My spear felt heavier with every passing second.
I had already lost count of how many goblins I had killed or how many friends had fallen beside me. The courtyard had become a sea of blood and corpses, yet the monsters continued pouring through the shattered gate without end.
"Hold them back!"
"We’re being overrun!"
"Help! He’s losing too much blood!"
The shouting came from every direction. I drove my spear into another goblin’s chest, kicked the corpse away, and barely had time to recover before another rushed toward me. No matter how many we killed, more kept climbing over the bodies.
Then... something changed.
The goblins at the front suddenly stopped fighting.
Instead of charging forward, they hurriedly parted, clearing a path. Some even lowered their heads, as though they were welcoming the arrival of something.
What are they doing?
A heavy thud echoed through the courtyard, each step loud enough to drown out the sounds of battle.
For a moment, I thought it was another troll.
I was wrong.
A massive figure emerged from the sea of monsters, towering over every goblin around it. Its shoulders were broader than any man’s, and its arms looked thick enough to crush a skull with a single hand. Resting across its shoulder was a gigantic battle-axe stained with so much blood that I couldn’t tell where the metal ended.
What... is that?
My mouth went dry.
"Please..."
I took an involuntary step backward.
"...don’t come this way."
"AAAHHHH!"
[Warning: Unit "John" has suffered fatal damage.]
The monster’s crimson eyes slowly met Logan’s.
"Are you their leader?" It raised its axe, pointing it towards Logan.
Caught by surprise at the sudden question, Logan froze momentarily. He had expected a roar, or an attack, but not a conversation.
"Why do I need to answer you?" Logan snapped back, almost instictively.
Without warning, the battleaxe slammed into the stone courtyard.
Thud.
The ground split apart as cracks raced across the pavement, forcing several nearby soldiers to stumble backwards.
"I’ll take that as a yes."
"Tell me your name, human."
This thing is an absolute monster; if it can swat away a bolt from a 2★ Ballista without even slowing down, it could butcher everyone here before Captain Iron and the others even reach me. I need to buy some time.
"Don’t you think it’s rude to ask for someone else’s name before introducing yourself?" Logan looked up, challenging the domineering Goblin Lord.
. . .
"BWAHAHAHA!"
The Goblin Lord threw its head back in laughter.
"I like you, human."
"Fine, my name is Xludur, Darkwoods Goblin Lord."
"Now tell me yours."
"Logan Winters, Commander of Humanity’s Last Bastion, ’Evergarden.’
A flicker of approval crossed Xludur’s face.
"You stand before death, yet your voice does not waver."
Where the hell is Iron right now...? I feel like I might pass out any second now.
Xludur’s smile slowly faded. Without another word, he reached for the handle of his battleaxe.
Damn it. Is he done talking already?
"Wait!"
Logan forced himself to meet those amber eyes, praying the monster couldn’t hear how violently his heart was beating.
"One last question."
"You ask many questions for a man standing at death’s door." Xludur tilted his head.
"Well, can’t you grant a dying man his last wish?"
The Goblin Lord considered him for a moment before resting the axe back on his shoulder.
"Speak."
Logan took a deep breath.
"Why are you invading our land?"
Xludur remained silent for several seconds.
"...Your land?" A faint smile crept across his face.
"You humans truly know nothing." He looked past Logan toward the forests beyond the fortress walls.
"My kind have fought for generations over barren earth and dying rivers. We buried our children because the land could no longer feed them."
His amber eyes met Logan’s once more.
"Now a world of fertile soil and endless forests lies before us."
"Tell me, human... would you—"
BOOM!
A massive shield slammed into Xludur’s side with enough force to push the towering goblin several meters across the courtyard.
Captain Iron lowered his shield and planted himself in front of Logan, his armor battered and stained with blood.
"Commander."
"Sorry we’re late."
The party immediately takes control.
Captain Iron stood between Logan and Xludur, his battered shield raised high. Without another word, the party moved as one, each of them already knowing their role.
"Now!"
Before Xludur could recover from Iron’s charge, Kiran burst from the right like a bolt of lightning. His blade shot toward the goblin’s exposed ribs, the sharpened tip slipping cleanly through a gap in the armor.
The dagger dug just deep enough to draw blood before Kiran twisted the handle free and retreated.
"Switch!" Giles shouted.
Seizing the opportunity, Giles rushed in from the opposite side. His sword carved across Xludur’s back, sending sparks flying everywhere. The attack left only a shallow cut, but it was enough to force the Goblin Lord to turn away from Kiran.
Iron didn’t give him the chance.
With a roar, the veteran commander slammed his shield into Xludur’s chest. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the courtyard, but Xludur answered immediately.
Xludur answered immediately.
His battleaxe swept toward Giles with frightening speed, leaving the young swordsman no time to react.
"Giles!"
Althea threw herself between them. She rammed her shield into the side of the descending battleaxe, diverting its trajectory just enough for the blade to crash harmlessly into the stone beside Giles.
BOOM!
The courtyard exploded beneath the impact. Chunks of shattered stone erupted into the air as the shockwave hurled Althea backwards. Her shield was torn from her grasp, spinning across the courtyard before clattering against the fortress wall.
She slammed into the ground shoulder-first, coughing up a mouthful of blood. She was trembling uncontrollably as she struggled to push herself back to her feet.
"Althea!"
Iron’s voice echoed across the courtyard, but there was no time to check on her.
Xulthur’s battleaxe crashed against Iron’s shield with overwhelming force, driving the veteran commander several steps backwards. Before Iron could recover, another swing followed immediately, forcing him to abandon any thought of counterattacking.
Without Althea, the flow of the battle changed completely. Iron was the only tanker facing the full force of all of the attacks, while Kiran and Giles struggled to find an opening to attack.
"Fall back!" Logan shouted.
The party immediately retreated several steps, desperately trying to regroup.
"So this is the best you could offer?" The Goblin Lord smiled.
Logan ignored him.
His eyes darted across the battlefield, desperately searching for a solution.
Think...
Think!
"...Screw it."
"How old are you?"
. . .
"Huh?"