"I know exactly what you're trying to do. You're just playing games with me, aren't you?"Marc scoffed at Grizelda.Even if she let him hit her a hundred times, it wouldn't matter. She was simply too strong. And Marc was running out of ideas."You're talking too much," Grizelda said coldly, flashing a wide, confident grin. Whether Marc landed a hit or not, she didn’t care. She was already convinced he wouldn’t even come close."Go on. Try. Hit me again. Don’t waste my time."Marc didn’t reply. His eyes locked onto hers, mind racing.This isn’t as simple as I thought...He had two shots left—two chances to strike without being countered. He had to make them count."Alright... let’s do this," he muttered.Taking a deep breath, Marc made a bold decision. He tapped into the pure energy within his dantian—a force far more potent than regular cultivation energy. But it came with a price. It would drain him fast, and if he got hurt while using it, recovery would take very long.Still, he had

"You keep going on and on about revenge—like I owe you something for those goblins—without even thinking about what they did to the human race."Marc's voice echoed from inside the inn’s lobby, each word growing louder as he stepped closer to Grizelda."Don’t you get it? By standing up for them, you're just as guilty as the ones who tore this place apart. You're not some noble leader—you’re just another monster hiding behind a cause!"As he spat out the last word, Marc stepped fully into view through the shattered remains of the lobby’s doorway.Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, and his right arm hung limply at his side, a faint wisp of smoke still curling from it. No need for a closer look—anyone could see his arm was badly damaged.His shallow, ragged breathing and the pain etched across his face hinted at deeper internal injuries. Still, the fire in his eyes never faded. There was no fear in them, no sign of surrender—just raw, unshakable resolve."So go on. Do it. Hit

"We swear to follow the kingdom’s laws—completely, without question!"Drenched in sweat, his voice cracking with desperation, the mayor writhed on the ground, hands bound behind his back as he looked up at Elliot with pleading eyes."Lord Griffin, please! We’re begging you—have mercy!"But Elliot didn’t even flinch. His expression remained cold, unmoved.He stepped down from the podium and slowly walked toward the mayor, who lay sprawled on the ground, trembling."You still have the nerve to say that now?"Elliot’s tone stayed level, but the restrained fury behind his voice was impossible to miss."Where was all this remorse a year ago? Didn’t I make it clear that this punishment should’ve been carried out back then? You had your chance. I gave you time. So why didn’t you take it?"His words sliced through the silence like a blade. Despite the weight of what he was saying, Elliot’s face remained stone cold.A year ago, the crimes these men committed warranted nothing short of death. B

“This can’t be real! That myth… it’s true?!”Elliot clenched both fists on instinct, a blazing golden aura erupting from his body. It lit up the shadowy courtyard beneath the pale full moon like a beacon.Before him stood dozens of ragged, foul-smelling figures, their blood-red eyes locked onto him with razor-sharp intensity.In all his decades in the military, Elliot had encountered supernatural beings from other races—vampires, werewolves, even elves. But goblins? This was a first.He’d always believed goblins were nothing more than bedtime horror stories meant to scare little kids. Yet here they were, right in front of his eyes.Roar!Across the courtyard, around thirty goblins crouched in a semi-circle, feasting on a deer carcass. The moment they noticed Elliot, they froze mid-bite and slowly rose to their feet.Their beady eyes scanned him from head to toe, their nostrils flaring wildly.Sniff-sniff!The scent of human flesh was strong and tempting. They didn’t even hesitate—why

“Aaaargh!”Agonized screams echoed across the battlefield.Elliot stood amidst a sea of goblin corpses, his hands drenched in blood. Under the pale light of the full moon, he remained frozen, watching the last few surviving soldiers writhe and scream as the goblins tore into their flesh, ripping skin and limbs apart like ravenous beasts feasting on a long-awaited meal."I'm sorry..."He muttered softly, bowing his head as his eyes slipped shut.His reputation as a protector—shattered.But that wasn’t what truly broke him. What crushed him was the realization that not only had he failed to stop the endless waves of goblins, he couldn’t even save a single one of his men.Roar!Roar!Roar!The snarls of the bloodthirsty creatures surrounded him. About thirty feet around Elliot, the goblins paced restlessly, unable to move closer—repelled by the golden aura radiating from his body, an energy so intense it seemed to scorch their very skin.“Aaaargh!”The last soldier's scream rang out—a fi