Chapter 78: Return

Constantine gently shook his arm. This was his first time facing such fierce group demi-humans. Although Hobgoblins were only the most common type of monster, the thrill of adventure made his heart beat faster, and his palms grew slightly sweaty. But then he noticed that the Blood Elf beside him was also casually twirling her twin blades without a care. Constantine found this somewhat amusing; why was he so nervous about these little things? During the Lich’s training, he had seen things much stronger than these, and had even killed quite a few.

At that moment, the squad leader named William, who had charged ahead, took action—she threw off her cloak and held three pitch-black arrows in her right hand. Unlike the archers he remembered who slowly drew their bows and aimed carefully, she bravely parted her hands and notched an arrow onto the bowstring. With a light twang, the arrow was already flying. By then, the Hobgoblins charging ahead had closed to within about a hundred yards of the second-generation Noble who was struggling to sit up.

A piercing shriek tore through the air.

The archer used arrows commonly referred to among Mercenaries as ‘superior arrows’. They had heavy triangular arrowheads that produced immense penetrating power even with a flat shot. The fletching, made from eagle feathers, offered excellent stability, and the straight yew shaft kept the arrowhead aligned with the target throughout its flight. Upon impact, the metal arrowheads perfectly fulfilled their task—flesh protected by boar-leather armor was torn apart and pierced through, sending out a spray of blood and eliciting hoarse, ear-splitting screams!

“Brilliant!” Constantine murmured in praise.

That truly was a beautiful shot! Under the influence of wind speed and direction, a slender eagle-feather arrow found its way into an enemy’s throat from over four hundred meters away. This technique was already highly skilled—drawing the bow with both hands at chest level was not a common method; it required formidable arm strength and explosive power, especially for a female. But the most astonishing thing was her speed. A hundred yards was merely a few dozen steps for the Hobgoblins, yet in that brief interval, over a dozen arrows had accurately poured into the Hobgoblin group. And each arrow released was guaranteed to take down a target.

“A-dao-di!” An angry roar erupted from among the Hobgoblins. They did not slow down but instead quickened their pace. The bloody scent bursting from their fallen comrades had already ignited their ferocity! Their simple society, with its military-like discipline, made Hobgoblins much cleverer than their Goblin cousins. After the first comrade fell, they already used crude small Shields to protect their vital areas like throats and hearts.

But they failed to notice that a pierced knee also meant a loss in combat ability. The unfortunate ones who tumbled to the ground often could only emit the brittle sound of cracking bones and pained wails under the large feet of their companions.

Finally, after enduring that deadly distance, a few charging creatures reached the Knight struggling on the ground. But just as they excitedly raised their crude weapons, a pitch-black weapon arrived at the same time! With a whoosh, it delivered a friendly greeting! Two Hobgoblins were instantly sent flying backward with screams, colliding with several comrades behind them like ragged sacks. Both the colliders and the collided Hobgoblins were thrown into a tangled heap, rendered combat ineffective—under the heavy, faceted Warhammer, the two Hobgoblins had become intimately joined—their shattered skulls and brains mixing into another’s chest cavity, while the immense force transmitted from their companions caused fractures and similar injuries among the unfortunate ones knocked down.

The Cleric’s stature swelled, his height doubling. The originally large Warhammer now seemed like a short stick in his hands, but the damage it caused was undiminished.

“Righteous Aura? This fellow is impressive…” The diamond-shaped dark section on the Soul Amulet flickered once, and the Lich suddenly spoke.

Constantine’s gaze sharpened. He paid more attention to the daggers that had appeared among the Hobgoblin horde at some unknown time. The red-haired thief Jack was clearly even more formidable than the Blood Elf. He crouched like a feline, his seemingly frail frame almost hugging the ground. The color of his body blended almost perfectly with the surroundings, making his moving figure appear like a wisp of smoke even under sunlight. Even Constantine found it difficult to track his movements, let alone the Hobgoblins with their poor eyesight. All they could see were flashes of daggers occasionally sweeping past their bodies, drawing out gushes of foul-smelling blood.

The Hobgoblins began to roar in panic. Although they did not flee, they clearly shrank back… Their limited vocabulary and smooth brain folds simply couldn’t comprehend the destructive power of these few individuals. The Giant in Chainmail seemed to not care at all about the inferior weapons whistling through the air as the Goblins swung them… they could barely touch him, yet every rise and fall of the heavy hammer always succeeded in stirring up a mist of blood! And then there was that Human archer the Hobgoblins had never seen before—the arrows from her hand seemed like some monster that could find the gaps in those creatures’ defenses, and whenever that happened, a sharp arrow would plunge into their throat or chest!

Add to that the streaks of black light that occasionally shot through the air; often when they least expected it, a companion would fall to the ground like a stone, with only the terrifying bloody gash on their throat indicating their death!

However, these creatures also seemed to possess unusual cunning.

A strange, drawn-out howl sounded, and another dozen or so Hobgoblins burst from the cave! Several of the Hobgoblins charging at the front suddenly veered off—not to flee, but to run toward the direction beside the Giant—then a second and a third… The scattered group, holding crude Shields, began advancing in a curved line!

“Damn it, the numbers are completely wrong! Get him back here!”

The female archer shot another arrow, but unfortunately, the target twisted and dodged it. Frowning, she shouted—the situation was already bad enough; if the guy behind them got into any more trouble, the three of them might as well quit working in Phoenix! They would also be disgraced in the Mercenary world!

Warned, the Cleric began preparing to retreat. But clearly, it wasn’t easy—several Hobgoblins surrounded the enlarged Cleric. They weren’t in a hurry to attack but also didn’t let him leave. Whenever the Cleric tried to lift the unconscious person, they would swarm forward. Although the Cleric, aided by the immense effects of Righteous Aura, sent another Goblin flying, he earned a scratch on the back of his hand! Worse, the simple spear that scratched him was coated with a thick layer of sticky green liquid!

…And not just this spear; the two short axes and the broken longsword held by these Hobgoblins also carried that same sticky green stuff.

For a moment, the movements of the several Mercenaries paused dangerously. At the outermost edge of the battlefield, the short figure wrapped in a cloak suddenly emitted a series of odd sounds.

Actually, the sound wasn’t loud, almost drowned out in the chaotic battlefield by howls and the clash of weapons. But for Mercenaries, they were extremely sensitive to such sounds with strange rhythms—those who didn’t become alert immediately upon hearing the incantation of a spell mostly died after their first encounter with a Spellcaster.

“Grease Spell—!!!” A string of words with a wondrous rhythm gradually grew louder, and then Constantine shouted a term. A purple light leapt from his raised fingertip. This purple light shot into the distance, and the ground there seemed to split open. A large patch of slippery, sticky liquid emerged from below. The Hobgoblins immediately let out a series of startled cries. This blackish-brown grease almost completely eliminated friction. Their sturdy bodies couldn’t halt their momentum, so the toppled monsters not only couldn’t advance themselves but also effectively hindered the advance of those behind them. In an instant, several more individuals were knocked over by their own.

“Well done!”

After a brief silence caused by surprise, the thief in the distance didn’t hesitate to send a word of praise. Indeed, Constantine’s spellcasting this time could be said to be perfectly timed; even he himself was quite satisfied.

“Seems completely without difficulty…” The youth shifted his gaze to the chaotic Hobgoblin horde, then cast another Grease Spell, sending more of the ugly faces tumbling…

The addition of a Spellcaster was enough to change the situation. The Hobgoblins rolled in the pitch-black grease, let alone charge. And those who managed to stop in time received a warm welcome of arrows.

Judging by this situation, in less than ten minutes, all that would be left was cleaning up the battlefield. Oh, the Mercenaries might leave a few Hobgoblins as practice dummies for these two rookies. To make those few gold coins spent a bit more worthwhile… The youth habitually shook his head. For some reason, a strange feeling lingered in his heart, as if something wasn’t quite right…

“Hobgoblins are much braver than Goblins, but not brave to that extent… In my memory, I’ve never seen them fight so desperately just because a few fools trespassed on their territory?” The pupil on the Soul Amulet flickered. The Lich’s voice held similar doubt, the difference being his field adventure experience was far richer than Constantine’s: “Unless they have something they absolutely cannot bear to give up, or else… there’s a leader or something supervising them!”

“Exactly! And a troublesome one at that!” The youth’s moving gaze paused in another direction. Not far from him, the space seemed somewhat strange… There appeared to be some kind of white mist swirling there, blurring the distant scenery and forming a translucent Barrier! And even more peculiar, this large patch of faint mist seemed pushed by the wind, slowly but steadily moving toward his location!

“That’s…” The youth’s brow raised slightly. As his mind fully focused, the blurry white mist dissipated, replaced by an even stranger sight. Translucent lines sketched out a clear shape against the background. But before he could even ask the Lich, that large patch of blurry light suddenly vanished!

“That’s an Invisibility Sphere! Gate! Retreat quickly!” The Lich’s voice rang out first.

Constantine retreated, pulling the Blood Elf beside him along.

He retreated just in time… because the next second, the blurry mist was already before him… Then, accompanied by a roar, a humanoid figure charged out from the void! Just like the thief he’d seen earlier…

This creature stood over two meters tall. His entire body, covered in thick, coarse brick-red fur, bulged with explosive muscles. Brown-yellow skin showed through where the fur was sparser, like on the backs of his hands. His furry face featured a nose much like a bear’s, and a long mouth full of fangs. Green-white eyes with red pupils stared out, and he had a pair of shovel-shaped large ears. His muscles were swollen; his explosive pectorals, deltoids, and biceps held unspoken, brutal strength. The great club in his hand, over five feet long, though crude, had metal pieces nailed haphazardly onto it, representing a savage killing power.

Yes, savage killing power!

A dull, cracking sound rang out… Clearly, the Hobgoblins didn’t have the common sense to attack the Mage first. Instead, they targeted the more eye-catching individual—the archer at the forefront only managed a low cry of shock before being sent flying several feet by the force carried on the brutal weapon. Crimson blood flowers formed lines in the air, splashing high! Although she didn’t rely solely on the longbow as a weapon, caught off guard, this Lady had no ability to defend against such an attack! In fact, this attack combination was exceptionally well-executed; even a warrior skilled in close combat might not escape unscathed.

Immediately, Constantine realized he had little time to worry about others. He threw himself into a roll, dodging another weapon that swept past him from the front—it had been hidden within that strange mist. If he hadn’t seen it and moved a dozen or so seconds earlier, his already not-tall stature might have been permanently shortened.

The Blood Elf only reacted now. Her slender figure shot forward, her dagger already drawing a flash of red light on the charging Orc! With her movement, she kicked up a cloud of sand and dust from the ground, creating ripples in the air! Meanwhile, Constantine dodged to the left. As the tip of his foot touched the ground, the Scimitar in his hand carved a sharp black arc through the air, slicing toward the waist exposed beneath the opponent’s raised arm.

Thus, the blurry image in the youth’s eyes was suddenly colored—the invisibility Barrier twisted and finally broke. The creature that had been hidden within emerged from the void!

A big man over six feet tall. Messy brownish, shoulder-length hair hung loosely about him. His dark eyes held surprise, and short sideburns added a touch of a mature air, composing a harmless-looking face.

But in contrast, the weapon in his hand was menacing and murderous!

It was a massive weapon almost as tall as Constantine. Even though the average physical quality of people in this world was higher, not everyone could wield such a thing—it should be made clear: while those Greatswords and huge blades in fantasy stories might add to one’s imposing presence, most of them couldn’t be used in actual combat situations. The extremely high demands on wrist strength alone were enough to deter most. The surface of this weapon bore fine, dark-tinted grain patterns; clearly, it was a finely crafted weapon that had seen much blood. In this world where metal forging was still purely a handicraft industry, such a weapon could serve as a family heirloom for a Knight or minor Noble.

Fortunately, it had been dodged by the youth… and Constantine’s Scimitar was already pointed at his ribs!

The blade light was swift. Thrusting, different from slashing, possessed high killing power. But contrary to the youth’s expectations, at that critical moment, the fellow chose to advance rather than retreat. He lunged forward violently, letting the pitch-black, sharp Adamantine alloy pass through his own chest!

“This is bad!” Constantine was greatly alarmed. The sensation in his hand was extremely strange; he could tell the Scimitar hadn’t struck true. But a gleam of light flashed before his eyes. The opponent’s hand had, at some unknown moment, flicked out a sharp blade, stabbing toward his neck!

At such close range, he had no room to dodge. The youth gritted his teeth, cursing. He couldn’t help but squint his eyes, twisting his neck with all his might—he was already shielded by Mage Armor. As long as he wasn’t hit squarely, it shouldn’t be a fatal wound! But the opponent’s attack was so swift; he instantly judged he might not be able to dodge it.

The expected pain didn’t arrive. Instead, another wondrous sensation suddenly enveloped the youth—the surrounding noise vanished instantly. The afternoon sunlight rippled like water, then was replaced by Darkness—a blazing, flame-like Darkness that spread out expansively.

“So? Are you now considering my proposal to you?” In that fiery, blazing Dark background, a somewhat familiar voice sounded once more.

“You… coincidence? No, you’ve been watching me all along?” Constantine was stunned, then understanding dawned, forcing an unhappy question from behind gritted teeth. But he quickly closed his mouth.

Questioning was pointless—even if the other party violated his freedom, what could he do? Against a being of Deity-level, he was powerless to resist anything.

In fact, conversation now felt somewhat redundant. This powerful being undoubtedly knew very well how to make events unfold according to his will. He chose a moment when Constantine was completely unable to resist—the youth even suspected the other party wasn’t just watching; he might have even controlled his thoughts at certain times. Or manipulated certain surrounding circumstances.

“Just happened to see… only, thy fortune truly seems quite poor…”

This powerful being concealed within endless black flames seemed to possess a face comparable in thickness to a city wall. After offering an explanation he himself probably didn’t believe, he remarked with amused interest.