

"Ah, shit," I muttered, quickly relaying new orders.

The fort had three gates protecting the inner fortress, and I had specifically commanded heavy fire near them to prevent the goblins from breaching. But it seemed the sheer numbers had overwhelmed our defenses. The gates were the weakest points along the walls, and if they fell, the entire fort would be compromised. We needed to stop them fast before the situation spiraled out of control.

Just then, a red screen flashed in front of me, halting my train of thought.

Notice:

———————————————————————————

Goblin Emperors have Appeared!

Gobin Emperor Lv. 60

4

I stared at the message, the weight of it sinking in. Not one Goblin Emperor but four. My face paled. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"Arion!" I yelled into my communication device. "Arion, retreat! Cannons, catapults, ballistae. Focus on helping Arion and the others retreat!"

Before I could catch my breath, another soldier ran up, his expression just as panicked.

"Lord William! The second gate has been breached! The main gate won’t hold for much longer!"

My mind raced. The plan was unraveling. No, it wasn’t just that. Something deeper was going wrong, and I hadn’t figured out what was causing it.

What had triggered the appearance of four Goblin Emperors? And why was everything falling apart so quickly?

More importantly, I had to make a decision: either risk saving Arion and the others, allowing the fort to fall, or prioritize defending the fort and risk losing Arion and his team.

Arion was the main character of this story. Without him, the rest of the battle would be as good as lost. But if I abandoned the fort to save him, it would mean the deaths of thousands of soldiers, and there was still a chance Arion wouldn’t make it.

After a minute of agonizing thought, I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Cannons, fire near the entrance to thin the goblin ranks flooding through the gates. Catapults, focus on supporting Arion and his group. Ballistae, continue targeting the Goblin Generals. Any soldiers who can still fight, move to defend the final gate in case the goblins breach."

I needed to save the fort if I wanted to save Arion. There was no other choice. Risking everything for a single person could lead to annihilation, and Arion—being the main character—should be able to hold his own, at least for a while. He had Cyrus and Ava with him, though I wasn’t sure how long they could last in such chaos.

"Arion," I spoke into the communication device again. "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."

With that, I bolted toward the main gate, where the bulk of the defense would take place. My heart raced, torn between the safety of my soldiers and the survival of Arion.

I hoped—no, I needed—this plan to work.