15 steps separated them.
Within their hands was a great sword each.
On one side was a victorious king that has won many battles, and on the other side was an indomitable hero that has never stopped resisting even in defeat. A monster and a human. Over the years, the things that have built up between them transcended just mere grudges.
With that great sword that could be described as unrefined in his hands, the Goblin King took the Black-Red Speckled Great Swor(Zweihander) and wielded it over his shoulder as he waited for his opponent, while Gulland stood opposite him with lightning coursing through his sword and waited for the right moment.
Slowly, Gulland approached.
He was not afraid.
With steps wide and his gaze fixed upon the giant goblin before him, he put his strength into his Great Sword of Blue Lightning. Gradually, the lightning around his great sword converged and Then with a speed faster than sound, he smashed the ground below, and deadly whips of lightning lashed out. Seven streaks all in all, they gathered into a single streak to form a hammer of lightning.
Gulland smiled.
The moment the Goblin King sensed his coming, he called forth the flames on his great sword.
“Turn me into a blade(Enchant)!”
As the Black Flames of the Underworld were called forth, they wrapped themselves around the great sword, and that body blessed by Pitch Black(Verid) manifested the miracles of the gods.
The Goblin King took a step, and so powerful was it that it seemed as though it would go through the ground.
“The Ruler of the Wind and the Lightning(Astaroth)!”
With a powerful yell, Gulland unleashed a great light formed from the convergence of his lightning to give rise to a powerful storm that threatened to gouge the land, tear the air, and destroy everything before him. Were that to hit, any normal human would die completely without even his bones left, and yet, the Goblin King met it with his own attack.
“GURUUuoOOOAAA!”
If Gulland’s roar was that of a fierce tiger’s, the Goblin King’s was that of a lion’s roar. So overwhelming was his power that it overtook the mountain and his ki covered the world.
With the blessings of the Goddess of the Underworld(Altesia), the Twin-Headed Snake (Bedydia), the Earth-Devouring Serpent (Perseval), the Wingless Sky Snake, and the One-Red-Eyed Snake that Wielded the Black Flames of the Underworld, the Goblin King’s ether was literally in a different league.
The black flames that erupted from the Goblin King’s great sword burned with his spirits high, and as the lightning hammer threatened to destroy him, he met it with his own black flames.
The Goblin King’s great sword was a masterpiece that pursued only durability. After overcoming countless battles, that great sword, that has been used purely for destruction in the hands of the king, crushed the great light, and lightning and black flames alike raged. It was as though the miracles manifested under the divine protections of the gods were trying to exterminate each other.
As they scattered the air and engulfed the lands, those two powers transformed into a shockwave and canceled each other, giving rise to clouds of dust all around. The goblins stirred, but as though the Goblin King did not hear them, he tore through those clouds of dust and closed in on Gulland.
That ability to realize his disadvantage in a ranged contest of ether was one of the fruits of his many years of experience. The Goblin King had not merely been a High King that swung his sword in the front lines, nay, he was also a warrior that survived after many battles as a warrior; therefore, his decision was definitely right.
Such an eye-catching attack would normally make one hesitate to charge, but the Goblin King didn’t hesitate the slightest as he bolted for Gulland. Victory belonged to those that walked forward. That has already become a part of his philosophy since his journey began in that forest of monsters.
But Gulland, who was able to unleash that giant lightning hammer, was not a normal man either.
If the Goblin King has won countless battles, then Gulland the Hero was a warrior that has survived countless defeats. This hero, who has thrown himself into so many battles without losing his power or pride, knew that he could not defeat the enemy before him with just a single blow.
As the goblin cut through the clouds of dust, Gulland too took a step forward.
Neither warrior would fail to measure their range, and in the next moment, black flames and blue lightning clashed through their swords.
As they both stepped hard enough to split the earth, they put all of their strength into that attack, but the battle wouldn’t conclude just yet.
“OOOOOOOaaAaAA!”
“GURUuoOoOoAAAA!”
Their howling voices were like those of a lion’s and a tiger’s.
The aftermath of their clash left a scar on their cheek. The Goblin King released a full-powered slash, but Gulland received it with his great sword clad in lightning. As Gulland grit his teeth hard enough to crack his molars, the unending tension of this battle grievously attacked him mentally, but he could not retreat.
For the sake of the person he had to protect, for the sake of the beliefs he stood for, this man that came to be known as a hero, in a different sense from that black-haired man, stood against this foe greater than him and challenged him with resolve.
Alas, the Goblin King had no reason to let him win.
No matter how much Gulland might try to earnestly uphold his beliefs, the Goblin King’s defeat would spell the defeat of the goblin race. Nay, it was beyond that, for such an act would be no different from spitting on the face of all the races that helped them and all the humans that he trampled underfoot.
As one who bore the title of ‘king’, the Goblin King could not lose no matter what. Especially, since he was the stronger one here. As such, this would be a battle of resolve.
Already, the lives of countless humans and monsters were upon his back. Yet even if the Goblin King had to gamble all of that, he would not retreat. With those feelings imbued into his great sword, the Goblin King clashed with Gulland once again.