An unknown power seeped through me, spreading like wildfire in my veins. My fingers clenched, the Goblin King's arm caught in my grip.
His smug grin faltered. He felt it. The raw, unnatural strength tightening around his limb.
With a sharp breath, he released me, stepping back. A flicker of wariness in his eyes.
**D̶̤͍͍̰͖̙̙̳̰̣̳̪̣̼̞̺͚̾͐̊̀̇̈́̾̏͆͒ö̷̧̩̤̤͙͚̜͚͔̬́̄̒͒̀̉͆̈̐̚͝ͅ ̸̖̬̦̺͍̟̿̀̿͝͠y̷̨̞̹̳̙̻̜̹͒̐͊͛͊̄̔̋̍͗̉̕͜͠͝ó̸̰̞̙̹̞̞̓̓̀̒ṳ̶̎̃̍̓͛͛̌̂͝ ̴̨̱̰̮̯̻͉͎̟̤̤͍͈͕̫̙́̎̒̆͊̍̓̕͝r̵̛̩̻̼͈̲͙̩͛̎̍̌̅̑̑͑͛̿͑̽̓̇̕͜ḛ̴͎͚͙̬͖̜̹̝̻̘̗̩̀́͌̄̊̅̎̑̇͌͛̚͜͝͝a̶̟̦̘̤͙̱̼̰͊͆̉̋̌̈̿͊͂͑̔͊̇̑͌̍̚l̵̨̧̞̭̊͋́͊͋̾̌͗̋͝͝i̷͔̤̝̮͇̜͍̱͒̽͆̃͠ż̶̡̢̨̛͙̤̝͙̲̘̮̠̘̥͊ę̶͍̞̼͎̺̻̲̝̟̈́̾̐̈́́̂̈͋̆́̓̚͘͠d̵̢͎̼͓̝͙̜̓̀̌̎͆͂͛͒̔̇ ̵̧̞̪̰͚͚͖̃̎͗̔͆̈́̉̆̈́́͂̾̈́͂̾͊͘w̸̨̡̪̬̝͈̳̖͇͈̎̌̉͑̆̆̉́͒̇͝h̵̺͍̗̞̙͗̒͑̉̀͆̋͑͘͠͝͝ą̴̟̦͔̻͇̣̦͌̀̉̓͊̒̎͋̔̕͜͠͝ţ̴̡̛̲̙̞̲̣͖̩̻̲̫͙̠͍̙̎̔̄͐̏̓͂̉̿͛͛̉͌́̆͜ ̷̡͉̜͍̰̺́͒h̶̡̩͚͖̩̺̩̩̱͎̗̳̀͌͑̿̈́̃̽̕ą̸̜̤̖͗̀́͆̄̿͆̂̍͌̀̅͜͠v̶̥̆͑̅́̈͛̏́͑̏̃͝͝͝e̷̼̲̱̮̤̔̈́͐̎ ̴̢̧̬̤̗͈̬̝̤̍̈́̐̽̉̈́́̓̚ŷ̷̳̥̞̩̦̫̘͍̱̳̳͊͌͊̈͊̆̑̏͝ő̷̧̨͎͔͓̤̣͚̌̐͠ṻ̸̜͖͇̯̫͍͚̳̮͍́̊́̆̂̓͌̽̕͜͝ ̵̡̄̐̐̽͂̊̐̿̈͝͝ḓ̴̆̌̉̈͠ơ̶̧̡̻͚͎͈͍͕̺̳͇̪̙̑̂͌͂̍̎̃̿̅͝͝͠ͅn̸̡̯͈͎͕͔̜͔̆͗͠ͅȅ̸͕͚̰̹̙̄̓̀̃̈́̄̒̃́̚͠͠͝ ̷̡̡̡̮͎̱̤͉̖̻̘͕̣̞̘̼̆̑̈̋▢̵̡̛͇̜̓̈́̿̓͒͊͆͑̿̅͗̈̈̈▢̸͎͙̂̕͝▢̷̨̢̨̳͉͓͉̲͍̪̱̒̒̉̌̈́̃͒̐͆̿͊̽̄̎́͘͘▢̶̰͙̱͖̯͔̼̘̲̻̭̭̖̯̙͍͑̄̃͑͠ͅ▢̵̢̖͎̤̩̭̫͉̣̗͓̲͕͂̓̌̈̊̑̍͐̎̿̍̃̅̃▢̴̡̛̜̟̥̞̪̻̹̠͉̱͖̹͍̺́̈́̑̒͂͂̎̇̓̅͐̓́͠͝▢̷̲̜̠̹͓̭̦̥̯͈͇͎̗͉̭̎̋̌̇͆̈ͅ▢̸̨̛̭̻͇̥̦̘̬̳̘̣͓̟̣̰̪͛̈́͂̽̈̀͌̍͊̔̌̆͛͘▢̴̡̢̛̺̪͓͉̫̬͉̙̮̲̲͙͚͇̽͌̓̑̆̂̒͆̃̄́̉͝▢̴̧̗̬̱͖̮̦̭̳͉̩̀̾̽̍͋̔͒̀̈́͗͆̚?̶̢̛̛̩͖̙̟̖̬̻̥̦̇̾͂̓̃͠
I shuddered. That voice—it came from me. But it wasn't me.
A pulse surged through me, twisting like a living storm in my chest.
[System]: I know exactly what I've done… and I should've done it a hundred years ago.
"So, you've been hiding your true strength, human?" His voice was steady, but the subtle shift in his stance spoke volumes.
I scoffed. "Maybe. But who cares? You're just another soon-to-be-forgotten speck in the grand scheme of things."
My jaw clenched. Wait—I never wanted to say that!
The Goblin King's grin widened. "To talk so boldly after a beating… truly arrogant, human."
His knuckles cracked.
And I realized—this fight had only just begun.
He charged forward, fist clenched, the ground trembling beneath his sheer force.
"Not using your weapon again? You'll regret underestimating me this time," I said, my voice steady.
He only grinned, unfazed.
I raised my sword, and suddenly, knowledge I had never known surged through me, instincts sharper than ever.
With a deafening crack, his fist rocketed toward my face, the sheer pressure distorting the air around it.
Split-Second Slash!
Before his strike could land, I vanished—only to reappear behind him in the blink of an eye.
His breath hitched. "How did you—?"
A thin, gleaming line appeared across his chest. Then, with a sickening delay, the wound burst open, blood spraying as the force of my slash finally caught up.
"I admit, I underestimated you, human," he said, his tone laced with grudging respect.
In the blink of an eye, a hooded figure materialized behind him—the shaman. A faint, eerie glow pulsed from his hands, and before my eyes, the Goblin King's wound sealed shut as if it had never been there.
"Now," the Goblin King continued, rolling his shoulders, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "I'll be using all of my power. Get ready, human."
I scoffed, tightening my grip on my sword. "Shut up. Let the blades do the talking."
Wait—why did I say that? My own tone, my own arrogance—it felt unnatural, like something else was speaking through me.
The Goblin King merely chuckled, unfazed. "Out of all the humans I've faced, you're the second to surprise me… and the second to entertain me." His grin widened, eyes burning with anticipation.
"Oh? There was a first?" I asked, amusement curling in my voice.
The Goblin King scoffed. "Not that you need to know him." His grip tightened around his massive greatsword, muscles coiling like a predator about to pounce. Then, with a burst of speed, he lunged.
I met his charge head-on, our blades colliding with a deafening clang. Sparks erupted from the impact, illuminating our locked gazes—his filled with thrill, mine with unwavering resolve.
"Oh? Holding your ground now?" he mused, pressing harder. "I wonder why you didn't show this strength earlier. That would've made things much more fun." His wicked grin widened as if he were savoring every second of the battle.
Our weapons ground against each other, locked in a battle of strength. His monstrous force pushed me back inch by inch, my feet skidding across the dirt.
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue and twisted my blade, deflecting his greatsword just enough to slide to his side. Without hesitation, I swung.
Clang!
He parried with unnatural speed, his grin never faltering. "Not bad, human."
I didn't respond. I ducked low, slashing at his legs, but he leaped back, then came down with a thunderous overhead strike.
I barely managed to sidestep as his sword slammed into the ground, splitting the earth beneath us. Dust and debris exploded outward, obscuring my vision.
A shadow lunged from the cloud.
Instinct roared through me—I twisted my body just in time to catch his blade with my own, metal screaming against metal. The sheer force sent a shockwave up my arms, numbing them.
He laughed. "You're fast. But let's see if you can keep up!"
His attacks came relentlessly, a whirlwind of steel and brute strength. I blocked, dodged, and countered where I could, but he was relentless.
A feint—his blade veered off at the last second, forcing me to overcommit.
Too late.
A fist slammed into my gut, knocking the air from my lungs. I staggered back, but before I could recover—
BOOM!
A devastating kick sent me flying, crashing through stone pillars like they were paper. Dust filled my vision, my body screaming in pain.
"Is that all?" his voice taunted through the haze.
I coughed, gripping my sword tighter. My bloodied lips curled into a smirk.
"Not even close."
Then, I vanished.
The Goblin King's eyes darted around, confusion flickering across his face as I seemingly disappeared.
"Where—?"
Pinpoint Slash!
I struck from above, my sword descending in a blur of speed. The air screamed with the force of my attack, aimed directly for his exposed back.
But—
Clang!
His greatsword lifted in an instant, held horizontally above his head. He blocked me.
A slow, knowing grin spread across his face.
"Really? That predictable?" he taunted.
My eyes widened. He knew I was coming.
Before I could retreat, he twisted his weapon with explosive force, knocking me away. I flipped mid-air, barely landing on my feet.
"You're fast," he admitted, rolling his shoulders. "But speed alone won't be enough."
He took a step forward, and the sheer pressure of his presence sent a chill down my spine.
Then, in a blink—
The Goblin King vanished.
Not good—!
I barely had time to react before a shadow loomed behind me.
WHAM!
His greatsword came down like a meteor, the force of the swing splitting the ground where I had stood a moment ago. I barely managed to twist my body, feeling the wind of his attack graze my side as I flipped backward.
I landed, skidding across the broken ground. My grip on my sword tightened.
He was already charging again. No pause. No hesitation.
CLANG!
I raised my blade just in time, steel crashing against steel in a deafening clash. Sparks exploded from the impact as I was pushed back, my feet digging into the dirt. His strength was monstrous—each blow heavier than the last.
I exhaled sharply.
Then I'll just have to be faster.
I twisted my blade mid-clash, redirecting his force to the side. The sudden shift threw him off balance, if only for a fraction of a second.
It was enough.
Split-Second Slash!
I blurred from sight, reappearing at his flank. My sword carved a sharp arc toward his ribs.
But—
CLANG!
He caught my blade mid-swing with his gauntleted hand, stopping my attack cold.
My eyes widened. "You—"
His fist slammed into my stomach like a battering ram.
The impact stole the air from my lungs, my vision blurring as I was launched backward. My body crashed through broken pillars before skidding to a stop.
I gasped, trying to steady myself, my hand pressing against the aching dent in my armor.
The Goblin King chuckled, rolling his shoulders.
He lifted his sword once more.
"Now, human—let's see how much you can really take."
With a roar, he charged again.
The Goblin King closed the distance in an instant, his massive blade cleaving through the air like a storm.
Too fast!
I barely managed to roll to the side as his greatsword carved through the ground, sending debris flying. The sheer force of his swing left a deep trench in the battlefield, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
I dashed forward, slashing at his exposed flank.
Pinpoint Slash!
My blade found its mark—cutting deep.
But—
A grin.
Before I could react, his arm shot out, gripping my wrist in an iron vice.
"Got you," he growled.
My eyes widened.
CRACK!
He slammed me into the ground with bone-shattering force. Dust exploded around us. Pain lanced through my body, my vision flickering as the earth cratered beneath me.
But I had no time to recover.
He lifted me again—higher this time—then hurled me across the battlefield like a ragdoll.
I twisted midair, forcing my body to correct its trajectory. My feet slammed onto the ground, skidding back, leaving deep gouges in the dirt.
I exhaled, steadying my breath. My grip tightened on my sword.
The Goblin King cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as his wound—the one I had just inflicted—began to close.
Behind him, the shaman smirked, hands glowing with sickly green energy.
"So that's how it is," I muttered.
Healing magic.
His wounds were meaningless if that thing kept patching him up.
The Goblin King grinned. "Tougher than I thought."
I scoffed, wiping blood from my lip. "You talk too much."
He laughed. "Then let's let our blades do the talking, human."
His greatsword ignited with a violent aura, the air around it distorting from sheer power.
I steadied myself.
No more holding back.
Y̸͚̪̪͔̩͆̉͆ơ̷̗̦͉͔̠̜̹̜̝̜̇̏̿̾̈́͋̔̓̐̒ư̷̛̝̺̹̬̜̤̩̘̝̭̻̟͎͛́͒̅̍̀͊̏́̔̌̚ͅ ̵̘̖̖̌̒̿̐̅̇̀̑͐́́̕͜ȟ̸̨̗̘͉̹͉͚̀̓̆̇̕̚͝͝ą̷̛̪̻͙͕̞̼̲̺̖̙̪̽̉̿̇͋̌̂̉̀͒̓̅͊̕v̶̹̹͙̩͈͖̬̝̪̜͇̓ȩ̴̛̣̝͙͉̋̽́̾͛̓͆̔͝ ̴͉̝̹̖̤̗́͋͗̈́̐̅̕m̵̗͔̒͊̐̓̾̈́͐̔̕͝͝͝a̴̧̨̦̦̹͔͇̣͈̘̝̗̱̜̠͙͇̿̂̓́̓̑ḓ̵̢̨̡͉̲̲͍͈͇͎̝̗̯̘͎͐̔̒̈̎͆̊͑͝͝͝͝ę̴͔̼̺͉̺͎̐̌̈́̈́͛̀́̃̈́̽̀͜͝͠ ̶̧̧̬̯̱̫̼͕͌͌́́͑͗̊͋̀͗͝͝y̶̢͖̯͔̭̑̅͛̂͐̊̾͌̕͝͝͠͠ơ̶͖̝͕͉̥̾͌̽̒̋̍͐͑̃̈͆͝͝ủ̷̢̨̘̞̤͓̬̣̮̟̻̓̀̓̔̇̀̊̒̌̒̒͘r̸̨̧̜͔̪͙̖̼̩̝͆̌̓́̐́̀͂̈́̒͘ͅ ̵̢͔̱̭̻̀̅̓̑̿f̴̥̝̬̖̊́̓̈̄͗̽͊̚͜͝͝͝i̴͓̦͓̤̯̠̐̕ͅr̵̛̛͍͇̰͚͕̬̼̹̹̊͂͌̋̉̍́̇͘ş̴̛̤̒̈́̿̂̀̔̔̓̐̉͂͐̍͝t̵̛̘͓̳̲̖̙̲̣͛̋̎̋̋͋̇ͅ ̵̨̧̛̥̺͔̝̪͎̫̹̩̎̐̇͑̾̈m̶̨̻̻̱͉̌̔̑̏̚ì̶̘̭̻s̷͇̫̼̦̳̞͎͇̦̮̣͈̺͕̦̜̒̑̇̐̿͐̎̋̌̔͊͆̅ţ̴͕͙̼̗̣͉͈̤̩͙̝͎̳͔̐͑̎̀̄̀̏͌̀̕͜͠a̸̭̳̦̪͍̽̉̆̃̽́̀͆͘̚ķ̵̩̭͈̹̠̣̺̫̩̺̯̎̀̆͌͌̓̈́̊̿̉͝ͅe̷̙͎̗̥̼͗̾̿̐̉̋̇͗̂̈̌̈́̕̕͘̕…̵̛̞͈̲̮̲̣̙̩̊͒̿̀̾͒̉̚͝ ̶̧̲̖̝̂͝a̶̗̭̯͙̟͓͍̻̭̝̐̈́͂ń̶̼̩̹͕̹̺̜̩̘̎̐͆̍́͝ͅͅd̵̛̛͎̰̟̤͈̗̩̥̍̊̄̍͗͒̿̈͛̊̍͜͝ͅͅͅ ̷̘͙̱͉̝̽̊̆͂͒͆̒̈́̀̓̒͊͐̇̚͝n̵͈̼͇̝̆͑̈̂̓͊́͐̉͑̎͗͜͝o̸̧̩̫͕̾̋̓̀̈́̽͛̔̀͒͆̌̚͜͜͝͝͠͝w̸̢̢̧̛̛̝͓͈̻̘̦͇̙̥͚̰͇͊̆̅̒͆̅̓̏ͅ,̶̟͑̍̿͗ ̷̰̏̅͌̾t̷͇̫̪͚̼͖̑̏̉͠ḩ̴̨̗̯̜̖͈͚̺̌͝ę̸͓̯̻͎̺͂̂͊͜͝r̷̨̠̳̙̦̗̣͍̩̺̦͆͝ḙ̵͓̣̐̃́̀͊͒̂̒̈̀͗̄̉̀͛ ̸̡̨̡̖̝̞̤̮͖̰̬̩̹̰̗̅̆͝ͅḭ̵̟̫͚͚̭̜̱̙̦͆͛́̾̋̍̽̎̽͑͋̽͌̚͝͝ṣ̶̗͔͊̌̅̀̓̈͆̂̿̈́͠͝ ̵̗͊̊̔͒̋͊̐͘͜n̸̨̩̫̟̯̲̪̱̓̾͑̽̃̇̀͂̄͂̚͜͠͠o̷̗͎͊̂͆̄̾͆̌̾̄͊̎̍̕ ̸̨̨͚̪̰̰̦̰̖͈͎̯̝͎̔̃̑̽̾͋̅̎̈̃̕ţ̴̲̺̫̲̖̳͎̝̑̊̇u̸͓̗̼̳̦̮͈͌̊̈́̓̉́̽͗̊̚͜͜r̵̡̭̱̿́̓͑̂͑̇͐̕ṅ̸̝́͒ỉ̶̡̨̝̠̗̰̜͚͐͂̽̂̎̈́̑̉̓̽̑͋̕̚ͅn̴̡̝̭͕̯̪͖̐̏͝g̴̨̡͚̝͉̤̝̖͔̤̼̥̝͇̉̓̈́̊̏̅̌͘͝ ̴̧̢̛͉̩̣͉͈̺̲͎̪̝̼̟̥̯́̍̒̓̄͊̓́̀͛̆͗̚̕͜͝͝b̶̥̠̑̀̑̈ạ̶̹̼̯͋̀͊̓̂͒̊̈́̿͑́̅̽͒͝ͅc̸̨͔͉̙̥̫̱̺͖̣͍͉̏͗̎̾̾͘͝k̶͉͇̤̫̖̪̅̐́̇.̶̤̣͓͖͈̺̗̠͌͆͐̔̈́̎̈̋͒̾͛̕ ̵̥͍͔̖͖͉̤͍͖̯̬͍͍͐̆̋T̶͙̖͈̋̃̄̚ḩ̴̭̞̼͕̜̙͍̹̯̙̝̳̉̆̄͂̾̇̈́̓̓̉̿̀͆̃͐̃̕ͅe̵̢̲͙̫̺͈͈̠̯̞̺̭̦̻̱̹͗̋͂́͊ ̸͕̦̹̩̝̼͍͙̙̣͔̮̯̽͜c̶̬͔̼͇̼͈͉̰̫͈͉͇̰͍̥͈͙̔̋̇͋̈̿̕ò̶̡̲̠̬̰̤͈̣̺̿ņ̸̲̾͋͛̓s̸̘̹̻̦̭̀͆͋̋̾̆̇͋̋̑̌̕e̶̡̦͚̪̻͕̮̹̰̎̂̚q̷̧̡̛̯̲̣͈̺̩̣̬͈̬̰͈̓̄̒̓̇̋͋͆͋̅͋́̕̚͘̕͜ͅû̵̡̩͚͕̯͈̗̯͖̳̺̦͖̜̪̘͌̀͒̀̃̂̌̌̈́͊̃͝ͅe̴͕̺̩̤͚̘̰̯͂̏͐̈̿̿͌̃̏͐̎̕̕͘͠n̸̡̟͔̘̤̠͇̠̪̉̂̓͌̈́̾̋͒̂́͘̕c̶͙͓̯̻̈́̐̊͋͒̇̿ë̵̜̳͚́̂̅͊͌͂̃̏̓̀͂̕ṡ̴̯͇͎̘͍̓ ̸̯̘̼̩͍̤̯̮̝̘͓̗͗͆́͌͑̽̓̔̾̽͒͘̕͠͠ą̶̧̙̝̥͇̝̣̬͉̥͍̼͎͉̔̄̋̈́̍̓̈̂̆͝ͅṛ̵͛͊̔̉ḙ̶̢̡̛̖͕̯̣͈͂͊̉̀̅̄̀́͌͊̕͝͝ ̷̨̛͕̙̜̳̩̠̲̜̣̃̑̆̾̅̀͒̾͛̈́͒̌͆͑̆i̸̧̢̨̨̤̣̟̮̟̹̦͓̰͍̤͒̿̒̈̃̓̎͑̐͊̇̏̋̌͘͘̕ń̴̨̻̬͙̙̭͎̪̩̦̺̬͉̹̼̬͉̿͋̍͂̕͠ȩ̶̢̨̠̪͉̼͙̼̟̠̈́̿͜v̸̥̪́̃̑̎͆̍͐̋͊̾̂̚i̵̛̖̩̰̖̮͚̖̹̣̽̍̆̍̾̑̒̒̉̕͘̚ͅt̸̮̫̬͖͍̉̈́̅̈́̑̍̉á̶̜͙̥̟͓̦̯͕́̽̍̾͊̎͌͗̊͝͠b̶̧̢̹̮̰͍̮͉̯̟̼̼͚͖͛̌̽̒͛͝͝ͅl̸̳̥̼̮͙͌̍̏̀̀̐͝e̵̛̛̞͍̪͓̳͓̼̯̬̯̼̔͆͑̓̋̆̆͒̍̀͘,̵̧̧̡̺̣̲̦̫̠̜͚̰̎̈́̏͘͜ ̵̨̳͙͔̺͎̠̜̟̟̱̑̏̚͜ả̶͍̱͉̯̗̦̠̣͍̟̙̻͔̭̳͊̍ͅn̴̯̭͇̫̘̩̜͎̲̖̞̩̏̿̓͌̊̎͆̈́̅͊̈̿̕͝͠ḏ̷̢̪͈͍̯̲͈̘̳͓̰̻͍̘̻͐͐̽̒̔̈́́̈́̌́͋̿̆̓ ̴͙̯̺̗͓̼͈̽͝y̸̫̟̯̙͒͑͒̄̇̀̀̓̈́̐̽͛o̷̤͔̤͊́͑̉̚͝ų̷̱̼̟̳̞̺͙̠̤̱͇̹͔̎̓̐̌͊̓̿͑̎̽͋͘̕͝͠͝͝ ̶̢̳̳̼͚͓͈̟̥͚̭̗̥͍̱̑͊̈́͜ẅ̶̨̘̮̳̯̦͓̣̯͈̻̖̮͖͌͒͋̄͒͆̀͛͠ͅi̴̢̢̨̜̳͓͙̺̼͔̝̖̥̰̜͎̰̍͊̇͌͑͒̀̿͊̎̿̀́l̸̡̖̤̟̫̰͎̝̤͍̺̄̿̀͜ͅl̴̜̮̮̦̫̫̬͓̻̳̂̎̓͆ ̴̮͖͗́̌́̐͐͑̓͂͘͝p̶͍̦͉̰̲̲͇͇̫̲͌̈́̑̆̀̒̀̀̐͆̽͜͠a̸̢͕͍̠̭̯̰̟̪̩̮͐̐̊̄̓̓̔͜͠y̷̡͎̣̙̳͕̫̬̠̪͑͌͝ͅ ̸̘͕̟̳̭̬́̂̈́̍̎͑͒̋t̴̡͚̖̳̲̙̱̤̑̄̃̆̐̈́̍̆͝ͅḧ̵̭̥́̃̓̐̅͗ͅḙ̸̳̜̥̟̦̤̥̑̐̒̈̑͑̀͋̚͜ ̸̤͔͇̖̹̺̼̎̐̋̽͋̐̇̈́̕ͅp̸̧̰̫̰̯̘͇͕͎̼̪̳̣̐̓̃͂͌̎͑̚̚̕͘͜ͅr̴̨̭̹̋̀̓̈̅̄̈́̏̈́͊͊̉̆͑͊̎͠i̸͔̼̼͖̻̝̭͓̿̒̊͒̎̂̋͌͆c̴̡̢̛̟͓̞̤̘͖͙̖̳̺̔́̍́̄̅͂͘͜͝ȩ̴̨̜͍̻̱̺̹̱̰͂̿̚—̶͓̖͇̅o̴̺͖̜̚̕͘͝n̴͓̲̭͆̅̐͑͊͒̈́́͂̎͆̋̒͠͝͝͠ę̴͕̳͖̗̤͙̪͖͖͓͓͍̹̊̅̋̿͘͘͠͝ ̸̡̤͚̙̪̖̀̓̃̆̆̀̏̆́͋̈̿͜w̴̛̹̓̔̀̊̊̉̈͛͛́̿̓͘͘ȁ̴̯̝̠͕̺́͋͂͒̓̽̏̃͘͘̕y̴͍͓̗̲͑̇̑́͆͆́̏̕ ̸̝̉̈͌̔̈̊̂̊̑̀͠o̵̡̯̞̹̼̪̭̳͚̓̃̒͝͠ͅr̴̨̼͈͈̥̺͎͔̯͙̩̔́̐͋̾̓́̈́̇̀͆̑͂͝͝ ̴̡̧̡̧̛̤̪̖̼̱̣͈͙́̃̍̈͋͘̕ͅá̷̪͚͎̓̂̋̋̆͑́̿͗̓̀̕n̸̥͓͖̝͆̕ǫ̸̪͙̗̰̜̰̲̪͙͕̻͓̗͍̈̔̏̑̇̃̽͊͑̾̕͜͠t̶̢͎͙̼̲̤͍̣͕̭͖̬͓̩̀̂͑́̅͐̓̌͒͒͛͠ͅh̵̤̝̓̀͌͆̀̓͛͂͌̚̕͝͠ͅė̵͎͇͙̟̉̓̈́̅̂̐̕͠͝͝ŗ̸̖̮̤̝̬̼͎̱̳̾͠.̶̧̲̟͚̖̝͔͚̩̦̂̀̇̾͗͠ͅ
̸̛̮̣̯̬̰̗̣̞͈̘̫̝̬̜
̷̻̱̣̠͎̎͆̐̑͆̍́̒̊̊͊̐̊̀͂̚͝
[System]: Fuck you. This time, the choice is mine.
Scorching Heart!
Flames erupted from my blade, crimson and wild, bathing the battlefield in a furious glow. The heat distorted the air, making everything waver like a mirage.
I tightened my grip on the hilt, instinct guiding me. The power surging through me felt ancient—primal.
The Goblin King tensed, his instincts screaming at him. He braced himself, lowering his stance, his greatsword raised in anticipation.
I lunged.
A burst of speed sent me forward, a streak of fire tearing across the ground. My body blurred, almost vanishing, leaving behind only embers in my wake.
The Goblin King roared, swinging his blade with all his might to intercept me. The sheer force of his strike split the ground apart—
—But he hit nothing.
His eyes widened as I passed him by, untouched, unbothered.
Confusion flickered across his face. "What—?"
And then realization dawned.
It wasn't him I was aiming for.
He spun around—too late.
Cleave.
The shaman barely had time to react, throwing up a desperate barrier, its sickly green glow flickering against my approaching blade.
It didn't matter.
My flaming sword sliced through it effortlessly, the magic shattering like fragile glass. The blade met flesh, cutting through the shaman's chest, searing as it tore.
A choked gasp.
For the first time, the Goblin King's smug grin was gone.
I turned, my blade still burning, its flames hungrily licking the air.
"This time," I said, my voice low and steady, "it's just you and me."