Gustav stands in front of me, watching the Goblin King who had been kicked through the wall. His body is releasing steam. Then, I feel someone grab my shoulder.

-- Leon!! --

It was Sario. He looks around for a moment, taking in the scene—a mountain of burned and dismembered goblins and hobgoblins lay scattered everywhere.

-- Whoa, did you kill all of these goblins? -- Sario asked.

-- Sario, grab Leon and get out of here! The Goblin King is unlike any other monster! Call Stella and the others!! I'll buy you time! Now, go!!! -- Gustav commanded.

Sario grabs my arm.

-- Leon, let's go. Let Gustav handle this. -- Sario urged.

- No, I'm the one who's going to kill this freak! -

I use wind magic to propel myself toward the Goblin King. He seems stuck in the wall after Gustav's kick. I summon my psi-blade and pierce the Goblin King's chest.

-- Leon, no!! -- Gustav shouted.

The Goblin King howls in pain. Gustav rushes over and pulls me back as the Goblin King's chest splits open, releasing a red aura.

Suddenly, the Goblin King pulls himself out of the wall. His eyes burn red. It feels like I'm facing a boss fight in Elden Ring. He walks with the presence of a king, occasionally dragging his sword along the ground. His muscles swell, growing larger. Then, in the blink of an eye, he rushes toward us, moving so fast it's almost like teleportation. He swings his sword, but Gustav ducks and delivers an uppercut.

The Goblin King dodges the attack. Gustav quickly throws me toward Sario.

-- Escape!!! -- Gustav yelled.

Gustav then raises his hand in the air, moving as if performing some strange form of yoga. It looks awkward, but then he stops in a bizarre stance—knees slightly bent, hands stretched out like he's flying.

-- Flaming Bird Fist... -- he whispers.

Gustav vanishes from sight. I can't see any of his movements, nor can I see the Goblin King. Sario puts me in his shoulder and ran toward the largest exit of the tunnel. Luckily, I didn't seal this one. But before we can reach the exit, the Goblin King suddenly appears in front of us and swings his sword.

I push Sario down using wind magic, propelling myself upward. The blade swings between us. Then Gustav appears and punches the Goblin King. The Goblin King dodges and stabs his sword into the ground. The earth shakes, causing the ceiling to collapse over the tunnel exit, sealing our only escape route.

The Goblin King stands in front of the sealed tunnel, guarding it.

-- We don't have a choice. We need to defeat this thing to survive. -- Sario said.

Gustav rushes toward the Goblin King. Sario fires arrows, followed by ice spears.

The Goblin King charges at Sario, swinging his sword. A wind blade forms, flying toward Sario.

Sario dodges and throws a smoke grenade at the Goblin King's feet.

-- That's really inconvenient. Now I can't see anything... Wait, I can use my detection magic. --

Through the thick smoke, I sense Gustav and the Goblin King exchanging blows. Sario jumps over the Goblin King's head, locking his legs around the Goblin King's neck, and stabs him with a dagger.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Gustav delivers an uppercut, sending the Goblin King upward. Sario leaps away, loads his arrow, and shoots at the Goblin King in mid-air. I charge my fireball magic, focusing my mana, making it denser. The fireball changes from blue to orange.

I think this is enough power. I don't want to collapse the cave. -

I fire the orange fireball at the Goblin King, setting him aflame. His agonizing screams echo through the cave.

Gustav leaps into the air, kicking the Goblin King from above, delivering a finishing blow. The Goblin King crashes to the ground, creating a crater and cracking the earth.

-- Did we get him? -- Sario asked.

-- I hope so. The Goblin King grows stronger the more damage he takes. Usually, you need to kill him in one blow. -- Gustav replied.

The Goblin King stands up, still burning, each step making the ground tremble.

He suddenly rushes at Gustav, weaving his sword. Gustav ducks again, but the Goblin King punches him, sending him flying sideways. Sario reloads an arrow and fires at the Goblin King, but the Goblin King, in a blink of an eye, kicks Sario away. He then rushes toward me, slashing his sword. I summon multiple barriers to block it, but his sword pierces through. I use wind magic to push him back, following up with an earth spear.

Gustav stands up and charges at the Goblin King again. The Goblin King drops his sword, and they exchange punches. It's like watching Yoshihiro Takayama and Don Frye's match, but faster and more intense. I wish I had a camera to capture this—if I ever get back to my world, I could upload it to YouTube and become an instant millionaire. Though, people would probably think it was edited...

Sario gets back on his feet and throws a dagger at the Goblin King. The Goblin King catches the dagger in mid-air, then, in an instant, he reaches Sario and stabs him in the chest with the same dagger.

-- Sario!!! -- Gustav shouted.

The Goblin King smirks, clearly enjoying toying with us.

Gustav rushes at the Goblin King and punches him with full force, sending the Goblin King flying into the ceiling and back down to the ground.

I run to Sario, trying to heal his wounds. His blood splatters onto my hands as I use ice magic to seal the wound, but it's not enough. He's still losing blood.

- No! No, stay with me! -

Sario spits up blood. His breathing becomes shallow.

Suddenly, the air trembles and heats up. Gustav's body starts releasing steam, like something out of an anime.

The Goblin King laughs as he watches Gustav. Gustav shifts his stance again, pointing at the Goblin King, then spins his other arm. I have no idea where he learned this, but the pose looks awkward.

As the Goblin King slowly stands, Gustav moves in front of him and begins beating him like a punching bag.

Suddenly, the ground shakes, and a giant hand bursts out, grabbing Gustav.

-- The Goblin Lord! -- Sario shouted in panic.

I immediately summon a wind blade, trying to cut the Goblin Lord's hand.

The Goblin Lord rises from the ground—his body massive, his face terrifying, with huge horns and tusks.

Then, the Goblin King raises his hand. His sword flies to him, and he grabs it, rushing toward Gustav, who is still trapped by the Goblin Lord.

No!! Gustav!! - I shout, channeling my mana into my heart. I summon fire and black lightning, aiming for the Goblin King.

The Goblin King raises his sword, ready to strike Gustav's heart. In a blink of an eye, Sario's body moved in front of Gustav. I couldn't react fast enough no one could. The Goblin King's blade pierced through his chest. Blood spattered across the ground as Sario gasped, his eyes locking with mine. Time seemed to freeze as the realization hit me. He... sacrificed himself

- Sario!!! - I shouted.

Gustav stops moving.

-- Brother gus..tav -- Sario whispherd

Then in the blink on an eye, the goblin king's sword.... slashes through sario's neck...completly beheaded him.

The black lightning hits the Goblin King, stunning him momentarily.

With that, Gustav screams, his voice echoing through the entire cave. He forces the Goblin Lord's fingers open, but the Goblin Lord slams him to the ground.

Gustav leaps high, and the ground beneath him collapses, revealing a large hole. I glance down and see limbless human women screaming inside cages. There are goblins below, along with newborns.

The sight makes me want to puke.

Gustav's rage seems unstoppable. He punches the Goblin Lord in the face, and both of them fall into the underground pit.

The Goblin King chases after them.

- I won't let you get away!!! -

I redirect my mana into my heart and cast multiple barriers, trapping the Goblin King inside. Then, I summon black ice spears, piercing the barrier that encages the Goblin King. Before the spears can strike him, he stops them with his bare hands.

The Goblin King smirks at me.

I summon multiple black flames inside the barrier, burning him alive. The Goblin King screams in agony. Then, with a 360-degree swing of his sword, he destroys the barrier. Another sword materializes in his other hand.

He rushes at me, aiming for my neck. I envelop my body with a barrier and summon two psi blades.

The Goblin King laughs as he swings his sword toward me. I block it with the psi blades, but his strength and speed are overwhelming. I can't match him physically.

Suddenly, the system screen appears, blocking my vision.

- What the fuck! Why now!?

*/System: Main Quest: Kill the Goblin King [30 minutes remaining]/*

The Goblin King's swords slip past my psi blades and penetrate my neck. My vision fades to black Instantly..

-- Wake up, Leon... --

- Who's that!? - I open my eyes. My surroundings are white. Am I back here again?

I turn around and see Sario.

- Sario, what are you doing here!?

-- He died, Leon. It took you too long to kill the Goblin King. You have the power to kill it in one blow. Why are you hesitating? -- a faceless, mysterious man said.

- You again? - I say, disappointed.

-- Well, I thought this was heaven at first... I didn't expect this place to be connected to you. Now I truly understand who you are, Leon... -- Sario said.

- I don't understand. Is that really you, or are you just my imagination? - I ask.

-- What can I say? I am me. HAHAHA, it feels like forever here. Anyway, don't let those goblins kill Gustav. Now, take this, Leon. -- Sario hands me a white orb.

- What is this? - I ask.

-- You'll know soon enough. Go back and kill that bastard! HAHA! Oh, and give my bow to my son! -- Sario laughs awkwardly.

-- Sigh... Also, Leon, ever heard of God Magic? Never mind. Just one piece of advice: magic in this world is based on your imagination. -- the faceless man said.

-- Well, see you later, Leon! Make sure to visit me here again... maybe in a billion years... HAHAHA! -- Sario's voice fades out slowly.

*/System: Rebooting...