The beasts that plagued the 14 Clans of the Dark Lands of Mir were all of various shapes and sizes, and every single one of them looked… corrupted in a way.

  ‘Velora, is it me or do they all look like regular wolves, foxes, bears, or close enough to those various shapes?’

  [It does appear that way. With the only difference being that every single one of them has pitch-black skin and only moves to kill and devour everything in their path.]

  [There is a remarkable lack of self-preservation in any of their behaviors. Even a massive wolf would escape if it thought it could no longer win a battle. Something you and Jaba learned firsthand quite a long time ago.]

  ‘Yeah, we did, didn’t we… we almost died that day! But thankfully that wasn’t the case. Now that I’m looking back at it, it was that interaction with the wolf that sparked a massive change in our little tribe.’

  Rick reminisced for a brief moment before snapping back to the fight in front of him.

  ‘No time for that… let’s do as I promised and let loose. I have a bit of pent-up frustration to let go.’

  Mana filled Rick’s body from head to toe as he dove into the mass of beasts in front of him like a starving child animal that had finally found food.

  He already had the natural strength and power of Goblin King of the Fifth Tier, but once mana filled his entire body, it would be easy to mistake him for someone who had just recently entered the Sixth Tier.

  And on a battlefield currently filled with nothing but Fourth Tier beasts and below? There was no stomping him.

  Not even remotely.

  By now, the previous Goblins who fought to hold the line had finally retreated, and the members of the Royal Guard had spread out in a line behind Rick.

  “Squad fighting only! Our King has ordered that all 50 members of the Royal Guard are to return alive! Do not disobey him!”

  Commander Meegra roared out as she allowed her body to be filled with Mana as well, except it wasn’t to fight in hand-to-hand combat like Rick did.

  Wind seemed to gather from the far reaches of the Dark Lands of Mir before coalescing at her fingertips, and she yelled the name of her spell before sharp blades flew out at blistering speed to the weaker enemies that slipped past the reach of her King.

  So far, only Tier One and Tier Two enemies had managed to slip past Rick before getting mowed down by Meegra and the rest of the Royal Guard forces that stood behind her.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Loruk was among them.

  As a former captain of the Central Clan’s Goblin Corps, he was not unfamiliar with leading troops.

  And that experience shone brightly as he commanded his small squad of five Tier Three Goblins.

  “Reverse wedge formation! Do not fight alone and stay behind me at all times! Look out for your fellow groups and communicate!

  “You! Back up!”

  Loruk yelled at one of the Goblins in his group and quickly dashed to his side before beheading the foxlike creature that had snaked its way toward the head of the previous Goblin.

  “STAY ALERT!”

  Similar conversations took place across the battle line as Commander Meegra allowed her captains to take charge of their squads.

  So far they were only fighting Tier Ones and Twos, which—individually or even in small groups—would be easily destroyed by each member of the Royal Guard.

  But this wasn’t just one or two.

  There were hundreds of them.

  Thousands even.

  Of course, the majority of that number was being cut down before they themselves could even realize that they were dead.

  Commander Meegra, and any Goblin on the battlefield or in the distance who could spare a glance in the direction of Rick, felt a sense of pride welling up.

  Chief Grul had somewhat begrudgingly relayed the order to refocus the Goblins being sent here to other places, but that didn’t stop him from staying behind and watching the scene from a distance.

  If it was up to him, he would’ve chosen to be on the battlefield and fighting next to his King, but there was a small part of him that appreciated being able to watch the scene in front of him.

  Their King. Proving exactly why he was their King.

  Of course, not a single Goblin in the Dark Lands of Mir required any sort of proof, but they could still be happy at seeing their ultimate protector showcasing his prowess.

  And he did not disappoint.

  Not even when something that would’ve required the intervention of one of the Chiefs to step in showed up.

  A massive wolf-like creature that quite clearly had the aura of a Tier Six beast wafting off of it entered the fray about 45 minutes after Rick started fighting.

  The entire reason why at least one Chief would be stationed at each front and not actively participating.

  They needed to be at full strength if a beast with similar strength showed up and began wreaking havoc.

  [Rick!]

  ‘I see it!’

  “MEEGRA!! BACK OFF!!”

  Commander Meegra heard the order and quickly ordered a fighting retreat for the entire group as they slowly backed off while fighting the encroaching beasts.

  ‘Velora, my mana?’

  [900 remaining!]

  ‘More than enough then!’

  By the time Chief Grul sensed the approaching presence and took off in a sprint—unconsciously—towards the battlefield, Rick had already charted a course toward the beast.

  Roaarrrr!!!

  The beast let out a roar as it stormed toward the Goblins with its ravenous maw gaping wide.

  Rick swept away the beasts that were around him, and after taking a small second to bend his knees and flex his lower body muscles, he shot off like a bullet toward the wolf and let out a roar of his own.

  “Khaal’drez!!!!!”

  A storm of mana quickly gathered with Rick as the epicenter before instantly condensing into what appeared to be a small ball at the head of the spear that Rick held.

  The amount of mana that gathered was so voluminous and chaotic that it was visible to the naked eye.

  Except it took on a blood-red color with a hint of green seemingly pulsating throughout the small ball.

  Only Chief Grul, with his advanced eyesight, could see it now.

  Not even Rick was focusing on the ball as he brought the spear down on the head of the wolf who had dove toward Rick in an effort to eat him whole.

  BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!