In an instant, every goblin that was fighting them before disappeared into the darkness. However, they could still sense them moving around behind bushes. The rustling of the leaves was masked by the rain. Therefore, pinpointing their actual location was kind of hard for the knights.
The 8 knights fought near the bridge, so they could still prevent a monster from entering the gate.
"Come! None of you monsters are getting past us!"
Trees around the wooden logs posing as the fence had been cut down to avoid being used to jump over and enter the barrier.
None of them needed words to coordinate their actions with each other. Fighting alongside their comrades for years built trust and coordination in them.
Eugeo powered himself up with his magic, increasing his strength, but his speed did not decrease. With this, he was able to withstand the incoming force when he blocked off a direct attack from the hobgoblin's club.
An eight-foot-tall monster with a monstrous physique and relatable strength
was someone Eugeo was looking for in an opponent.
Suddenly, he swerved to the right and took advantage of the hobgoblin's sluggishness. Eugeo saw the opportunity to land a hit on the back of the monster's knee. His sword cut through its skin, causing the monster to let out an exasperated grunt, which led to an abrupt wide swing to defend itself from what was supposed to befall him.
"Oops! You almost got me there. I'm not gonna lie. Hmm? Seems like getting hurt made him all jubilant, eh?"
The wounded hobgoblin targeted only Eugeo. Its focus was fixated on him and him alone.
"Losing your cool isn't good for your head, didn't you know that? It can cost you your life."
How swift Eugeo was with his execution! His flawless movements plus his precise strikes, targeting only the vital points, brought down the hobgoblin with him trampling on its headless body.
The death of their own did not bother them. The two remaining
hobgoblins just continued going after Xenon and the others but failed to even land a direct hit.
Unfortunately, they were toyed with and suffered death much more painful than the first one.
"Good! We're winning. We can do it!"
A glimmer of hope sparkled brighter in the civilians' minds when they saw how strong Eugeo and his comrades were against the bunch of hobgoblins.
People began to cheer for their victories, and it really did well in boosting their confidence but not to the extent that they became complacent. They did not let such a small win against three hobgoblins go over their heads and mess with their actions.
"Look, the king goblin's stepping in!"
At first, the people of Virval Highlands thought that the battle against the invasive goblins would not turn out what they expected it to be. The fire was just the beginning of their nightmares.
The king and queen goblin whose appearance was not that different from the other hobgoblins other than the crowns made from the skull of their previous ruler emits a dangerous vibe to them.
Something about the pair tells Eugeo and his comrades that they will be in for some tough battle.
Neither of them showed fear in front of their kin's slayers nor did they display signs of backing down now that the two of them had already stepped in.
In their eyes, the humans in front of them were no more than mere sources of protein and energy to go on with their daily lives establishing a large colony. Each race of monster has a goal and each of them varies depending on their needs and how they wish their lives to proceed.
At some point in their life, as the goblins mature and become aware of their actions and what's happening around them, they start to have some sort of connection with their kin. One trait that will cause them to feel worried about when bad things happen to someone they value.
This means that both the king and queen goblins were empathetic towards their fallen kin slaughtered and thrashed on by the knights. It angers them so, watching the other goblins scream in pain and lie lifeless on the ground with their guts splattered all over the ground and spilled blood tainting the wetland red.
"Intense bloodlust is being directed towards us right now!"
Eugeo warned his comrades about the pair of hobgoblins enraged after having their kin slain.
"Hmm... This is bad! I can smell death lingering around this place. It reeks of blood and the soil after the first rain."
Xenon could not be more concerned about someone waiting for him on the other side of the bridge. His eight-month pregnant wife was dead worried about his safety.
Facing off the relatively huge goblins was something his wife was worried about. Her pregnancy added to the anxiety she was feeling and she could not stop being emotional whenever she saw her husband struggle against the hobgoblins. Some of the fear she's harboring was somewhat lifted in her mind when Xenon and his squad flawlessly executed the remaining hobgoblin.
"Wounded people kept coming one after another! Hey, healers! These guys need some help!"
The three clerics and the single lonesome priest treated even the slightest injury. Their job continuously drained them of their reserved mana. Exhaustion began to wear them out. And they could roughly fully heal a major injury with how fast their mana was depleting.
One cleric was pushed to her limits, suddenly fainting when treating a patient. They took turns in healing the wounded until they could not anymore.
"Let us rest for a bit. We'll die if we push ourselves when we're already at
our wit's end."
Everybody realized their mistake for wearing the four out and still expected them to treat the injured. What they did was give the healers time to replenish their strength and mana whilst the remaining wounded people bear with the pain they were undergoing.
"Be careful!"
They swarmed behind the open gate, others peering through the people's shoulders in front of them to clearly see what was going on front of them.