Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Demon King Goblin

Although he had mentally prepared himself, Wang Xi was still somewhat stunned when he saw the familiar scene.

Inside the palisade of wooden stakes, a dozen or so tall, strong, green-skinned goblins wandered about aimlessly, holding bone long spears.

Their horizontal pupils were scarlet red, their faces ferocious. They wore matching, upward-pointing braids, just like the image of the goblin vanguard, Gurulu, in Wang Xi’s memory... but there was no sign of Gurulu anywhere.

Even the Goblin King Guruci, the sunshine goblin Gurwin, and the goblin maiden Gurusha were nowhere to be seen.

’Something’s not right...’

Wang Xi’s brow furrowed, as if he had discovered something.

「Corrupted Goblin Warrior · Guruti (Scarlet / Two Stars)」

「Corrupted Goblin Warrior · Gurubu (Scarlet / Two Stars)」

’These two goblins?!’

A look of disbelief flashed in Wang Xi’s eyes.

Guruti and Gurubu were the two little brats he had met in the Guru Tribe back then!

Gurubu had even tried to grab him by the crotch.

A sense of absurdity washed over him.

The little goblins had grown up to become Warriors, but now they wandered the tribe as corrupted guardians...

What in the world happened to the Guru Tribe?

Where were the Goblin King and the other familiar faces?

Where had they gone?

All kinds of questions and mysteries swirled in his mind.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air.

A dozen or so finger-sized missiles shot across a distance of several dozen meters, leaving trails of white smoke as they landed inside the wooden palisade.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

A chain of massive explosions erupted at once.

Amidst the smoke and fire, Yu Jiali, Jiang Tianjie, Lin Xin’Er, and Zhong Shuang—the civilian geniuses—were already charging forward with weapons in hand.

Carl held his right arm level, his five fingers spread. The center of his palm and the sides of his wrist glowed red, venting hot air.

CLICK!

He took out another Artificial White Card and inserted it into a slot on the inside of his forearm, apparently reloading his mechanical arm with missiles in preparation for a second bombardment.

Purple markings appeared on Nagata An’s cheeks, and her long black hair was lifted by an invisible wind. She raised her hands, ready to provide support at any moment.

"Brother Wang Xi, let’s clear out these goblin monsters before the ’Maze Demon King’ shows up!"

Xiao Yuzhe shouted over his shoulder as he fired his gun, PEW PEW.

"..."

Wang Xi gathered his thoughts, silently hefted his Beheading Sword, and strode forward to join the assault team.

After charging into the settlement, he saw the group locked in a chaotic battle with the Goblin Warriors. The ground was already littered with the corpses of green-skins, along with severed limbs torn apart by the missiles, all stained with blood.

"Humans... all must die..."

Two Goblin Warriors let out strange, gurgling roars and charged at Wang Xi, Long Spears in hand.

It was Guruti and Gurubu.

No one but Wang Xi could understand the Demon language they spoke.

CLANG! CLANG!!

Two sharp ringing sounds echoed in succession.

Wang Xi swung his Beheading Sword, parrying and deflecting the lunges of the two Goblin Warriors’ Long Spears, sending sparks flying.

His eyelids lowered as he sighed internally.

His powerful hand tightened on the hilt. With a swing, the flat of his blade knocked the two Long Spears aside with a BANG. Immediately after, the Beheading Sword sliced across the necks of the two Goblin Warriors.

SQUELCH—

Dark green, foul blood sprayed out.

Two ferocious goblin heads flew off and rolled away.

THUD!

Their bodies collapsed to the ground.

Wang Xi turned to look at the others and saw that the battle was already nearing its end. Their group of examinees were the most outstanding Professional Warriors from Valley City this year; facing Two Star Goblin Warriors posed no great challenge.

But just then, a piercing ZZZZZZ— erupted.

An emerald Green Crystal Cylinder suddenly shot in from outside the field.

"Look out!"

Yu Jiali’s expression changed as she cried out in alarm.

The "Green Crystal Cylinder" was as thick as a bucket and was actually composed of countless sharp, razor-edged fragments. It slammed down, plowing through the ground and carving a deep trench across the battlefield.

PSHT! PSHT!

CRASH!!

Jiang Tianjie and Lin Xin’Er, who were busy fighting Goblin Warriors, couldn’t dodge in time. They were grazed by the crystal shockwave, grunting in pain as they were sent flying.

Their bodies were covered in bloody gashes. Jiang Tianjie’s injuries were more severe; his entire left arm was a mess of torn flesh and gushing blood.

Everyone turned to look—

There, by the wooden palisade, a slender, green-skinned figure hovered in mid-air, radiating a formidable aura.

It was clearly a female goblin, but she lacked the ugly, ferocious appearance of her kin, and was instead quite beautiful. She wore a wide, brownish-tan robe, her long black hair danced in the wind, and her long, pointed ears were like those of an Elf.

Unfortunately, the pair of cold, vicious, scarlet horizontal pupils on her beautiful face ruined the aesthetic.

「Maze Demon King · Goblin Witch · Gurusha (Deep Red / Four Stars)」

A Bronze Pattern Entry, symbolizing an Elite unit.

Wang Xi’s gaze sharpened.

A Demon King Goblin...

Gurusha?!

The green-skinned witch hovering before him was vastly different from the shy, timid goblin girl he remembered. She was clearly much more powerful and mature.

And she was severely corrupted.

At that moment, the livestream’s bullet comments were flying across the screen:

"What a beautiful goblin!"

"No matter how beautiful, she’s still a Demon King, a great enemy of humanity!"

"Kill her!!"

"This Maze Demon King feels ridiculously strong. They’re not going to get team-wiped, are they?!"

"Six Gods, you can’t die!"

"Go for it! You can do it!"

SWOOSH—

Gurusha slowly floated down until she was a foot off the ground.

"All humans must die..."

She said coldly, raising a hand and pointing.

RUMBLE—

A mass of emerald green crystal suddenly coalesced at the tip of her slender index finger, then shot out violently.

It was the same columnar shockwave as before!

A piercing ZZZZ sound erupted, like a thousand noisy birds chirping at once. The emerald shockwave swept across the ground, sending dirt flying with a thunderous roar.

Everyone’s expressions changed drastically as they scattered to dodge.

Lin Xin’Er, relying on her monstrous physical abilities, managed to endure her injuries and dodge with difficulty, but Jiang Tianjie was a step too slow.

His pale face froze as he watched the shockwave about to engulf him, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.

"Earth and wood form the mortal shell, paints of five colors adorn the golden form..."

Just then, Yu Jiali was heard muttering a phrase.

Her hands, which held a freshly-molded, bizarre clay pot, began to glow faintly as she hurled it forward.

The clay pot expanded in mid-air, growing as tall as a person by the time it landed in front of Jiang Tianjie. Its surface was carved with the lopsided, crudely-drawn outline of a young child.

The child was holding a pellet drum, looking innocent and carefree.

CLANG!!

The Green Crystal Cylinder slammed into the clay pot, emitting a loud, crisp crash.

A continuous crackling sound filled the air.

The clay pot seemed fragile, but it was actually incredibly tough, withstanding the impact for several seconds before cracks began to appear.

Then, with a BANG, it exploded into fragments of clay.

"Shatter for safety."

CLAP!

Yu Jiali clapped her mud-covered hands together with a pious expression—and a formless power instantly spread out.

The aftershock from the pot’s explosion abruptly blasted Jiang Tianjie away, allowing him to narrowly avoid the Green Crystal Cylinder’s impact.

He rolled several times on the ground, and though he looked a complete mess, he managed to pass by the flying crystal shards by a hair’s breadth each time, completely unscathed.

Jiang Tianjie, his face a mask of lingering fear, snapped his head up and shot a grateful look at Yu Jiali.

The livestream’s bullet comments scrolled endlessly:

"How can he be so lucky?"

"That’s the power of the Profound Mystery for you!"

"Miss Jiali must be following the path of the Profound Mysterious System! Her card deck belongs to the ’Clay Sculpture Path’!"

"Way to go, Miss Jiali!"

"Oh no! The Demon King Goblin is furious!"

Just then, Gurusha cast a brutal gaze toward the short-haired girl with the smoky makeup.

Yu Jiali’s heart skipped a beat.

She had just used her trump card, and the cost was significant. She was now panting for breath, her face pale.

Nagata An, Carl, and Xiao Yuzhe also rushed over from the perimeter, arriving just in time to see the Goblin Witch raise her hand and point it at Yu Jiali.

PEW! PEW! PEW!!

Without a second thought, Xiao Yuzhe raised his Laser Pistol, aimed at the Demon King, and pulled the trigger.

Flashes of red laser were blocked by an oval green crystal barrier that appeared at the Demon King’s side, resembling stained glass from a church. The impacts made PFFT PFFT sounds, kicking up sparkling dust.

Carl also raised his arm and fired a series of missiles, but after a full bombardment, he had barely managed to crack the green crystal barrier and was completely unable to interrupt the Demon King’s spellcasting.

ZZZZ—

The Green Crystal Cylinder erupted once more!

In the blink of an eye, the columnar shockwave was right in front of Yu Jiali.

Her breath caught, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes.

’Do I regret using my trump card to save Jiang Tianjie...’

Yu Jiali felt no such emotion.

She couldn’t just watch someone die. Then and now, the word "comrade" had always been very important to her.

KSHHH!!

A loud impact rang out.

The shockwave blew back the damp hair from her forehead. She couldn’t help but open her eyes, her beautiful eyes focused.

"Miss Jiali, don’t just stand there gawking."

The black-haired young man stood before her, one arm raised protectively. Half of his body was covered in a layer of azure crystal. This blue crystal was taking the brunt of the countless green crystal fragments, which shattered against it and sent sparkling dust flying.

The sweet scent of blueberry and green apple candy filled the air. The young man’s backlit, smiling face made Yu Jiali’s mind go completely blank.

In that moment, her heart suddenly began to race.

A completely inappropriate thought surfaced—

’How can this guy be so handsome?!’

THUMP!

Wang Xi shot out a palm, striking Yu Jiali on the chest with just the right amount of force to send her flying backward.

The short-haired girl was startled at first, then a mixture of shame and anger welled up inside her.

She landed several meters away, out of danger. She wanted to curse him out but didn’t have the nerve. The guy had just risked his life to save her; was she really going to accuse him of "groping" her in the process?

Yu Jiali looked up, her expression tightening.

The Demon King’s power was too great. The blue crystal on Wang Xi’s body couldn’t hold out for long either; it was already covered in cracks and looked ready to crumble.

But in the nick of time, the Demon King’s assault suddenly stopped.

The Goblin Witch stared blankly at the black-haired young man, a hint of confusion on her face.

"Why does this human also know Candy Magic... and why does it feel so familiar."

She murmured, her eyes filled with bewilderment.

Wang Xi keenly seized this moment of opportunity, using his Deep Green Skill Card, 「Tidal Blade」, without hesitation.

He flicked his hand, and a spiraling torrent of water shot out like a spear, crossing more than ten meters to slash at the green crystal barrier.

CRACK!!

The already-cracked barrier shattered on impact!

"Focus fire—"

Wang Xi yelled to the others.

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