Chapter 53: Beyond The Borders (2)
Morning arrived, and they moved on once again.
The shock from the previous days ogre encounter had created a palpable tension among them.
No matter how large their forces were, they had realized that to the starving monsters, their numbers meant nothing.
Monsters could strike from anywhere, at any time.
Sure enough, a sizable number of goblins appeared before them.
Helio, who was leading the paladins at the front, furrowed his brows.
Now, it wasnt just ogres; even goblins dared to attack them. Truly, these creatures seemed to have a death wish.
Geol, the priest leading the clerics, didnt even spare a glance at the goblin horde.
Helio looked around and declared,
We break through.
Yes!
Yes!
The spirited cry might have frightened others, but the goblins remained unfazed.
The leading paladins readied their stance and swung their swords.
To their disbelief, the goblins easily dodged their attacks. Just as a surprised paladin tried to recover his sword,
Heehee.
A laughter-like sound filled the air as a goblins hand scratched across the paladins body.
Kiki-keek!
An unpleasant noise rang out.
The paladins could only feel a chilling horror as they watched the goblins hand rip through their armor.
It wasnt just a mere scratch; part of their armor had been torn off entirely.
Goblins have such strength?
Ray, too, was watching the scene from inside the carriage.
Just like the previous days ogre, that days goblins seemed unusually strong.
Of course, he hadnt seen them often in real life, but according to books, they werent usually this strong.
A few villagers attacking together should have been enough to defeat a goblin.
But what was happening before their eyes?
The goblins didnt fall to the attack; instead, they dodged each strike.
They were so agile that he almost wanted to applaud them.
Iriel, sitting next to him, also murmured at the strange sight.
The monsters seem a bit strange
Its an understatement. One goblin was equivalent to one mid-rank paladin.
Had they been drinking some magical elixir in the forest? It baffled me how they could be so strong.
We should check it out.
She said this and disembarked from the carriage.
Ray followed her lead and stepped out as well.
Argh!
The moment he set foot outside, he heard a scream and saw a low-rank paladin under attack by a goblin.
Heehee.
With an eerie laugh, the goblin knocked the paladin to the ground.
At that moment, Ray cast a spell.
Wind Cutter.
Swoosh-
A clear sound echoed, and the goblins head hit the ground.
The same goblin that had effortlessly evaded the paladins attacks had just as easily lost its head to the saints magic.
The rescued paladin quickly rose and bowed his head in gratitude.
Thank you! I owe you my life, holy one!
Ray nodded and surveyed the scene.
Seeing the swarm of goblins, which seemed to outnumber the dispatched troops, he grasped the gravity of the situation.
Some carriages were already partially destroyed, and amidst the chaos, the contents of the carriages were being pilfered.
These goblins must have been highly intelligent.
Iriel held her head in her hands at the sight.
To think the army of the holy kingdom is struggling against these goblins
She said it as if it was inevitable, but she knew it was the truth.
This was the first time she had encountered such strong goblins.
And since their numbers exceeded their own, she was unsure of how to handle the situation.
Iriel sighed and lifted her hand.
Despite the bright morning, a brilliant light swirled around her hand.
The light grew until it bathed the surrounding knights, clerics, and priests in a soft glow.
Bless. Holy seal. Holy activation.
As she spoke, a light lingered around everyones body.
Ooooo!
Holy maiden!
Feeling the surge of strength in their bodies, they charged at the goblins.
Grrrrk!
Krrrrk!
One by one, the goblins were struck and fell.
The vanguard was in high spirits as it slaughtered the goblins.
Helio shouted to those around him.
Those who are injured, receive treatment at the back! We push forward!
Yes!
Understood!
As they answered, their formation moved in unison, and the goblins began to retreat.
However, this was only temporary, as the goblins proceeded to attack without concern for their safety.
Knowing that the clerics and priests would have the advantage if the battle dragged on, the goblins charged with no regard for their lives.
Seeing the situation gradually turn against them, Iriel spoke.
It seems we need to step in.
She released divine power from her hand, and a golden light rose up like an aura.
Swoosh-
She effortlessly sliced through an approaching goblin and headed towards the goblins attacking the clerics and priests.
Krrrk?
Surprised at the sight of a delicate girl approaching them, the goblins expressions froze as their heads fell off.
Ray inwardly admired Iriels fluid movements, with not an ounce of unnecessary motion.
In terms of swordsmanship alone, he would be no match for her. He wondered how much effort she had put in to reach such a level.
And yet, she didnt boast about her skills. Among those of similar age, she was probably the most restrained.
I cant just stand here in admiration.
Ray stepped towards the horde of goblins.
He saw Helio and others, sweating profusely as they fought off the goblins at the front.
Wind cutter.
Swoosh- Swoosh-
Before the goblins could react, they were sliced and fell.
Their screams were too late as their attention turned to Ray.
Grrr.
Kkrraek.
The most threatening entity, as they had thought, was him, and countless goblins began to surround him.
This was exactly what he had hoped for.
Ray ran ahead, with the thought of distancing himself from the detachment.
The unique running style he had developed in the Elf Forest, and perfected by climbing up Ailas house, unfolded.
The goblins were so taken aback by his incredible speed that they merely watched him. However, they soon snapped back to reality and pursued Ray.
Inherently fast, the goblins kept pace with him by maintaining a consistent speed.
This should be far enough.
All that surrounded him now were the goblin horde and himself.
It was safe to cast his magic freely.
Ray gathered mana from his surroundings.
Fireball.
The goblins tensed up, but soon enough, they chuckled among themselves.
Kikikik.
Kikikikik.
Over 80 goblins had followed Ray.
But the only magic he had cast was a flame the size of an adults head?
The goblins laughed at the humans pitiful magic.
Seeing this, Ray asked with a puzzled look.
Laughing, are we?
Swoosh-
Another flame the size of a head appeared.
Yet, the laughter didnt cease.
Kikikikikik!
Kikikik!
The entire goblin horde had become a sea of laughter.
Giggles echoed from all around.
Ray, unfazed, manipulated the mana around him.
Sssrrrk- Sssrk-
Ten more flames materialized around him.
The goblins began to sense that something was amiss.
Sssrk-
Ten additional fireballs appeared.
No longer were there sounds of laughter from the goblin horde.
Nor were there any brave goblins daring to approach him.
Seeing the hesitant goblins, Ray absorbed all the surrounding mana.
He circulated the absorbed mana through his mana road and transformed it into magic again.
Then, around him, a magnificent scene of over a hundred fireballs bobbing in the air materialized.
The goblins now stared at the hot spheres floating in the air with expressions of despair.
It was as if they were thinking,
What kind of human is this strong?
Is this bastard really a human?
Seeing the varied expressions on their faces, Ray pointed upwards with his finger.
Subsequently, the goblins heads also turned upwards.
One for each head. Shield.
A white sphere appeared around his body, protecting him.
Immediately after, the fireballs fell to the ground.
Their overwhelming number made it look as if a rain of fire was drenching the land.
Kwa-gwang - Bang!
A tremendous roar sounded, and a crater formed around Ray. There was no sign of the goblin corpses.
Helio felt his hair stand on end as Ray suddenly ran out with a horde of goblins.
Se, Saint!
He wondered why Ray was taking all those goblins with him. No matter how strong Ray was, this seemed too reckless. A mage needed someone to buy them time to chant spells or gather mana.
Yet there he was, rushing forward with a horde of goblins.
Helio gritted his teeth and shook his head. He couldnt leave his position then. Acting recklessly could have cost him his life without providing any help.
Im sorry, Saint! Please forgive my disrespect!
Having decided to protect everyone and give up on the saint, Helio slashed through the goblins surrounding him.
However, he soon realized that his worries were unfounded when more than ten flames appeared around Ray in an instant.
The flames didnt stop there. Ten became twenty, and twenty became fifty.
As the number increased, even Helio, who was slashing through goblins, felt chills run down his spine.
Excluding Helio, those who were surprised by the enormous mana looked towards its source.
There, they saw the Saint, surrounded by a horde of goblins, with hundreds of fireballs floating around him.
Oh, God
Heok God
People started seeking God. Did their faith grow as the size of the fireballs increased? Certainly not.
It seemed that they relied on God due to the surreal events unfolding before their eyes.
The number of fireballs Ray had created was simply outrageous.
Even Iriel was stunned by the spectacle.
Did he drink some kind of elixir instead of water?
It wasnt unreasonable for her to think so.
Otherwise, such an amount of mana seemed impossible.
There might have been a few mages who could manage it, but none could summon and spread them out in an instant as Ray did.
Even if they skipped the chanting, they still needed to shout the incantation at least a hundred times.
Creating it like Ray without having a magical tool in their mouth was simply inconceivable.
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