Win it, Master! Defeat the King of the Fools! [Chapter 15]
The rallying cry echoed from within me, a fierce chant spun from the voices of my companions, Targan and Lucas, urging me forward into the fray. With the roaring crowd behind me, I stepped into the ring, my heart pounding in time with their fervor. As the elder stepped back from the battlefield, the air thickened with anticipation, the shrill whistle slicing through the tension as our duel was officially declared.
"Hello, Goblin King," I called out, attempting to engage my towering foe. But my words fell on deaf ears; he charged at me with ferocious intent. No time for banter. I rushed forward to meet him, timing my movements with precision. He unleashed a powerful punch aimed for my face, but I deftly sidestepped, shifting my head to the left just in time. Seizing the opportunity, I threw a punch aimed squarely at his gut, connecting with a satisfying thud that forced him back three staggering steps.
"Aren't I the tough one? Hahahaha!" I declared with a grin, but I reminded myself that I was facing the formidable Goblin King, a behemoth standing at an imposing nine feet, muscles bulging like iron beneath his coarse green skin. His sharp horns pointed menacingly from his head, while teeth protruded wildly from his gaping maw, reminding me of the savage creatures that roamed the wilds. To add to his intimidating presence was a long, sinuous tail that swayed behind him, a rarity among his kind, giving him an edge in this brutal contest.
Without warning, he lashed out with his tail, a whip-like strike that sent me crashing to the ground with a bone-jarring impact.
"Ouch… that was quite a hit!"
I cursed as I pushed myself back up, gritting my teeth against the pain. Undeterred, I charged him once again, leaping into the air to deliver a kick to his face. But before I could land the blow, he caught my leg with a vice-like grip and hurled me violently to the ground.
"Aah! My head!"
I shouted, struggling to recover as he loomed over me, ready to land another attack. As he swung a kick toward my abdomen, I rolled backward just in time, scrambling back to my feet to avoid his assault. This goblin knew how to brawl. I needed to be smart. Gathering my resolve, I created distance and launched several sludge bombs his way, the noxious projectiles hurtling toward him. He attempted to evade, but at his size, they were nearly impossible to avoid completely. I watched with grim satisfaction as one struck true, the poisonous concoction eliciting a pained howl from the king.
Seizing this fleeting moment of vulnerability, I sprinted toward him, unleashing a flurry of punches aimed at his gut, culminating in a sharp kick that knocked him backward onto the ground. The crowd, once a cacophony of cheers and shouts, fell into a stunned silence. Gasps rippled through the spectators, punctuated by the soft whisper of disbelief. Among the throng, Gobby's voice rose above the quiet: "Go, Master! Win this for us!"
But my exhilaration was short-lived. The Goblin King, now seething with rage, pushed himself back onto his feet, his expression a tempest of fury. He looked as if he were a volcano ready to erupt. With a roar, he slammed his fists into the ground, shattering the earth beneath him with monstrous strength.
"What a monstrous strength!" I thought, barely managing to dodge as he leaped into the air, aiming to crush me beneath his enormous mass.
Instinct kicked in just in time. I darted aside, but his long tail ensnared me in a vice-like grip, whipping me side to side like a ragdoll. Pain shot through my body with every blow, and I struggled to escape his grasp.
Yet, in this moment of peril, I remembered my ability—**Leer**. I unleashed this power, and for a brief, exhilarating second, time slowed; the Goblin King froze, paralyzed by an inexplicable force. With newfound determination, I wrenched free from his hold, seizing his tail and using every ounce of strength I could muster to slam him back to the ground. The impact echoed through the arena.
As he struggled to regain his footing, I launched myself forward again. Utilizing my Jiten Ushiro Geri—a spinning back kick—I struck him with a force so intense that he dropped to his knees, gasping. My follow-up hook kick landed flush against his face, sending him reeling. The combination was brutal, leaving him dazed and vulnerable.
But he was not finished yet. The Goblin King rose once again, this time fighting against the weight of exhaustion. I dashed toward him, executing a swift foot sweep that sent him crashing back to the ground. Seizing my advantage, I struck him squarely in the chest, but he roared in anguish, retaliating by launching me to the ground like a barely-there wisp of wind.
"Ouch, this fall was a bad one!" I moaned, the sting of the earth against my back serving as a painful reminder of my vulnerability.
"C'mon, King! What happened? Just a punch to the chest, and you're acting like a child! What a shame!" I taunted, knowing full well the folly of underestimating an opponent of his size and ferocity.
Suddenly, his hand encircled me like a vice, lifting me effortlessly off the ground. "This fight is far from over," he seemed to growl, as he slammed me into the earth once more.
The air was thick with tension, a palpable energy that crackled like lightning in the stormy sky. We stood there, locked in a deadly dance—a battle that had pushed both of us to the brink of our limits. Blood dripped from our lips, staining the ground beneath us, yet neither of us was willing to relent. It was a fight for survival, and I knew it was time to end this once and for all.
With a swift movement, I executed the Tsuri Ghoshi, a technique designed to throw an opponent to the ground. The goblin king stumbled, his eyes wide with shock as he hit the earth with a thud. I seized the moment, my fists clenching into powerful weapons of fury. I rained down blows upon his chest, each strike resonating like a drumbeat in the silence of the battlefield. The sound echoed around us, a harsh symphony of violence that only intensified with every impact. Blood erupted from his mouth, a grotesque testament to the ferocity of our clash.
Desperation clawed at him as he wrapped his tail around me, squeezing with a ferocity that threatened to crush the very breath from my lungs. But I was relentless. With each punch, I felt a surge of strength coursing through me, my resolve hardening like steel. The grip of his tail tightened, but so did my fists, striking with an intensity that seemed to transcend pain itself.
The goblin king's eyes widened in horror as blood began to spill from his eyes and nose. I could see the life draining from him with each powerful stroke until, with one final, devastating blow, I shattered his chest. The world around us faded into a blur as I stood over his lifeless body, gasping for air, barely able to breathe under the suffocating grip of his tail.
The battle had ended, and I was victorious. "The battle ended in the defeat of the Goblin King," I thought to myself, the weight of the moment settling heavily on my shoulders.
All around us, the remaining goblins bore witness to the brutal spectacle. They knelt in silence, their heads bowed in reverence, the echoes of my fists against the goblin king's chest still ringing in the air like the final toll of a death knell. I stood there, covered in blood—my face, my hair, my clothes—each drop a reminder of the fierce struggle that had just unfolded. In that moment, I raised my hand in triumph, a symbol of my hard-won victory.
But before I could fully grasp the enormity of what had just happened, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me. My vision blurred, and the world tilted precariously. I collapsed, darkness swallowing me whole.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the fight. I contemplated the best way to depict it and realized it represented a clash between raw strength and technique. The Goblin King epitomized brute force, while Red showcased exceptional martial arts skills. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Wishing you a great day ahead.