Gray Mist Goblins

"I see them." Ashina's crimson pupils glowed with magical light within the gray mist.

The enemy was regrouping in a clearing, mutilating the corpse of the female slave.

"Envious you can see through the mist. I'm completely blind here," Field grumbled. While the pact made him immune to the death mist's toxins, it didn't grant him sight through the fog. His world remained a featureless white. "What attacked the territory?"

"A bunch of... little shorties. Dwarves? But not as stout."

"Can we take them? If not, we should attack with the guards."

"No problem! Just ordinary lifeforms." Ashina felt the warmth of Field's chest against her back. An involuntary, contented rumble escaped her throat, though her tone remained nonchalant. "We'll crush them. They haven't detected us yet."

Field carefully drew his sword, minimizing any sound, then whispered, "Then let's tear them apart!"

"Owooo~"

A bloodthirsty wolf howl shattered the stagnant silence of the gray mist.

It was answered by panicked, high-pitched shrieks. Only then did Field's mini-map erupt with a flurry of red exclamation marks.

"Just as I thought. Non-corrupted creatures only trigger warnings when they become hostile."

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

A volley of javelins pierced the mist, hurtling towards them.

The direwolf dodged with blinding speed, becoming a blur as it evaded effortlessly.

"If the enemy can see us, hiding in the mist is pointless." Field ignited his mist-dispersing lamp. Visibility cleared instantly, revealing writhing tentacles and vines, and various rotting corpses littering the ground. But the most striking sight was the group of "dwarves."

To be precise, it was a horde of goblins – large-nosed, sharp-toothed creatures. Unlike ordinary goblins, these fiends had the milky white pupils of the dead and sallow, earth-toned skin.

The captured female slave, exposed to the death mist during transit, had already succumbed. Yet, she had been stripped and brutalized. Her left abdomen, corrupted, was covered in a dense cluster of small tumors. Field, a trypophobia sufferer, caught only a fleeting glimpse before recoiling, feeling like he might die on the spot.

Seeing humans, the gray goblins began a grotesque, taunting dance.

"They're immune to the mist. That's not good news." Seeing their appearance, Field immediately understood. These Gray Mist Goblins were a species that had survived the death mist's selection. "Let one escape alive. Kill the rest."

Ashina made no effort to conceal her killing intent. "Understood."

*Thunk!*

The direwolf materialized directly above the leading goblin. Ashina, taking in the slave's brutalized corpse, flushed with anger. Her lance shot forward with renewed ferocity. With the sickening sound of metal piercing flesh, the unfortunate goblin was skewered through the chest. Blood sprayed wildly as the impact of the charging direwolf hurled it away like a discarded rag, bones shattered, landing lifelessly in the distance.

The goblins were numerous, easily over thirty. Clad in ill-fitting armor, they surged forward like an ochre tidal wave. Rusty spears jabbed from all directions. More frenzied ones leaped spread-eagled, trying to drag riders from their mounts.

"Seeking death!"

Those enjoyable defeat scenarios were merely fodder for Imperial novelists to please the masses. Against the terrifying power of a Divine Champion, goblins – at least ordinary ones – stood absolutely no chance.

Without even needing to breathe fire, the direwolf plowed through the goblin wave. Ashina thrust her lance with deadly precision, each strike claiming the life of one or several goblins.

Blood spread, seeping into the northern soil, pooling in depressions to form small crimson ponds. Shrieks and wails echoed incessantly. Combined with the province's unique, nightmarish "Cthulhu-esque" terrain, it painted a scene straight from hell.

"Waaargh!"

Suffering devastating losses, the goblins broke and fled. Exposing the backs of their heads to the highly mobile wolf cavalry was the height of folly.

Ashina didn't slaughter them all immediately. Frankly, a single burst of dragonfire from the direwolf would have obliterated these rat-like creatures. Instead, she drew her longsword and began a leisurely pursuit behind the fleeing goblins.

Field himself took the opportunity to swing his blade at the runners, cleaving them into gory chunks.

Soon, only one terrified goblin remained, Ashina tracking it from a distance.

Creatures consumed by fear rarely think rationally. They instinctively flee towards perceived safety.

Passing through a section of forest, Field's mini-map revealed what was once a cobblestone road. Ten years ago, travelers and merchants used this route – safe and efficient. After years of corruption, Field couldn't discern even a trace of its former existence.

The trail of skeletons lining the roadside, however, convinced him he was on the right path.

A camp nestled deep within the woods was choked with corrupted brambles. The worm-like, writhing thorns represented the best dwelling these goblins could find.

This tribe called itself the "Blackwood Clan." The goblin chieftain was fond of the name. They were the proud descendants of the Orcish Expeditionary Force. The Orc Emperor had launched a grand campaign to assault humanity's bulwark – the Holy Griffon Empire. If only it hadn't failed. Those vile humans, it seemed, had bargained with demonic powers, unleashing the death mist that slaughtered all life in the entire Northern Province.

Otherwise, he'd be in a warm, comfortable human city right now, playing breeding games with a princess. Still, resilient goblins had adapted to the corruption, evolving into Gray Mist Goblins. There would still be chances to breach humanity's damned walls, capture humans for breeding... the chieftain fantasized.

Hurried footsteps shattered his reverie. An earth-toned goblin stumbled frantically into the camp.

"Boss! We found a human camp!" the goblin screeched in their guttural tongue.

The chieftain brightened. "Blessed by the Beast God! Where are they? I will—"

His words died as his grin froze. Standing imperiously within his line of sight was a direwolf over two meters tall.

"Motherf—! Shit! *You* led the enemy here!"

The camp held over a hundred goblins, though their combat power was less than the previous thirty. Field scanned them quickly, immediately assessing their threat.

"What do they even eat? Corrupted plants?" Field wondered briefly, but now wasn't the time for nature studies. He raised his hand, hatred sharp in his voice. "Burn them all to ashes. They dared attack my people. They've truly lived long enough."

These were no ordinary goblins anymore. It was time to crush them with overwhelming force.