As if they knew our arrival, several ice-goblins came running toward the hobgoblin. There were now more than 15 ice goblins plus the boss behind.
'Shit I didn't expect that!' I cursed before looking at Julius and Roselle who were both trembling in fear. They were like me, they hadn't expected to see so many goblins appear.
But we couldn't do anything now except fight.
"It's a-alright, guys. Don't w-worry."
"But our plan...?"
"S-sometime you n-need to forget p-plans to win." I said as I made a new nano-gun with the ice attribute.
Roselle and Julius were shocked to see a gun appear in my hands and wanted to ask me how I got it, but the ice goblins already started to run toward us.
"Get i-into formation." I ordered my companions as it was really important to stay focused during such moments.
While they were getting ready, I ordered my nano-creatures to stick to their roles. The cat had to stay with Julius, while the dog had to stay with Roselle.
They fought together for a while now, so they must know how to coordinate their attacks with one another.
As for the two nano-praying mantes, I ordered them to go wild and kill as many goblins as possible.
Right before anyone could even move, I activated the skill of the staff I got from the shaman goblin earlier, giving a strong boost to everyone.
*Bam*
[+40 EXP]
I shot one goblin and killed it instantly.
My companions were surprised to see that I killed an enemy with a single bullet but were even more shocked when they saw two goblins' heads flying.
'The praying mantis are really useful.' I smiled as I see the boss still not taking a single step.
As the ice goblins continued their charge, Julius stepped forward and activated his time ability. Everything around him seemed to slow down as he moved with incredible speed, dodging the incoming attacks and striking back with deadly precision.
Meanwhile, Roselle's telekinesis ability allowed her to lift the ice goblins off the ground and throw them into each other, creating a chaotic mess of flailing limbs and flying weapons.
They had really improved a lot with their ability in the span of two hours.
I kept firing my nano-gun, each shot hitting its mark and taking down one goblin after another. The praying mantis were also wreaking havoc, cutting through the goblin's defenses with their sharp blades.
But despite our efforts, the boss remained motionless, watching us with a cold gaze. However, as if it sensed that the number of goblins around it decreased, it suddenly raised his hand and a blast of icy wind swept through the battlefield, knocking us off our feet.
The remaining four goblins tried to take advantage of this opportunity, but I quickly fired four bullets, killing them all.
We struggled to get back up, but the boss wasn't giving us a chance to catch our breath. He summoned a giant icicle and hurled it toward us with incredible force.
"Ahhh."
I could hear Roselle screaming in fear behind me. The icicle was big enough to kill us all in one well swoop.
And right at this moment, I felt as if time had slowed down. I could see things moving more slowly. Was it Julius? No, I don't think so. He wouldn't have enough magic power to do that. Then what?
I didn't get any answer, even from the system, but nonetheless, I took advantage of this opportunity.
The icicle was at point range, but right before it hit us, it slammed onto something.
*Bam*
I managed to change my nano-gun into a big and round nano-shield just in time, but the impact sent me flying backward.
"Arghhh!" I spat a mouthful of blood as my head hurt like hell. I never expected to suffer so much in my life before.
"August are you alright?" Roselle asked with tears in her eyes.
However, I couldn't answer her as the boss finally started to move. It even had a big smile on its disgusting face, as if it was content to finally have strong opponents.
Despite the pain and the fear that threatened to overwhelm us, we stood our ground and prepared to face the boss. We knew that we couldn't afford to show any weakness in front of it, or else we would be doomed.
I took a deep breath and focused my energy, summoning all the power I had left. I could feel the nanobots inside me responding to my call, surging through my veins and filling me with renewed strength.
"Let's s-stick to the plan n-now!" I shouted to my companions, and they both charged forward with all my creatures, ready to face the boss head-on.
Julius and Roselle were on either side of the boss, while the dog and cat were at the front, and the praying mantes were behind it. My companions both used their ability to increase their speed and attack the boss while the creatures were distracting it. As they joined forces, they managed to unleash a barrage of attacks on the boss, hitting it with everything they had.
The praying mantis leaped forward, their blades flashing in the dim light as they sliced through the air. The cat and dog charged forward as well, their teeth bared and claws extended, ready to tear into the enemy.
But the boss was no pushover. It fought back with incredible ferocity, its icy attacks slamming into us with bone-crunching force. They dodged and weaved, doing their best to avoid the worst of the damage, but it was clear that we were in over our heads.
Suddenly, the boss unleashed a massive blast of ice that sent them all flying backward. They all crashed into the ground, groaning in pain as they struggled to get back up.
[Your nanobots have been disabled.]
[Your nanobots have been disabled.]
[Your nanobots have been disabled.]
My cat and praying mantes were all disabled, while the dog looked like it was on its last breath.
Thankfully for me, they all came back toward me, whether it was my companions or the disabled nanobots that fell right at my feet.
The boss loomed over us, its eyes gleaming with triumph. It raised its hand to deliver the final blow. But right before it could swing its hand downward, I made a new nano-gun.
While everyone was fighting, I didn't stand idle. I was thinking hard to try and imagine how a bullet was manufactured. However, as I had no prior knowledge, it was hard.
But after some time, I roughly made a single magic bullet, eating away all my magic power in the process.
That was why I was so happy that all my disabled nanobots came right under my feet. It allowed me to reshape them without using a single drop of magic power.
Unfortunately for us, I was too slow. I didn't have the time to put the bullet inside the gun, thus we could only meet our doom now.
As the giant hand was getting closer, I could feel Roselle and Julius trembling behind me. They expected me to save them, yet I couldn't.
'I'm sorry guys. I'm too weak.' I said inwardly as I felt as if my life started flashing in front of me.
All the moments of despair I lived since I was a child were playing in front of me. But in this eternal darkness, I could see one person standing.
It wasn't me, but a handsome man instead. I recognized him with a single glance. It was Lyra, the protagonist of 'Chilling Embers'.
'I wish I could have met him one day.'
However, to my surprise, it wasn't the moment for me to die.