Chapter 246

The overall situation was overwhelming.

The dwarves’ new weapon. A preemptive attack with a trebuchet. The flames scattered from the sky set fire to a wide area, burning the goblins alive.

Panicked goblins were trying to flee from the flames and eventually began charging forward, likely believing these flames were unleashed by enemies before their very eyes.

Thus, the soldiers who faced the goblins moved into action.

Infantry gradually pressed against the front line while the knights charged in at high speed, breaking apart the tightly packed groups of goblins.

Though not as fast as mounted knights, the beastmen, who were faster than humans, flanked the front lines and struck from the sides. The goblins, momentarily surrounded, collapsed helplessly.

In the center where the enemy was most concentrated, small ratkin carried shields larger than their own bodies, forming a dense formation and beginning to apply pressure. The sturdy ratkin formations methodically eliminated the goblins using spears that protruded between their short swords and shields.

Lizardmen went berserk on instinct, hacking away at the goblins with obsidian weapons. For them, this was more than enough.

Above their heads, arrows fired by elves guided by spirits of wind flew through the air, targeting specially-abled goblins and orcs. Goblins capable of firing ice and raising corpses fell powerless under precise sniping.

Mages conjured walls of flame around clustered goblins, instantly reducing them to piles of ash.

As the goblins began to retreat overall, some special goblins and orcs attempted to turn the tide—but soon after, elf arrows found their mark.

Goblins met with death-dealing arrows. An orc who deflected such an arrow with his club roared furiously and charged toward the humans, revealing its ferocity.

The orc swung his club to crush the humans armed with spears—but another intervened.

“KYAAAA!! Die!!”

A bestial roar came from behind. Instinctively raising his club, the orc’s weapon clashed with the obsidian-laden blade of a lizardman.

“You! Not bad, you’re strong! Face me in combat!”

“GRRRRR!!”

“I’ll take that as a yes! Humans! Back off! I won’t tolerate interference!”

In an instant, the humans distanced themselves. Several goblins, failing to grasp the situation, rushed the lizardman only to be swiftly turned back into goblins—by the orc and the lizardman alike.

It seemed neither the lizardman nor the orc would tolerate distractions. Both stared solely at each other.

Thus, amidst the battlefield, a small arena had formed.

—

“So far, things are going smoothly.”

“It might be thanks to the allies being stronger than we anticipated.”

The Rattkinian shield regiment held firm against frontal pressure, while the Vistian coalition exploited weak points with superior mobility.

Elven hunters sniped commanders and magic users among the goblins, while mages lit up the battlefield with fiery spells.

The dwarf experimental unit rained fire upon the goblins at the start of the battle, and lizardmen rampaged seeking worthy foes.

Everyone was performing admirably.

“Thanks to this, casualties have been minimized.”

The soldiers involved in this war were their people; fewer casualties meant better outcomes.

Severely wounded individuals were evacuated to the rear for treatment by priests of the Church of Life. As long as it wasn’t an instant kill, even serious injuries could be survivable.

If things continued like this, victory could be achieved without major losses.

If things continued like this.

BOOOOM!

The atmosphere of the battlefield grew heavy. A massive presence weighed down on everyone.

Something enormous rose from afar.

From a crude throne made of piled rocks, the king of the goblins stood.

The green-skinned giant. A monster said to rival even drakes in strength.

The final evolution of goblins: the ogre.

“Hmph…”

At that moment, something crossed the knight king’s mind.

“Is this ogre… really the end? What if… what if the ogre evolves further?”

“If that happens, what kind of monster will be born?”

The knight king felt a chill run down his spine. If this imagination became reality…

KABOOM!!!

Such thoughts were scattered by a sudden thunderous noise.

A crater appeared where the goblin army and the rattkin shield regiment had been facing off. Within it stood the ogre.

The powerful shockwave shattered the rattkin shield formation, scattering the goblins.

With disdainful gazes, the ogre surveyed its surroundings.

“Unbelievable.”

This was nothing less than a monster.

“We should’ve brought a giant somehow…”

Right now, there was no one on the battlefield capable of countering this beast.

The mere shock of its arrival shattered the once-sturdy rattkin shield regiment.

Arrows from the elves and fireballs from the mages rained down upon the ogre.

But it was meaningless.

Despite its size, the ogre moved with agility, rampaging like a wolf among sheep.

Even the fierce lizardmen who charged the ogre were thrown aside with a single strike.

Actually, surviving such a blow itself highlighted the abnormal toughness of the lizardmen.

“What can we do about this monster…?”

Even as they were thrown aside, the lizardmen kept charging the ogre.

To be precise, no one else besides the lizardmen could so much as lay a finger on the ogre.

Their scales torn, tails severed, the lizardmen persisted, buying time.

Driving obsidian spears into the ogre, and when their weapons broke, they bit and clawed, clinging onto the ogre.

Even the mighty lizardmen could only delay the ogre. They struggled endlessly.

Had it been another monster—a creature like a drake, devoid of intelligence—they might have hunted it.

But…

“KRAAAHHH!!”

This ogre was different. It had a mind.

In other words, it could manipulate situations to its advantage.

“Stop its movement!!!”

“Drive the spear blades in!!!”

“Don’t let it reach others!!!”

The lizardmen fought desperately.

But they couldn’t stop the ogre. They couldn’t catch it as it leapt toward other humans.

Shaking off the annoying lizardmen, the ogre began targeting others.

Leaping high, landing behind the human lines. Toward those igniting flames and shooting arrows like tree branches.

And toward the one controlling everything—the flagbearer.

The one known as the knight king.

When the ogre landed, the knight king hastily pulled his horse back, but the impact threw him off, tumbling across the ground.

His horse shattered into pieces, and the surrounding area was devastated.

All this damage was caused simply by jumping and landing—not even any specific attack.

“That… that’s a monster…!”

“Grrr…”

The ogre smirked.

This must be the one commanding those pesky creatures.

The annoying ones were all connected through the power flowing from this human, linked to the flag he held.

So, killing this human would scatter the troublesome ones.

That was the ogre’s reasoning.

“Ugh…”

After roughly discarding his dented helmet and surveying the area, the knight king saw his subordinates knocked out by the ogre’s landing. Some may have lost their lives due to the impact.

The mages were ready to cast fire spells but hesitated since the knight king was too close to the ogre.

The elves aimed their arrows but knew they couldn’t inflict fatal wounds. At best, they might pierce the ogre’s skin near its vital spots.

The lizardmen chasing the ogre were blocked by the soldiers. By the time they reached it, the knight king would already be dead.

Thus, the knight king gripped the flag tightly in his hands.

He wasn’t afraid of death.

He had lived a long life. He believed he had ruled wisely over many people.

Through repeated wars and battles, he had overcome numerous crises. He had nearly died countless times but survived until now.

Having already designated and trained his eldest prince as heir, even his death wouldn’t lead to the fall of Romaniya.

In this brief moment, the knight king reflected on his life.

And then he faced his death.

Aiming the tip of the flag toward the heart of the massive green monster.

At least, he wanted to land one blow.

Just one.

At that moment.

Something fell from the sky.