Upon spotting the Greater Goblin, Sisuel and the others instantly tensed, ready for action.

  Without hesitation, they charged across the river, chasing it deep into the forest beyond.

  High above on his wyvern, Tian’s lips curled into a faint smile.

  “Good. The prey has taken the bait. But it seems they want to play the oriole... heh.”

  In the dense woods behind them, a heavily armored figure slowly approached the riverbank.

  It was him.

  Tian’s brows furrowed slightly.

  His plan had been to deal with those two idiots first. He hadn’t expected the Goblin Slayer to follow.

  At that moment, strange sounds came from beneath the Goblin Slayer’s helmet.

  It sounded almost... ecstatic, frenzied with excitement.

  “So good... heh heh... so beautiful... so perfect!”

  His eyes gleamed beneath the visor.

  Tian, watching from above, was completely baffled.

  “What’s wrong with this guy? Is he having some kind of episode? What’s so funny?”

  Then, the Goblin Slayer reached up and slowly removed the mysterious helmet.

  What emerged was not a bearded brute or a scarred warrior.

  It was a stunningly beautiful woman—her skin pale as jade, long wavy hair cascading down, and deep emerald-green eyes reminiscent of an enchanted forest.

  Her lips were crimson, her teeth white as ivory—like an angel straight out of a medieval painting.

  But upon closer inspection, her ears were slightly pointed—a subtle, almost otherworldly detail.

  Tian’s eyes widened in disbelief.

  “No way... a woman? All that heavy armor just to hide her identity? And those ears... what’s going on?”

  Next, she began removing her leg armor.

  Her thighs were striking—long, pale, and sculpted with defined muscles.

  They looked as if honed by years in heavy armor—like ancient Roman sculptures brought to life.

  “Clang!”

  When the massive breastplate finally hit the ground, layers of white bandages tightly wrapped around her chest were revealed.

  Only her elegant collarbones and navel were exposed.

  Sorry, fellas—this part is censored for modesty.

  “Bandages? That’s such a letdown! I bet she smells incredible... I have to capture her and make her mine!”

  Tian swallowed hard, fighting the urge to swoop down and claim her immediately.

  But reason won out over desire.

  Her strength was unknown. He couldn’t risk acting rashly.

  Better to deal with the two idiots first.

  He even suspected she was already aware of him and was deliberately trying to lure him down.

  At that moment, the Goblin Slayer shed the last of her clothing, standing like a fallen angel bathed in mortal light.

  She slowly stepped into the clear river and began bathing, washing every inch of her body.

  She looked like a white lotus blooming in the midst of fire—enough to set anyone’s blood aflame.

  For the first time, Tian felt a strange sensation—like he was being bewitched.

  After watching for a while, he ultimately chose to leave.

  The battle ahead was about to begin.

  “What kind of intelligent variant is she, exactly? I really want to savor her for myself.”

  In the river, the Goblin Slayer murmured to herself, eyes filled with longing and her face flushed with excitement.

  Her cheeks were bright red.

  …

  The Greater Goblin kept running frantically, covering dozens of miles before finally collapsing from exhaustion.

  The long chase was deliberate misdirection.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  It wanted everyone to believe the tribe was hidden deep in the forest on the other side of the river.

  “Damn it! That thing runs like a dog! How is it so fast and so far?!”

  Grul cursed, panting. Even their warhorses couldn’t keep up.

  Fortunately, the horses had much greater endurance.

  Sisuel tensed, eyes narrowing.

  “It stopped. Everyone, be careful—the goblin tribe must be close.”

  At his words, the group immediately went on high alert.

  Suddenly—a sharp whistle cut through the air!

  A sharp whoosh split the air.

  An arrow flew from nowhere and struck Grul’s mount.

  The horse reared in pain and threw him off.

  Grul scrambled to his feet and immediately raised his red-crystal staff, unleashing a blast toward the dense forest ahead.

  A thunderous explosion echoed through the trees.

  A violent explosion erupted, flames roaring through the forest.

  A series of explosions followed in rapid succession.

  Blast after blast shattered trees, clearing the area.

  Sisuel shouted,

  “Watch out! The goblins are attacking!”

  From behind a cluster of rocks, Gob Kuang rose to his full height, gripping Kasimov’s black iron longsword in one hand and the War Roar Captain’s massive double-bladed greataxe in the other.

  Grul didn’t hesitate—he fired another ferocious blast straight at him.

  “Die!”

  Flames instantly engulfed Gob Kuang’s hulking frame.

  “That thing’s probably a Hero-tier! Focus fire!”

  Grul shouted.

  The Gray Hat mages unleashed a barrage of fireballs, pounding Gob Kuang relentlessly.

  If he were human, not even ashes would remain.

  Sisuel watched, feeling awkward.

  “That’s enough, Lord Grul. He’s already turned to ash.”

  But when the flames cleared—

  Gob Kuang stood completely unscathed.

  He’d blocked with all four arms and the axe—barely a scratch on him.

  The skin on his arms was charred and peeling—painful, but nothing serious.

  Grul’s heart skipped a beat in shock.

  “What?! He’s still alive? It really is a Hero-tier. Keep attacking!”

  From atop a distant boulder, the Goblin Slayer watched everything unfold.

  She let out a soft sneer.

  “They don’t even realize a four-armed goblin has magic resistance. They’re all doomed.”

  “Watch the flanks! More goblins closing in—all Greater variants!”

  Sisuel shouted in alarm.

  Dozens of fully armed Greater goblins closed in from all directions.

  Only then did Grul realize they were surrounded.

  “Damn it, why do these goblins have iron armor and swords? Don’t let them get close! Sisuel—it’s up to you! High-tier Magic: Fountain of Life!”

  He immediately cast the spell.

  A glowing blue spring burst forth beneath their feet.

  Standing within it continuously restored their strength.

  With essentially unlimited mana, they could unleash spells without restraint.

  Sisuel and his Blizzard party protected the Gray Hat mages.

  “Mid-tier Magic – Ice Spike!”

  “Mid-tier Magic – Quicksand Domain!”

  “Mid-tier Magic – Rain of Judgment!”

  A dazzling array of colorful spells erupted without pause.

  Ice, water, sand, fire—every element imaginable.

  For the moment, they managed to hold the Greater goblins at bay, preventing them from closing in.

  Only three had fallen so far.

  It became a war of attrition—hundreds of fully armed Greater goblins taking turns pressing the attack.

  The wounded retreated behind the boulders, where Eveleya tended to their injuries.

  Once recovered, they charged back into the fray.

  But this couldn’t last forever.

  Tian gave the order.

  “Gob Tian—create an opening for Gob Kuang to break through.”

  “Yes, Boss!”

  From the top of a tall tree, Gob Tian dropped down like a shadow.

  “Kekeke!”

  He landed directly on Grul’s head and began clawing at his face.

  In the blink of an eye, blood spurted and flesh tore.

  Grul screamed in agony and immediately interrupted his spell.

  “High-tier Shield!”

  “BOOM!”

  A blue barrier exploded outward from his body, blasting Gob Tian away.

  But the brief interruption gave Gob Kuang and the others their chance.

  With reckless abandon, they charged forward.

  Gob Kuang roared, swinging his weapons in a wild arc.

  Sisuel and the others instinctively stepped back half a pace.

  “Hold your ground! Shields up! Where are the shield-bearers?”

  Two knights quickly drew their massive silver shields from their backs.

  Their shields met with a resounding clang.

  The deafening clash of metal echoed—they actually managed to block Gob Kuang’s attack.

  But only him.

  Meanwhile, the rest of the goblins instantly overwhelmed the defenders.

  Screams filled the air.

  Sisuel saw the situation deteriorating and placed his longsword before his eyes, beginning to chant.

  “Holy Lord, lend me Your power to vanquish evil! Super-tier Magic – Holy Enchantment!”

  A surge of holy wind swept over the battlefield.

  His ordinary longsword was instantly enveloped in golden holy light.

  It now resembled a two-meter-long golden greatsword.

  “Your Highness, help me!”

  One knight was tackled to the ground. Goblins clawed at his armor, ripped it open, and sank their teeth into his exposed flesh.

  A huge chunk of flesh was torn away.

  The Greater Goblin was still chewing when, suddenly,

  The holy-light longsword pierced straight through it!

  The creature went limp.

  Sisuel commanded,

  “Everyone, fall back to me! Stay together! Lord Grul, how long until your attack magic is ready?”

  “Soon! You should have protected me earlier when I was ambushed!”

  Grul, ignoring offense for now, first cast healing magic to repair his mangled face.

  Any later and the damage might have been permanent.

  Sisuel’s Blizzard party finally reacted.

  They quickly assembled into the “Blizzard Formation.”

  Seven members stood in a pattern resembling a hexagonal snowflake.

  At the center stood another healing-type holy knight, continuously restoring the party’s strength.

  Grul and the other mages recovered behind them.

  Sisuel, wielding his holy-enchanted longsword, single-handedly held back the tide of goblins on the most threatened flank.

  “A holy knight? That’s unexpected.”

  From afar, the Goblin Slayer observed with mild surprise, then sneered.

  “But unfortunately for them, they’ve underestimated the goblins—a beautiful, powerful species.”

  Grul, now recovered, said with satisfaction,

  “Looks like I picked the right team. I’m ready too. Let’s wipe them out.”

  He recast the Fountain of Life.

  The Gray Hat mages prepared to unleash unlimited firepower once more.

  Seeing this formation, even Tian had to admit,

  “Diamond-rank adventurer parties really are on another level.”

  Both their offense and defense were solid.

  Against any other goblin tribe—even with ten Hero-tiers—they probably wouldn’t have stood a chance.

  Unfortunately for them—they came to the wrong place.

  “Gob Bene, what are you waiting for?”

  At Tian’s command, a goblin clad in bone-spike armor stepped forward.

  “Boss, then I won’t hold back! Heh heh heh!”

  “What is that thing—really a goblin?”

  When they saw Gob Bene, Sisuel and the others were stunned.

  They had never seen anything like him.

  Covered head to toe in bone spikes and natural bone armor!

  Grul’s pupils contracted. He realized instantly.

  “Damn it! It’s a Variant! Focus fire on that mutated goblin!”