Slashing Through the Enemy

Brimming with confidence, Ren Dao-zhen charged forward, plunging into a chaotic melee with the goblins.

The fight was a deadlock, neither side gaining an advantage.

“Hah… hah… So these are goblins? They’re certainly a handful.”

One or two might be manageable for an ordinary person, even bare-handed, but against a larger group, he was struggling to keep up, a classic case of being outnumbered.

He had no desire to end up like Kazuma, beaten to death by a goblin mob; he didn’t have a resurrection spell to fall back on.

Seeing Ren Dao-zhen fighting so cautiously, clearly afraid of getting hurt, Aliciel let out a soft sigh.

She raised a delicate hand, and with a simple point of her finger, a beam of light shot forth, enveloping Ren Dao-zhen.

“Aaaah! Wh-what is this?! It’s hot, hot, hot!”

“The Blessing of the Star Dragon. For the next half hour, all your physical stats will be significantly enhanced, bringing you to the level of a B-rank adventurer. It will also grant you the ability to control starfire. Now, clean up these goblins quickly.”

“Oh, thank you, Head Maid!”

Realizing Aliciel was growing impatient, Ren Dao-zhen nodded quickly.

As they spoke, a goblin seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Ren Dao-zhen spun and stabbed, his arm moving several times faster than before.

With a single strike, he cleaved the goblin in two at the waist.

Green blood sprayed through the air as the goblin’s upper torso fell to the ground, its internal organs spilling out.

The sight of the blood and viscera made him slightly queasy, but he adapted quickly.

After all, he had helped his family butcher pigs back in the village—though he’d nearly been knocked unconscious by one once.

A strange excitement then surged through him.

He could feel a formidable power coursing through his veins, his mental state sharper than that of an athlete who trained daily, slept eight hours, and maintained a perfect diet.

It felt like finding a legendary weapon in a video game; even if it was temporary, he was going to enjoy the thrill.

“Hah!”

With a great shout, astral-violet flames erupted from his palm.

The moment the goblins touched the fire, they were instantly incinerated, leaving nothing but piles of ash on the ground.

Witnessing his sudden surge in power, the remaining goblins showed expressions of fear, which only fueled Ren Dao-zhen’s excitement.

He channeled the starfire into his short sword, instantly enchanting it and forging a blade of flame.

“Ooh! Now it’s my turn, you goddamn goblins!”

Empowered by divine aid, Ren Dao-zhen swung his fire blade with exhilaration, beginning a one-sided slaughter.

“Taste my Demon-Sealing Slash! Molten Flame Dividing Cleave! Breath of Fire! Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu…!”

Like a child with a new toy, he shouted out all sorts of attack names as he cut down the goblins.

After finishing off the ones behind him, he was still hungry for more and charged ahead of Aliciel, carving a path forward.

Aliciel followed him calmly, the entire cave echoing with Ren Dao-zhen’s triumphant cheers and the goblins’ agonized screams.

As they ventured deeper, the number of goblins increased, and different varieties began to appear, but with his divine power, Ren Dao-zhen remained fearless.

Frost Goblins? Sliced!

Flame Goblins? Sliced!

A Goblin Shaman? Trying to cast a spell? I’ll take out the backline first!

A Large Goblin? One slice isn’t enough? Then have another!

In this manner, Ren Dao-zhen cut a swath through his enemies, gradually approaching the deepest part of the goblin cave.

Just then, in the middle of his passionate rampage, he abruptly stopped.

Aliciel came up beside him. “Hm? What is it? Why did you stop?”

“Uh…”

Following his gaze, Aliciel saw them too.

Several female goblins were half-lying on the ground, trembling as they stared at the murderous figure of Ren Dao-zhen.

Each one clutched a small, green-skinned goblin infant.

Compared to the adults, the goblin young were much cuter, and the females, unlike the males, lacked the same sharp-featured, grotesque ugliness.

As Ren Dao-zhen approached, the goblin mothers and their children huddled together, their eyes pleading.

Several of them even turned their backs to him, as if trying to shield their young with their own frail bodies.

Witnessing this display of maternal love, Ren Dao-zhen seemed moved and hesitated to strike.

Aliciel remained silent.

She walked past the goblin families, her gaze fixed on the darkness deeper within the cave.

“Hey! Mr. Ren Dao-zhen, please come here.”

“Oh? What is it?”

The young man walked over and looked where Aliciel was pointing, his eyes widening in shock.

On the filthy ground lay several human figures, both men and women.

The men were emaciated, their skin sallow, their eyes ringed with heavy, dark circles.

The women were in an even more wretched state, their bodies slick with fluids both fresh and dried, their skin covered in bruises and pinch marks, their frames gaunt and frail.

It was clear they had all suffered inhuman torment and were now collapsed on the ground, their life or death unknown.

“Gurgle—!”

One of the women’s bodies twitched.

A sickening squirming came from a reddened, swollen part of her body, and a goblin infant, covered in viscous fluid, crawled out from within her.

The woman let out a low moan, a sound of both agony and numbness.

The newborn goblin could already walk.

It opened its fanged mouth and began tearing at the woman’s thigh, seeking nourishment, completely oblivious to her condition.

“Swish—!”

A flash of silver light cut through the gloom, and the goblin infant was slain, its body instantly burned to ash.

After dealing with the creature, Ren Dao-zhen turned away, his face an emotionless mask.

He strode back the way he came, chasing after the fleeing goblin mothers.

A short while later, the screams of several goblins echoed from the tunnel.

Moments later, Ren Dao-zhen returned, his usual expression restored.

“How are they? Are any of them alive?”

“A few are, but most are in critical condition,” Aliciel said.

“They’ve been imprisoned and abused here for too long. Goblin fluids act as an aphrodisiac, but they’re also toxic. Normally, after three days of this, a person’s body begins to break down. Even if they’re saved, they’ll be left with severe physical and psychological trauma. And unfortunately, I’m not particularly skilled in healing.”

“Then what do we do? We can’t just leave them here.”

“We’ll give them what first aid we can. The rest we’ll leave to the Holy Inquisition Knights. They are far more capable of saving people than we are.”

As she spoke, Aliciel raised her hand.

Starlight coalesced at her fingertips, forming a translucent butterfly, as beautiful and intricate as crystal.

The butterfly took flight, fluttering toward the cave entrance.

It would find the Holy Inquisition Knights and guide them here to rescue the victims.