The agonizing cries echoed through the air as the merciless creatures, armed with spears, struck down citizens attempting to flee. The scarcity of weishi cast a sinister shadow, and despite the aid of hunters, a relentless stream of Goblins continued to emerge, a haunting curse upon the beleaguered village.
Renxian clenched his teeth and narrowed both eyes at the behemoth that was now advanced, down the hill and across the rice fields. The monster had to be stopped before it set foot in the village, hence, Sanxiu, without waiting any longer, ran over to the Hornclaw Goblin who was inexplicably halted.
"Hey! What are you doing?" The hunter in scale armor was momentarily taken aback by the black-haired man's desperate actions, as several weishi began to stir. "Damn, is it a Mystical Beast?"
The remaining hunters bravely sprinted towards the monster, dispatching the few Goblins in their direction. Meanwhile, Renxian, closing in on the creature, appeared immersed in an incantation. Uttering incomprehensible phrases, it began moving its hands in a rhythmic dance-like motion, as if invoking a mysterious power.
Its fingers gradually emanated smoke, which transformed into fiery orbs hurled at the village. A collective gasp filled the air, catching all eyes off guard, especially Renxian, who hadn't anticipated this turn of events. Helplessly, they watched as the fiery airstrike descended upon the village.
A colossal explosion ensued as the fire tore through the houses, leaving the humans in the vicinity with little recourse but to endure the impact, transforming the area into a sea of flames. Whether human or Goblin, those in close proximity faced an inevitable and sweeping force.
Infuriated by their cruelness, Sanxiu charged back toward the roughly fifteen-meter-tall behemoth. However, a gathering of Goblins beneath the monster formed a protective barrier, preventing Renxian from launching an action or drawing closer to the boss.
[Your chi is at maximum. You can do some skills with fire elements and obliterate them faster since it's their weakness.]
"So, the boss is some kind of evolution of that?"
[Yes. Hornclaw Goblin has adapted to the weakness and turned it to be his advantage.]
Renxian leaped, executing an aerial attack with flames igniting on the black katana. Upon contact with the ground, the flames erupted with enormous and deadly vehemence, incinerating the Goblins at the front. Not stopping there, he strategically opened up avenues for weishi and hunters to enter, pulling out all the stops to counter the threat.
"Take this, damn Goblins!" the brown-haired man shouted and it turned out to be the Gate 3 cultivator, unleashing a wind element that made some of the monsters bounce off.
As some of its comrades fell, the Hornclaw Goblin took action once more. Its burning palm slammed into the floor with such force that it made the earth rumble, creating cracks that spread toward Renxian, weishi, and the hunters.
The vibrations caused Sanxiu to lose his balance and come to a halt, realizing the growing crack beneath him was turning redder by the second. Reacting swiftly, he dodged as a jet of flame shot upwards at an incredible speed, spewing hot lava capable of melting even steel armor.
The ferocious attack not only targeted Renxian but also subjected the nearby weishi and hunters to the scorching fire. Some, rendered unconscious, met a brutal fate as they were mercilessly beaten to death, and destroyed almost instantly, leaving only a few limbs remaining in the aftermath of the devastating assault.
The brown-haired man, engrossed in slaughtering Goblins, was distracted by the bottom splitting beneath him. In a few seconds, Renxian deployed the Blinding Slash skill, averting a potential catastrophe that could have reduced the man to scattered ashes. With a swift motion, Sanxiu rescued the slumped hunter from the perilous situation.
"Go! Save the villagers!" the breathless, dust-covered black-haired man exclaimed.
The fellow in scale armor seemed to resist the command and rose to his feet. "Did you tell me to back off, Sanxiu? I will show you what I am capable of!"
"Yonxin! We need that wind element of yours up front!" shouted one of the weishi near them. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but, Sanxiu, we need you to finish off that beast."
He looked around, noticing that there weren't many of the weishi and hunters left. "Are these the ones left?" whispered the man whose hair had turned white, the wrinkles on his face looking hesitant. "We'll distract the Goblins, you focus on that thing."
In silent agreement, they sprung into action. Yonxin, the brunette hunter, swiftly took the lead alongside the weishi and other hunters, unleashing his wind element that sent numerous Goblins scattering in various directions. Meanwhile, Renxian and the remaining members confronted the lingering threat of the Goblins.
Sanxiu leaped so high that he was right in front of the Hornclaw Goblin who was too slow to react. With a single slash of the Enhanced Blinding Slash, Renxian's attack struck it in the head, causing the monster to scream out in distress.
Not finished there, Renxian, who had touched land, carried out another follow-up attack. Skillfully maneuvering between the Hornclaw Goblin's legs, he paralyzed both limbs with a signature slash, forcing the monster to its knees. However, as Sanxiu was about to hop once more, the monster howled and its body began to heat up, emitting fire steam.
Mid-air, the black-haired man crossed his arms, shielding his body from the intense heat. Gradually bouncing away, he struggled against the force that threatened to burn away his clothes. Renxian gasped for breath and coughed until he realized the monster was gearing up for another attack.
The steaming body collided with the earth again, but this time, the fire didn't spread from within. Instead, it manifested around it like a shockwave, pulverizing anything in its range. Renxian moved to shield his body with both hands when the flames struck him.
[Use Shadow Cloak skill!]
Upon hearing the system's advice, Renxian complied. His body, engulfed in fire, appeared to be shrouded in a shadow that made him vanish without a trace. However, misfortune befell the unprotected weishi and hunters; their armor melted, and they suffered internal burns.
The situation there looks like hell. Renxian, who had regained his sight because his Shadow Cloak skill was over, circulated his eyes in all directions - which were adorned with blaze everywhere. Even he didn't know whether there were survivors in the area or not, be it humans or the Goblins themselves. Meanwhile, the Hornclaw Goblin was still there, launching endless attacks.
"No way..."
For the second time, the monster initiated an aerial attack with even more intense fire towards the surviving village. One of them darted into the evacuation area where frightened residents gazed at the approaching onslaught of burning projectiles.
Their astonishment deepened as they were greeted by the presence of an incredibly beautiful creature with soft, shimmering fur. The fox, majestic in size, halted before them. Its nine tails gracefully extended upward, releasing a magenta aura into the sky.
The flames shattered into pieces in the air after one of the Fox Demon's shots hit it. Not only that but when the beast ran very quickly to the remains of the fireball, she managed to prevent it from falling into the village. Niara appeared at the same time as Siuxa who was trying to secure the surrounding residents, while the Hornclaw Goblin was screaming even louder as its attack was thwarted.
"That aura... is it Meagu?" Renxian attempted to rise, his clothes torn and scorched from the effects of the colossus. "Let's finish this battle, then."
Without hesitation, Renxian swiftly dashed toward the distracted Hornclaw Goblin, focusing on its legs. The Enhanced Blinding Slash landed on the monster's foundation simultaneously, leaving it dazed and off balance.
The Hornclaw Goblin didn't stay still, it stabbed the ground repeatedly at Sanxiu who tried to dodge, overwhelmed by its fire element that kept appearing from beneath. The shockwave reappeared and hit Renxian who hadn't had time to defend using the Shadow Cloak.
That creature's movements accelerated and Renxian did not retreat at all as his clothes caught fire, taking them off and sliding towards the monster half-naked. Realizing that the threat was at hand, the Hornclaw Goblin screamed at the top of its lungs and unleashed a fountain of fire from the ground, spraying toward Renxian.
The emotionally charged man was able to dodge all the flames in his path, even as he jumped and a tinge of flame appeared in front of him, he pulled out the Blinding Slash skill and with just a blink of an eye, he was right in front of the Hornclaw Goblin - launching a slash at the monster's head.
"More..." Seeing that the creature still hadn't given up, Renxian again leaped towards it which almost fell backward.
[Use Afterimage skill!]
The man shot upwards as the Hornclaw Goblin composed itself, shouting and exerting a burning hand. They both unleashed their abilities and the moment the two collided, an explosion was created. Throwing Renxian because the force of its fist is more robust.
But, what Hornclaw Goblin didn't know was that the Afterimage skill would appear right in front of the attack direction. Therefore, Renxian's skill hit right into the monster's face, a wave that pierced through the skull. Killing it on the spot and falling behind, along with Sanxiu who landed in the hill area.
Leaving remaining Goblins to run away in dread.