Hey hey! Sorry for the very late chapter aAaaAAAaAAaAaaAAaaAaHHhhhHH! I had some decision paralysis with some choices made in this chapter, and my backlog is dead, so I couldn’t make it on time. And then this chapter turned out to be an even bigger chunker than I thought! It’s almost 6K words! Just 30 words off! (As of the second draft. Might still rise or fall before the third and final one.) I almost want to just… vomit out 30 more words to hit a new record… but I must not. I will not compromise the quality for that.

  But since it’s a 6K word chapter(just give me this pls) that’s uhh, 2 chapters worth? Can we just say this is 2 chapters worth of content? Please? Pretty please?

  Okay? Okay! Thank you!

  Thank you for your continued support. If you’re feeling down, then I hope this cheers you up just a little. And now please enjoy the show!

  (Reminder that my author notes are written for whatever's happening when I post to Patreon.)

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  The City of Beslow.

  It was an urban sprawl of tall buildings and taller trees with the occasional ramps and ropes crisscrossing the upper floors and canopies. It was funny that there were even any to begin with, as the structures weren’t actually that high. Certainly nothing compared to the skyscrapers of Earth. But I liked their inclusion anyway.

  The belfegors used them a lot, but they weren’t the only ones there, as the design of the city truly came into a chaotic life. I continued to traverse it with my friends as we explored different galleries, smiths, and forges to see the best this side of Edengar had to offer.

  I cockroach flew by towards me, and I subconsciously stifled it with my magic.

  Only Granuel noticed.

  “Something up?”

  “No. Nothing. Bug. I’m losing my fucking mind.”

  It had been almost a year since we had arrived in the rainforest, and my training did not wait for anyone. I made sure to not neglect my sword this time, I became even better at using my magic during our long travels, and I did not stop preying on the little bugs even if I was admittedly exaggerating my hatred of them. They made for fine fodder regardless.

  But now they were everywhere.

  In my quest to develop finer control over magic, and to improve my sensory abilities, I had been led to truly come to know how the bugs scurried just underneath every surface, and how they nested in the places above and around us. It was actually quite fun hunting for all their hiding spots, until I became able to feel just a few them underneath my hooves. This opened up my senses to the many other things and creatures around me, and now I could potentially spot dangers and ambushes as well. It felt like… some sort of mixture of my level sense, and my nascent ability to get a very vague and indeterminate sense of the fleeting ambient mana. The latter was something that I believe had been steadily getting better, if incredibly minutely so, ever since the greater magic had noticed me and never left.

  Not that my newfound sensitivity to things could compare at all to what Granuel was capable of, but it was good to cover for my weaknesses.

  Just like right now, when a hooded belfegor man walked faster behind us and was about to deliberately run into me. I dodged his rude efforts, and then grabbed his shoulder before he could escape.

  “Hey there, friend. We almost bumped into each other. Good thing we didn’t, hmm?”

  “Oh! I, uh, uhmmm… I’m sorry,” he very timidly apologized, and we both just paused once we got a good look at each other. My eyes lingered on his attire and the various accessories he was wearing.

  Finally, after a long moment, I spoke, “No, no. I overreacted.” I clapped him on the shoulder with an unseen smile. “Carry on.”

  He walked away, and I went to a restaurant with my friends. Finally, once we were seated, I asked Moonwash to put up a sound barrier.

  “So… Rebel forces want a meeting with me.”

  Help. North. West. I remembered the various codes hidden within the belfegor man’s attire, and deciphered them.

  “What for?” Therick asked after a pause had passed.

  “No clue yet,” I shrugged. “But they should be somewhere that way,” I pointed at the north-western part of the city. “Granuel, can you go check where they are?”

  The New Grandera people were always so hard to find. You’d be left staring at so many displays for hours trying to determine if there was some secret code there or if you were just crazy.

  It was probably a good thing that they were that well-hidden.

  “Sure,” Granuel responded. He had interacted with them the most out of all of us. “I’ll go look into it.”

  “This is exciting.”

  “I’m worried.”

  Angerly and Berry looked at each other after they made those last two comments, and laughed.

  The sound barrier was dropped, and I received our order of smoked river eel. It was my favorite dish this side of Edengar, and I intended to enjoy it. I didn’t intend to stress over a rebellion that wasn’t even my own.

  ~~~

  Granuel led me to the poorer parts of the city. The people here were overworked and less well-off, but slums as I knew it didn’t really appear in Edengar because the leadership would just kill them. Along the way, I passed by a full group of level 20s, and one level 40 ogre.

  “Excuse me, are you Haell Zharignan, the daughter of the Hero Golex?” a human mage stepped away from the party, and his fellows stopped to listen.

  “Granddaughter, but yes,” I answered curtly.

  The person before me took my aloof and uninterested attitude in stride.

  “Ah, I misspoke. I just wanted to say that it’s a pleasure to meet you. This is my party of the Crimson Hunters.”

  “I see.”

  He struggled for a moment, at my unwillingness to keep up the conversation.

  “I’m Alecus. Would you happen to be joining in the bandit raid in a few days?”

  “A bandit raid? You’re bandits?” I smirked, though my mirth could only be seen in my eyes.

  “Angels no! We’re the ones who shall bring them to justice! They’ve already killed far too many adventuring teams sent after them!”

  My smile fell when he clearly didn’t get the joke.

  “I see.”

  Another pause.

  “So, um… Would you happen to be going? It’d be reassuring to have the famed Harvesters with us, and we’ve always wanted to see you in action!”

  “We shall see,” I shrugged, uncaring. I had no problems killing any bandits that dared to attack me or my friends, but there was a reason why I never took on those quests.

  “The quests are in the guild if you’re interested!” he shouted to my departing back. “The pay is really good, and it’s exactly the kind of valiant mission for a future hero like you!”

  I stifled a small laugh and a stronger cringe. As far as I knew, he was just a random adventurer. Why the fuck was he so desperately trying to sell me on a random quest?

  Weird.

  ~~~

  We made it to the hideout that Granuel had found, and we were led to the back of the clotheshop after I’d made a few purchases of my own.

  I set down the anti-sound enchantment that Moonwash had made for me, barely enough to cover the small table that the three of us had all huddled around.

  “So. I heard that you need my help?”

  “Direct to the point,” he smiled. “I’ve heard that you’re the next coming of Golex, and an incorrigible ruffian in equal measure.”

  “And both are correct.”

  “I’m sure. I’ll get straight to business, then. Are you aware of belfegor enclaves?”

  “A bit. They don’t exist anymore on account of being wiped out.”

  “That’s the common knowledge, yes. Hmmm, are you also aware of nomadic belfegor tribes?”

  “Nomadic? I might have heard a thing or two, but I won’t pretend that I’m familiar, no.”

  “Ah. Well, they’ve always been a thing, but recently, they’ve also been the one last way for the belfegor tribes to continue to exist in Edengar. Most have either perished or moved to New Grandera by now, like all the other belfegor tribes, but sometimes new nomadic ones are built. Of course, since their existence is not sanctioned by the state, they are bandits by default, and well…”

  “Now they’re being hunted down.”

  “Yes. But this one is led by a level 40 belfegor. They’ve actually been successful in repelling attacks, and have turned the tables on many of those who tried to kill them. The problem now is that a bigger raid is being organized across many towns and cities that we’re afraid will inevitably corner and wipe them out.”

  “I see. And you want us to stop them?”

  The ishkawtan man laughed. “If you can, then sure! But they’re already running away to New Grandera. I just want your help in thwarting this force, so the nomads can slip away.”

  “Ah, new citizens,” I smiled at him, but he actually shook his head.

  “I’m part of the resistance, but I am not an operative of New Grandera.”

  And there was a difference. I usually just conflated the two, but they weren't entirely synonymous. There were plenty of people dissatisfied with the current regime, but were not part of New Grandera.

  “Alright. That’s fine,” I eventually nodded. “But you are doing New Grandera’s bidding, yes?”

  “Because those people have nowhere else to go! I do not believe in borders, only people. And I’ll work with anyone to ensure a brighter future for all.”

  The passion bled through his face for a few seconds, and then he got embarrassed. I only smiled, for I had a weakness to those kinds of sentiments, and I was well aware of it. “You’ll love the elves.”

  “The elves?”

  “Yes. The elves.” People lacked so much knowledge about them, so I told this proud resistance member just a little about them.

  “But we’re getting off track,” I eventually said. “I empathize with your plight, but if I’m going to do this, then I’m going to need more information, and it won’t be for free.”

  You know how it is, in today’s economy. I decided against making the joke. I was absurdly wealthy.

  “That is fair,” the operative across from me eventually agreed.

  I gestured to Granuel, and the negotiations began.

  ~~~

  “That is…”

  My friends gathered around the intricately made table and stared at the even more intricately carved token. I had returned to our suite to have a meeting with the full party, and I presented to them the price I’d extracted for my participation in an upcoming conflict. The token was a currency for favors among the various rebel forces, and this was of the highest caliber. One could only imagine what it could be exchanged for, but it was definitely more valuable to me than sheer gold.

  I proceeded to explain to them how I, but mostly Granuel, had obtained this prized object, along with materials and books from outside the empire to be delivered. I was a mere level 30 human as far as the ishkawtan spy was aware, but he was convinced of my abilities after a small demonstration outside the bounds of the city. No one even knew we left, for we took a very well-hidden tunnel from the upper districts.

  “You shouldn’t have accepted without consulting us first,” were the first words out of Therick’s mouth.

  “Were you not listening? I accepted it for myself, not for you.” And they would actually be offered another token as a collective, if they decided to accompany me. I didn’t know if I wanted that.

  “Even so. We’re a party. You can’t just make a decision like this.”

  “Uh, yes I can. I can have my own solo projects too.”

  “Not if it implicates all of us!” his voice raised, and I stared at him.

  “...You’re not wrong,” I finally admitted. They would be suspected of having colluded with me, and worst case scenario… a shepherd would check. “But it was always going to end this way. I’ll find myself in conflict with the empire eventually.”

  “...So that’s it, then? This is it? We’re going to have to be on the run? Hunted?”

  “It’s… not impossible. But don’t be dramatic, come on. I am going to have a disguise, and I’ll do all the things to ensure I’m not identified. Just some random asshole, or even a monster, passing through.”

  “And you’re sure this will work?”

  “You can never be sure of anything,” I shook my head. “But if you’re that worried, then I’ll mostly operate alone and leave no survivors. There.”

  There was a deep silence for a moment. I took the time to admire the decor. The suite was smaller than what most inns would offer at the same price, but it felt entirely worth my money all the same.

  “I have… concerns,” Angerly was the one to break the silence, and I raised a brow for her to continue. “You’re famous. Everyone knows of your feats, of your hellfire and wrath.”

  “Thank you.”

  That forced a chuckle out of her. “That’s not what I meant! People are familiar with your very distinctive greatsword, and the magical elements that you wield.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Eh. Not that familiar. I don’t really fight in public, unless it’s absolutely necessary. People know I got some weird deep-red flame, but none of the specifics. And few would dare to sing and gossip about my curse-aligned magic as that was a deep taboo, and most people would refuse to believe it, if they’d even heard of it at all.”

  “That’s… fair. But I’m not worried about random people or even the very soldiers and adventurers you’re fighting finding out. I’m worried about the traces left behind, and inquisitors coming to investigate.

  “Ah.” Inquisitor teams were basically the detectives of the empire, and they were usually composed of at least one shepherd, one ishkawtan, and maybe one human. They were very good at their job, and mana did leave a vague and fading impression in an area… “Shit. You might be right. Do you think they can actually detect something that minute and trace it back to me?”

  “It’s… possible,” Granuel supplied. “I think I probably can gleam something if it’s fresh enough.” Magical senses were often at least marginally proportional to ‘real’ senses.

  “Shit. Well, shit shit shit. Why didn’t you tell me back then when we were negotiating!?”

  “I didn’t think about it! I’m sorry!”

  I paused. “I… no. I didn’t think of it either. It’s not your fault. Sorry.”

  “This is why you should’ve consulted us first.”

  I whirled on Therick, froze, and then nodded. “You’re right.”

  “Does this mean you’re calling it off?” Berry shifted hopefully.

  “I… No. No. I’ve already given my word.” I shook my head, buried my face in my hands, and hammered lightly at my skull and horns. “Okay. There’s a problem. But if I just use… No, I can’t just not use my magic at all. That’d be suicide. Even if using wrath internally is fine… I know the subjugation party has at least one level 40. Maybe more. They’re pulling from different places, as the nomads are on the move and are hard to pin down…”

  “Haell, come on. You see it too right?” Therick pleaded. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “I’ve given my word, and an entire nomad people would be wiped out! Is that what you fucking want!?”

  My friend recoiled, as if struck.

  “No. Wait. Sorry. I am freaking out. Deep breaths.” I did as I said, and got my wrathful turmoil under control. “I’ll just… I’ll think about it, okay? I really do want to help, and though I may… have been too hasty in accepting the offer, I do have my pride. I want to at least try.”

  By the end of the day, I had a plan.

  Even I felt bad about what I was about to do.

  ~~~

  A leopard laid dead by my hooves. I rummaged through the dead corpse and planted the seed within. In a few hours or a day, something green would rise from the rotting remains, but it would not be pretty. Whatever may result from this action would not carry the beauty of nature, but rather be an abomination, for the seed that had been planted was that of a goblin.

  My face twisted into a grimace for I knew that it was fucked up, and my expression twisted even further when I did not stop. I was angry at myself, I was mad, this was not okay, and I hated how those arguments weren’t enough!

  I cared, but I would continue to walk down the road to hell anyway. I was, after all, a demon.

  CRACK!

  Wood cracked, bone cracked, and blood disappeared inside of my body. The pain only intensified my anger, and the way I vented accomplished nothing. My regen heart would heal my hand, and I pried away the pieces of metal lodged inside.

  I stood back up and moved on.

  I left the decaying compost behind, to find more bodies to cultivate into some of the most evil beings this world had ever seen. I walked alone, for those that I cared for need not witness this. Moonwash had been experimenting more with the troves of goblin seeds we had, so I knew what to expect. The incubating time was variable, and could last as shortly as half an hour, or could take over a week. It wasn’t actually that often that goblins formed into a truly big and dangerous horde, for they could get wiped out by other monsters, and even if new ones rose from their corpses, they would be progressively weaker, if they weren’t just outright consumed. I was hoping that was what would happen here, as this rainforest was a more dangerous environment for them. But I’d take responsibility later if this truly spiraled out of control.

  Additionally, goblin seeds were usually not strong enough to convert any living and thriving creature, and would just be shat out after maybe making a mess of a few scores of flesh that would eventually be healed from being green.

  ~~~

  I found another leopard, and it died by the hellfire while a seed took root within. A bungeepider tried to pounce on me, and it suffered the same fate. I caught some smaller creatures like the small birds or the tree rabbits, and I mushed them just a little bit and planted a single seed within. This same process repeated, and I gathered some of the bodies together so they could immediately cooperate. After a few weeks of this, I began to find roaming bands of goblins. After a few days more, I met an adventuring party.

  “AAAAHHHHHHH!!!” One of them screamed upon seeing me. I must’ve looked like a monster to them, for my skin right now was not the red of a demon nor the hues of a human. No, right now my skin had a darker green than that of a goblin, my face was ugly and made to look like theirs, and my body was covered in a tattered armor that was also tinged in green. My real evil eyes were exposed, I had no boots so my raw hooves could be seen, and there was no helmet to protect my head. The greenish horns were so very clearly my own, along with several other protrusions of the same make that made for a crown.

  I looked like a monster, and the reality was no different.

  The adventurers elbowed each other, and they calmed down once their scout informed them I should only be at around level 20. She was coincidentally their only member who had crossed that threshold, while the rest were just over level 10.

  I hesitated for a moment. They were a very weak party, and I doubted they could survive long in the rainforest anyway. I knew that the nomads were close, and the inevitable clash would happen nearby, but I didn’t actually know that group was here for the subjugation quest. They might just be looking for herbs, or any other such innocuous quest. They might be innocent. They might not even be the enemy.

  The hesitation passed. I moved faster than any of them could predict, and they had still not recovered from their shock by the time they had all died in chaotic showers of blood.

  It was so easy, even without my true weapon. The greatsword that I held had a green tint to it for it was different. It was made only of fantastreel, with a coating of mythril that was treated to be the right color.

  I felt sick to my stomach when I then considered if I should convert these people I’d just killed into goblins. It would neatly get rid of any evidence… but that was already what the goblins were here for. Granuel had informed me that once diffused into the environment, it would be very difficult to distinguish between the different kinds of curse-aligned energies, and goblins were sure to pass here at some point. They might even seed the dead people themselves… but they were just as likely to be dragged off and killed by a random monster.

  I just allowed the fates to decide what was to become of their corpses.

  ~~~

  I found the side road I was looking for, followed it for a short while, and then veered off.

  There, well-camouflaged by blankets of leaves, were the three of my friends who were waiting for me.

  Granuel, Angerly, and Therick.

  “So. It’s done?” the latter asked.

  “The seed has been planted.”

  He shook his disapprovingly but didn’t say a word more.

  “You didn’t have to come, you know?”

  “And I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t dragged Granuel along with this… evil scheme.”

  “It was my idea!” The ishkawtan in question defended me. “She even argued against it.”

  Therick just shook his head again, and accompanied us deeper into the forest. After a few hours, we made it back near where the nomads and the subjugation forces were going to clash. We met a few goblins along the way, and had to kill most of them because they decided to attack us. Granuel finally found an adventurer party who were currently battling goblins, and I charged. My goblinic roar reverberated into the forest, and they looked at me wide-eyed. One of them then separated from the group to face me while the others fended off the goblins, but the human woman just died when my sword snapped her spear in half, and then did the same to her body.

  One of them screamed, another tried to run, but none were able to escape.

  The goblins attacked me next now that their previous prey was gone, for while I could fool humans and others into thinking I was a goblin, the goblins themselves would never accept me as one of their own.

  That was reassuring.

  I ran away.

  Not because I could not take them, but because I wanted their presence here.

  They pounced on the corpses left behind once I was out of sight, and I began to feel bad. The little green things peeled away the flesh of the dead people, and I loathed myself for letting this happen. I charged into their gathering, and planted the goblin seeds myself.

  What I did was terrible and evil, but at least it was honest. My inaction would have resulted in the same thing, and it would’ve been cowardly to use it as an excuse to spare my conscience and think better of myself.

  I might be evil, but I am no coward.

  ~~~

  I returned to my friends who had done their best to remain hidden, and we went ahead in search of more adventurers to kill. That was their entire role in this debacle, and Therick and Angerly were only there to guard Granuel as he helped me find my enemy. He had offered to do more, but that was all I was willing to take.

  Over the following days, we encountered more and more hostile forces, and Granuel led us away from small groups of hiding belfegors who were waiting to ambush the adventurers that wanted to kill their people. I witnessed a clash between just those two groups as the rebel belfegors got the jump on a group of adventurers. The battle devolved into a chaotic melee as the adventurers were forced into a grapple, and while they did have two belfegors of their own, it did not prove to be enough. They died, either by being crushed and choked out, or by being stabbed to death by jagged daggers made just for this purpose. The rebels won, but not entirely without casualty.

  ~~~

  The adventurers began banding together. I spotted their main force consisting of not only adventurers, but also soldiers and even templars. They remained close to each other, and they had no problems fending off the occasional goblin party, though I did notice they were more spread out than I would’ve expected. The rainforest just made troop movement more difficult and dangerous, whereas the nomads running away from them were predominantly belfegors who excelled in this task.

  I slinked away and did not engage. There would be time for them yet.

  ~~~

  I found a particular adventurer party that was winning against a group of retreating belfegors and a human. Goblins were attacking the flanks of the adventurers as well, but the tiny creatures hardly offered a distraction, and I made my decision.

  I intervened.

  I charged into battle. These were the same adventurers who had once tried to solicit me to join them in this purge. There was a level 40 ogre among them, but I just ignored her for now and went after the rest of the party. She tried to stop me, but I was too fast, and their skin and armor broke against the confluence of my wrath.

  Soon, the rebel forces had successfully retreated, and all but one of the adventurer party was dead.

  The ogre woman looked at me with horror.

  “You… You! What have you done!? A GOBLIN!??”

  She fucking lost it in her grief and anger. I was even angrier than her, but I contained that rage and still acted with finesse. This was the difference between me and these novices who knew naught about true wrath. They would be lost if they felt a portion of what I did.

  I dodged her club, and stepped into her guard. She had thick armor, but it was only fantastreel. The metal was opened up with my first confluence slash, and I jumped away only to jump back in again after a wave of wrath. The ogre screamed from the pain, and got momentarily distracted despite how she professed to be angry on behalf of her fallen comrades. It was a pathetic display, and my next strike invaded deep into her body in a tide of destruction and rot.

  The remaining goblins had their way with the corpses, and I planted a few seeds myself for this was all my doing.

  ~~~

  The Edengar army marched between the trees and even chopped down some of them for easier passage. Belfegors occasionally dropped upon them or attacked from their sides and flanks, but that soon stopped, as they were easily overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the army and the loose collection of adventurers with great individual prowess. The ones who lay in wait saw little success as well, as the well-trained soldiers thoroughly checked each tree before passing through them, oftentimes attacking the canopy even if they were not sure.

  It would not be long now until they met the resistance organized by the rebels, New Grandera, and the nomadic tribe. All manner of species had gathered together, here to resist the tyranny of the empire once more.

  I turned around and left.

  I ran through the forest upon Granuel’s directions and found pockets of goblins who had so far proved inadequate in putting a dent in either army.

  I punched one in the face.

  She shrieked, and her whole party followed.

  I ran away, and then found another group of goblins.

  I punched them in the face too.

  I continued to run, just slow enough to not totally leave them behind.

  I ran even slower as I completed my circuit and was now on the way back towards the clashing armies.

  They were already exchanging blows by the time I got there. The battlelines were scatted and chaotic because of the environment they were forced to fight in. The Edengar army could not destroy all the trees before the battle commenced, because the rebel forces peppered them with ranged attacks from afar. Now belfegors dropped among their ranks, and many more swung through the trees. Arrows and spells flew, in a violent rain of projectiles that sailed through the air. Blood was spilled, spells were dodged, and arrows sunk uselessly into the dense trees. It was clear, however, that the rebel side was on the losing side, for the enemy just had better troops and better numbers.

  That was when I arrived. I looked for all the world like a goblin lord leading her goblin army into battle, when the little green creatures upon my trail actually wanted me dead all the same. The forces of Edengar weren’t even alarmed, as we were mere goblins, and I did not come with a big enough horde.

  That was a mistake.

  My life flashed before me.

  From how I was reborn, to how I learned more about this new world I was born in. Its lack of freedoms, the rampant and gross racism, and the doctrines espoused by literal mind-rapers. The environment I was raised in was fundamentally opposed to what I was, and I wanted nothing more than to burn it all down!

  And now the army, the very manifestation of all that rage, was right here in front of me.

  “GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

  Now they recoiled in fear. My wrath was expressed through my body, and I pulled ahead of the pack. They were not ready for me, and the first row of defenders crumpled like paper. The goblins then arrived, forcing them to split their attention. I made it to one of the stronger mages in the backline, and I gutted him for all to see. My greatsword was not my own, it was not cursed, but my wrath still flowed through it, and that was enough.

  They threw more bodies at me, and I was only happy to scythe through them all. But I did feel myself growing weaker, the damage was piling up, and they had me surrounded. It was only a matter of time before I fell.

  And so I roared again.

  “GGGRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

  It was a beastial sound followed by a beastial aura and enhanced further by deeply beastial eyes. My opposition froze in fright, and the painful waves of wrath that followed gave me the opportunity to do something very rare for a goblin.

  I ran away.

  The army regrouped

  My little sojourn had already shifted the battlelines, and the rebel forces were pushing back against the imperial fools harder.

  That made me crack a smile.

  Time for another run.

  ~~~

  There were goblins closer to the action who I deliberately did not target first so they would easier to get to. This time, there was a group that had already been attracted to the constant sounds of bloodshed, and I followed them into battle. I sliced through the enemy lines, and took out a mage who had actually reached the level of 40, if barely. They had really recruited the big guns for this endeavor, whereas the rebel forces only had two of the same level far as I could tell. A belfegor woman who was leading some hit-and-run attacks like I was, but of an arboreal nature, and with powerful nature magic of her own. The other was an ogre carrying a shield that was way bigger than I was, and he was holding the very center of their battlelines with stoic determination.

  I ran away again, and took a little break to heal myself of the injuries both self-inflicted and not. I returned with even fewer goblins, just enough to make us one adventurer party. We did not get far, for we were met this time with a veritable wall of arrows and spells. I was forced to retreat, and my comrades died in battle, but our sacrifice was not in vain for the rebel forces were able to push harder thanks to the distraction we provided, and their belfegor elites in particular managed to take out some very key targets.

  The troops on both sides of the battle were quite dumbfounded about my behavior, but weird exceptions existed for every species, and the goblins had always been a mystery.

  ~~~

  For the next wave, I only had a single party of four goblins with me as the ones in the area had really dried out. The subjugation force had also wisened up to my tactics, and now had a level 40 fencer standing in my way.

  I swung my sword down. He pushed it away with his rapier. But my weapon did not budge.

  It continued on its arc, slitting open the left side of his torso, and ravaging his insides with a storm of wrath.

  The confluence of my rage transcended milestones and evolutions, especially right now when I was facing the forces of that which I hated the most.

  The Angelore Empire.

  ~~~

  For my next pass, I actually attacked the rebels, just so no one got suspicious that I wasn’t actually a raging goblin. I targeted an area of their defenses that had crustecars and ogres of the defensive persuasion, and I sliced into them with a wrath-covered sword, except the magic weaved into it was barely active. I was sure I killed a few, but most would survive.

  ~~~

  The tides had turned. The Edengar army was in an orderly retreat by the time I arrived after a longer rest spent recuperating with the help of my friends.

  It was too late to stop now. I was already frothing at the mouth screaming. So I crashed into their backlines, and their belfegor elites used that opportunity to attack the other side of the retreating army to force them to split their forces.

  I cleaved through a small layer of adventurer and soldier alike, until I reached the Templars. They were in as perfect a position as they could manage in this terrain, and I faced difficulty in killing them as they layered their shelds and attacked me with their melee weapons in tandem. Their leader gave the order for them to pin me down, but I shook off their attempts with my full intimidation package. I considered using raw wrath magic… but that might be going too far. My sword was coated in the stuff, but while rare, it wasn’t unique, and didn’t give as raw of an impression as actual waves of wrath. My confluence of wrath also gave of a different and terrifying presence. There was a limit to what sort of wrath magic they would only assume to be a different flavor of wicked.

  Their tight ranks opened up at the last second, and I ran to make my escape. That was when the level 40 kobold templar revealed himself and opened his mouth. There was a flash of orange, and then a scorching hot jet of flame.

  I dodged, but I was still licked by the blast. It burned me, but my body was not actually that of a goblin, but of a demon built specifically to withstand heat. I survived. My melted armor was uncomfortable, but I would live. The Edengar army was converging upon me, and I could tell they were hellbent on taking revenge for all the damage that I’d done.

  I opened my very green wings and took flight.

  They were dumbfounded, and I unleashed my intimidation combo just when they finally decided to try and shoot me down.

  That did not hold them forever, but their retaliation was just late enough that I managed to break out of their encirclement before being forced to land.

  They could not catch up to me on hoof.

  WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

  Haell, what have you done.

  First-ish war, and you’re already doing warcrimes!

  This has to be a warcrime of some sort.

  But setting those warcrimes aside, this chapter is late and I promised an explanation.

  The choice I flip-flopped so hard on was whether or not Haell was dumb enough to immediately accept the job… but she does have an irresponsible streak. And then I realized the problem with her participation and getting exposed, and there were no easy answers, so I almost scrapped the entire chapter. But then I and Haell came up with the goblin solution to the problem!

  I debated whether that’s really the best way to handle this, but it’s definitely the Haell way to handle this, and so you get this chapter.

  I hope you enjoyed!

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