Throughout the city, on almost every street, the vampires were being massacred. Shadow beings roamed the streets, hunting them relentlessly. A shadow dragon spewed a breath that targeted only them. Even the city's regular adventurers and soldiers, with their numerical advantage, overwhelmed the vampires once they lost the blood moon. Victory was no longer a possibility for these vampires, they could only hope to survive.
Amid the chaos, a cloaked figure dashed through the streets, ignoring everyone and everything around him. Moving like a phantom, he was undetectable to those he passed. It was the goblin, fleeing from the battle he knew was already lost.
The goblin snarled beneath his cloak. 'You won this time, you bastard, but I'll be back. I'll find a better opportunity to kill you and avenge my brother.'
Even in defeat, his thirst for revenge burned brighter.
'I failed the moment I didn't kill him in the initial attack. I've assassinated A-rankers before, but those were always quick, clean strikes. This fight exposed my flaws. But I have all the time in the world to improve and try again.'
His mind was already analyzing areas for improvement: stealth, assassination techniques, and most importantly, combat skills to take on A-rankers in direct confrontations.
'And I don't have to worry if he tries to run or hide.'
With a grin, he reached beneath his cloak, retrieving a rusted compass. It looked like any ordinary compass one could buy in a shop, unremarkable in every way except for the direction it pointed. It wasn't aligned with north; instead, it pointed directly behind the goblin, toward the palace.
'With this gift, you can never escape me.'
Suddenly, the compass's needle shifted slightly, pointing toward his side. The goblin's instincts flared. Rolling to the side just in time, he narrowly avoided shadow spikes erupting from the ground where he had just stood.
He whirled around in shock, his eyes narrowing as he spotted Sol standing on the roof of a nearby building.
Sol glared down at him, his expression cold. "Did you really think you could come and go as you pleased? I've heard how far you came just to kill me. This only ends with one of us dead."
Sol knew peace wasn't an option. The goblin's thirst for revenge made that clear. He also refused to live his life looking over his shoulder, waiting for another assassination attempt. Better to settle this here and now.
The goblin scowled, realizing Sol must have a way to track him as well. Running wasn't viable, it would only leave him vulnerable to further attacks.
"Fine, then, you prick." the goblin growled. "Just you and me."
With that, he dashed toward Sol, dodging shadow spikes that erupted from the ground as he zigzagged through them. Shadowy figures rose to block his path, but he sliced through them with fluid precision.
Sol readied himself as the goblin leaped upward, his blade aimed at Sol's throat.
Sidestepping the attack, Sol's form blurred slightly, shadows wrapping around his body. The goblin's blade whistled past his neck, cutting nothing but air. In the same motion, Sol retaliated, summoning a tendril of shadow that lashed out like a whip.
The goblin twisted midair, his small, agile frame contorting unnaturally to avoid the strike. He landed lightly on the rooftop and immediately closed the distance between them. Despite his speed, Sol's calm demeanor didn't waver.
As the goblin lunged again, Sol raised his hand forming jagged shadow spikes that exploded outward in a deadly radius. He was clearly applying his experience with [Terra Manipulation] into these shadows to create these deadly attacks.
The goblin's eyes widened, but his reflexes saved him. Flipping backward, he evaded the worst of the blast. Even so, several spikes grazed him, shredding his cloak and leaving shallow cuts on his arms and legs.
Blood dripped onto the rooftop tiles, but the goblin didn't falter. Instead, he smirked. "You're good, I'll give you that." he said, wiping blood from his arm. "But I've killed A-rankers before. You're not special. You're not chosen by them."
He shifted his stance, his expression sharpening with focus. Raising a hand to the sky, a black light began to emanate from his body.
"God of Premeditated Murder! Hear my plea and bless your champion!"
The black light grew more intense, the air around him thickening ominously. The ground beneath the goblin cracked as a dark crimson aura enveloped him. His wounds began to close, and his small frame grew larger, his muscles bulging unnaturally.
Sol's eyes widened at the transformation. But what caught his attention most wasn't the goblin's physical changes, it was something only he could perceive.
'His tether... it's expanding?'
The goblin's largest tether surged with power and began to expand greatly, his law technique and physical attributes both amplified exponentially.
"Hah... I should've done this from the start. Screw the cost." the goblin growled, his voice deeper, distorted by divine power flowing through him.
With blinding speed, the goblin charged forward, his blade aimed directly at Sol's heart. Sol raised a shadow barrier, but the goblin's empowered strike shattered it effortlessly, forcing him to dodge.
The rooftop groaned under the force of the goblin's relentless attacks. Each strike carried more power than the last, pushing Sol back. His usual agility and control were barely enough to keep up with the goblin's newfound strength.
'I can't match him blow for blow in this state.' Sol thought to himself as he focused on evading his strikes.
Sol feinted to the side, creating a brief opening, and retaliated with his law technique.
Dark tendrils erupted from the rooftop, coiling tightly around the goblin's legs and pulling him down with immense force.
"Do you really think that'll hold me?" the goblin snarled, flexing his enhanced muscles. With a roar, he tore through the tendrils, the divine energy coursing through him amplifying every move.
Sol watched carefully, his mind racing. 'This is too much! He's ridiculously strong now, and I'm running out of time.'
He glanced at his own tether which had been forcibly expanded and could see it unraveling at an alarming rate.
'I can let go and expand another tether but I'm not sure if the fight against the vampires is over… I can't give them a chance to resummon the blood moon.'
When he left Diana and Victor they had the clear advantage, but if the blood moon reappeared, he knew it could spell disaster for them. He racked his mind on what he could do while doing his best to survive the goblin's onslaught of attacks.
His thoughts were interrupted by the deafening roar of the shadow dragon rampaging in the distance.
'Of course!'