Exterminate Them, or...

The moonlight was soft and gentle, like mist and frost, spreading over the vast plains. The tall grass, swaying lightly in the wind, shimmered with a faint glow, resembling flowing water.

Unfortunately, the peaceful scene was shattered by a series of shrill, chattering cries.

The goblin underlings, wielding rusty shortswords, flickering torches, and crude iron-studded clubs, filled the air with their grotesque laughter. Their bulging, filth-yellow frog-like eyes gleamed with a sinister red glow, while their grotesque, fanged mouths dripped with revolting green saliva.

Their foul, filthy bodies desecrated the once vibrant plains—an outright insult to the purity of nature.

It was as if someone had shattered the joy of a pleasant meal in a bustling food street by bursting a sewage pipe right next to them, drenching their bowl with putrid filth.

Disgusting.

Staring at them, Kiana could feel her blood boiling, her cells searing with rage. It was as if molten lava coursed through her chest, setting her ablaze with an insatiable thirst for slaughter.

An uncontrollable fury surged through her.

The flames that should have represented the inheritance of generations now brimmed with an overwhelming desire to kill.

Her fists clenched tightly, joints cracking audibly. The scene before her—no matter who they were, as long as they retained any semblance of human conscience—was enough to ignite their anger.

Boom—

In her eyes, the intricate cross-shaped sigil of Honkai energy emerged, complex and pulsating with raw power.

Suddenly, flames erupted from thin air, forming fiery ribbons that tied up her long silver hair into a high ponytail, while a blazing cloak draped itself behind her.

The sudden surge in temperature inside the barn made the other adventurers, who had been silently observing the goblins, involuntarily twitch their eyelids.

This young lady was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Killing goblins doesn't need a reason," Goblin Slayer spoke in his usual monotone, sliding his freshly sharpened short sword back into its scabbard and gripping his battle-axe tightly.

He had seen villages ravaged by goblins, seen the hopelessness in the eyes of women taken captive, and seen their faces turn numb after the unthinkable.

And tonight—"They must die!"

Kiana exploded with fury. Her face flushed red, contorted by rage. Her ocean-blue eyes were laced with blood vessels, the fire of wrath nearly spilling over.

Her Kaslana knight's bloodline roared within her.

Observing the fury in Kiana's eyes, Goblin Slayer thought to himself—as expected, another sheltered noble lady, seeing goblins for the first time.

The other adventurers present shared her anger, but their expressions carried a certain numbness, a sign of their unfortunate familiarity with such horrors.

It wasn't surprising. In this world, most inhabitants—except for the nobles secluded behind their castle walls—had either heard of or directly suffered from goblin attacks.

It was only a matter of degrees.

Unlike other monsters, goblins didn't follow any patterns. They could appear anywhere, at any time, lurking in the darkest corners of the world.

"Please stay calm, stick to the plan..."

Kiana didn't respond to Goblin Slayer. Instead, a burst of flames erupted from her palm, instantly forming a massive flaming greatsword in her grasp.

"No need to make this so complicated—Mei!" With a loud cry, Kiana's body lunged forward at lightning speed.

"Got it!"

Boom!

A red and purple streak shot forth, shattering the barn doors with sheer force.

Left behind was Goblin Slayer, still extending his hand to stop them, now staring wide-eyed alongside the other adventurers.

Troublesome suspicions had become reality.

This was precisely why Goblin Slayer had been reluctant to seek the help of these young ladies from the start.

They were clearly noble daughters, raised in the lap of luxury, choosing to become adventurers out of a sense of justice and curiosity.

Sheltered young ladies with a strong sense of justice were a dangerous combination—Goblin Slayer feared they wouldn't follow orders.

"Signal the others. Switch to contingency plan two—direct assault. Before the goblin grunts can form ranks with the upper goblins, we split them apart at the junction points. Prioritize rescuing the captured women."

The moment Kiana and Mei charged in, Goblin Slayer did not hesitate. He grabbed his short axe and dashed out of the barn.

He had anticipated such an outcome and prepared countermeasures. He couldn't guarantee saving all the captives, but there was no time for second thoughts now.

Killing every last goblin would serve as their revenge.

As he charged out, however, the sight before him made him pause.

Rumble!

Kiana, wielding her flaming greatsword, blurred with speed—leaving behind only a trail of fire streaking through the air like a falling meteor. The dazzling brilliance weaved through the gaps in the "shields" held by the goblins, zigzagging with astonishing agility.

Under the night sky, it was breathtaking.

But behind this beauty lay unparalleled destruction.

Schiiing—Splurt!

If time slowed a hundredfold, one could see the crimson liquid splattering as flesh was sliced apart. Before the droplets could even hit the ground, they were vaporized by searing flames.

The goblins didn't even have time to react before they were decapitated and dismembered. Their grotesque faces, twisted in snarling expressions, never had the chance to show fear.

Their short, grotesque bodies, still in mid-stride, were engulfed in fireballs before they crumpled lifelessly to the ground, becoming glowing embers in the darkness.

Boom!

Like a falling star, flames rolled out like molten lava, scorching the grass into dry, cracked earth. More than a dozen goblins standing in her path were instantly incinerated, leaving a charred trench in the once-lush greenery.

In one instant, Kiana had been at the goblins' front line; in the next, she had already broken through to the back ranks, standing before the goblin shamans.

Behind her, the goblins collapsed like felled trees, their burning corpses lighting up the night.

Yet, strangely, the crude wooden shields they had been holding remained unscathed amidst the swirling flames.

"Kiana, it's up to you!"

Leaping into action, Bronya and Li Sushang worked together, swiftly escorting the battered and traumatized captive women to the safety of the pasture's central area.

"Gyaa! Gyaa-gyaa!"

Finally realizing the impending doom, the goblin shamans let out piercing, terrified shrieks. While retreating, they frantically tossed goblin underlings toward Kiana, wildly waving their wildly waving their staffs topped with human skulls.

Crackle, sizzle!

They screeched, desperately channeling their life force into magic—whether it be lightning, fire, or wind—all hurled at the flaming figure charging toward them like a "demon."

"It's your turn now, trash!"

What greeted them was a blazing inferno.

"The Blade Supreme, Rekindled!"

In an instant, lightning, fire, wind—everything—was swallowed by the surging flames, and Kiana's greatsword came crashing down.

Splatter—Boom!

With a single slash, the foremost goblin shaman instantly burst into a mist of blood. In the next moment, the sword's lingering sparks expanded, as if tons of white phosphorus had been added, exploding into a fiery wave.

The blaze surged forward like a tidal wave, crashing into the goblin horde behind with overwhelming force.

Within the firestorm, the goblins' twisted bodies writhed momentarily before being completely disintegrated, leaving not even ashes behind.

In mere seconds, a sea of flames roared and surged forward, engulfing everything in its path.

Rumble—Boom!

Chunks of earth erupted in all directions as rolling waves of dust intertwined with the raging fire, forming a massive, orange-red blossom of death that bloomed brilliantly in the night sky.

It was eerily beautiful—yet terrifying.

The powerful explosion, reminiscent of a second sun, swept across the battlefield.

The resulting shockwave crashed into the advancing adventurers, sending them tumbling backward. They were flung four or five meters before crashing into the grass with heavy thuds.

"Oof!"

"Holy crap!"

"Take cover!"

The intense heatwave ignited the lush green fields, sending thick plumes of smoke spiraling into the sky. What was once beautiful scenery had turned into a scorched battlefield.

"Ugh... that noble lady is ridiculously strong."

The flamboyant spearman crawled out from the flattened grass, leaning on his spear with an expression of awe.

Beside him, the sultry female mage casually dusted herself off, smoothing out her now slightly singed hair.

"Seems like we were completely unnecessary here..." she remarked with a knowing smile.

Most of the adventurers, now realizing the sheer gap in power, had visibly relaxed—except for one.

"No! The Goblin King is escaping!" Goblin Slayer's urgent voice snapped everyone back to attention.

Unlike humans, goblins had no qualms about sacrificing their kin. Just as they used women as human shields, they had no hesitation in abandoning their own to ensure survival.

If Kiana hadn't been such an unpredictable variable, the adventurers would have hesitated to attack, fearing for the hostages.

The goblins, sensing the tide turning, would not hesitate to retreat. Whether it was lowly grunts, shamans, or even the higher-ranking goblin champions, they were all disposable in the eyes of the Goblin King.

At the first sign of overwhelming resistance, the Goblin King was highly likely to flee, leaving his minions scattered to create confusion.

Survival was all that mattered. As long as he lived, as long as he could capture any mammalian female, it wouldn't take long before he'd spawn another goblin horde.

Yes—any mammalian female could become a vessel for goblin reproduction. Their preference for human women? Probably just a personal taste.

"Move out!"

Goblin Slayer's sharp gaze swept over his companions—the human priestess, the high elf archer, the dwarven shaman, and the lizardman priest—before calling them to action.

"No need, Ulandal and Rita will handle it. Rest assured, not a single goblin will escape."

Standing gracefully on the eaves, Fu Hua clasped her hands behind her back, her long gray hair fluttering in the night breeze.

Her voice was soft and tranquil, like a still pond, seemingly indifferent to the existence of the grotesque goblin race. But those who knew Fu Hua well understood—she was currently very agitated.

Following her gaze, one could see Senti on the other side of the pasture, an expression of utter disgust on her face as she slaughtered goblins. She didn't even bother using her fists or weapons, simply launching air blasts one after another, turning the creatures before her into piles of minced meat.

"I understand."

Stopping mid-stride, Goblin Slayer nodded slightly and was about to return to the barn.

"Wait, Goblin Slayer, I have a question I hope you can answer."

"Go ahead." Goblin Slayer looked up, his voice calm and steady.

With a light leap, Fu Hua descended from the eaves, saying nothing at first. Her gaze briefly swept over the women huddled nearby, their bodies covered in scabbed-over wounds, loosely draped in ragged blankets.

"Kill them... kill them all... kill the gob..."

Their eyes had lost all light, their voices weak yet filled with unrelenting hatred, endlessly repeating the same mantra.

"The goblin threat is so great... it's humiliating, but why does the government do nothing? Where is the military? These goblins, apart from preying on untrained civilians, are quite weak, aren't they?" Fu Hua asked, withdrawing her gaze from the women.

By logic, even if this medieval world lacked the centralized authority of Shenzhou's dynasties, local lords should still be deploying their forces to eliminate such threats once their people were attacked.

"Because it's not worth it."

The reason was simple. From the perspective of the ruling class, goblins were not considered a significant threat. Anyone with basic knowledge understood that a single goblin was weak, and even the higher-ranking ones—goblin champions or shamans—were hardly a concern for those in power.

Most importantly, goblins did not directly affect the lives of the nobles.

To the ruling class, goblins were no different from minor pests, mere nuisances at best.

Even if cities were occasionally attacked, it was always the peasants living on the outskirts who suffered, not those within fortified castles.

"Why should we mobilize our armies for a bunch of lowly farmers?"

Such was the mindset of the aristocracy, who saw their armies as tools for war and defense against demon lords, not mere goblin extermination.

After all, the nobles resided within well-guarded castles, far beyond the reach of goblins.

Sure, some reckless goblins had dared to approach, but they never even touched the city gates before being swiftly slaughtered by elite guards.

There were, of course, exceptions—such as the Sword Maiden, whose past trauma rendered her defenseless against goblins. But figures like her were rare.

Goblins, though stupid, weren't entirely brainless. After suffering heavy losses, they learned to steer clear of such fortresses.

As for the adventurers, most were well aware of the dangers posed by goblins.

Low pay, high risks—newcomers often perished during their first goblin hunts, and seasoned adventurers deemed the effort unworthy of the reward, leaving goblin-slaying commissions in a perpetual state of neglect.

"Not worth it... such a simple reason... No wonder."

Fu Hua nodded slightly in understanding, her expression tinged with a hint of sorrow.

"I think I now understand what Esdeath's trial truly entails."

"Is it just about exterminating goblins? No... she's testing whether we can use our strength to bring change to this world—whether through revolution, rebellion, or slaughter—to reshape the ruling class."

Given the corruption and arrogance of these decayed aristocrats, thinking they could negotiate a peaceful solution was nothing short of laughable.

"It won't be easy..." Fu Hua sighed, looking out at the battlefield. "Not without bloodshed."

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