CHAPTER 72: FATHERLESS HUMAN

The entire hall vibrated as the clash resounded.

For a moment, there was a pause in the atmosphere. All the goblins waiting on standby and the other purple-skinned goblins waited and watched what was happening from afar.

Suddenly, there was another resounding sound, but this time much thinner than the last.

The goblin that had attacked Lucien staggered back—headless.

The body crumbled to the ground, and the head rolled through the air, flying straight at the leader of the goblins.

Erikta tilted his head as the head smacked the wall in a paste of green blood and slid down.

The leader’s eyes blazed with a cold crimson light. He had no particular emotion on his face aside from suppressed hostility.

Then he grinned and waved his hand forward.

Immediately, the goblins shot forward, their agile, lithe bodies blurring through the air. But when they arrived at the door, their target was gone.

Another thin, cold sound—like a sweep—flew through the air, and another goblin sustained damage: a long, sharp, clean cut across his torso.

The goblin grimaced and wanted to move; however, his hands flew straight into the air.

The leg followed and was chopped by seemingly nothing in rapid succession. His balance was lost, and as he staggered down, the head followed, flying through the air.

The rest were confused, looking around for Lucien; however, what they received were a barrage of rapid cuts, following each other.

They could not defend against it because they could not even tell the direction. It was like one minute the strike was definitely not there, and the next second it appeared.

Erikta grimaced and then raised his hand.

All of them paused.

He then waved his hand again.

From amidst the red goblins, about four goblins covered in tattered cloaks and holding jagged wooden staffs came out of the crowd.

They extended their staffs to the sky, and balls of fire formed in the air.

These were at least five times larger than the measly ball of fire Lucien could use.

The balls of fire flew through the air and bombarded the entrance of the room, drowning everywhere in a cacophony of explosions that not only caused a fierce and screeching sound through the air but also shook the cave violently.

The entire place was shrouded in smoke for a minute, and all of them patiently waited.

As the smoke dispersed, the culprit was slowly revealed.

Erikta grinned.

"Foolish human."

Lucien was standing... barely, breathing heavily, his entire body charred and blackened by the explosion.

Although not much of his strain could be seen because of the mask on his face, his eyes were slightly dimmer compared to when he first entered.

His ragged breathing also proved that his stamina was being spent heavily.

"What were you even thinking?"

Erikta’s eerie voice crawled out.

"That you were going to waltz in here and waltz out like you own the place? Your mother must have given you a speech about how you can take over the world and deceived you right there for a bit. Wake up to reality—this is not a game."

Lucien was still panting, staring at the goblin with a strained look in his eyes. He breathed heavily and steadied himself.

Then he exhaled and stared forward. He looked at the goblins casting fireballs and narrowed his eyes a little bit.

As he stared at them, he got a strange idea.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’What if... I fuse with the fireballs?’

It was a wild idea, and he would be exposing himself. Lucien knew this, but he also felt like fusing with the fire would help him find a way to cause the fireball trait of his to grow. He’d be able to fuse both traits together and get a more powerful one.

He sighed and straightened his gaze.

’Let’s do it.’

Lucien burst forward in a spray of speed.

The purple goblins shot after him, surrounding him from all sides.

He clicked his tongue in irritation.

’These bothersome lot.’

As the ax of one came down, Lucien pivoted sharply and escaped its grasp, only to fall into the space of another.

But his eyes were working perfectly, so he knew what he was doing.

His mind was also calm. Despite his disadvantageous situation, he was very calculative and patient. There was no decision he was going to make from a place of confusion.

His mind was actively running through all possible opportunities of actions to exploit, as his eyes digested all the peripheral information.

As the goblin fell, the greatsword in his hand, Lucien shot one hand forward and blocked it. At the same time, he stabbed the other sword into one of the monster’s thighs and dragged it down, causing the goblin to let out a thick, guttural cry.

[You have dealt 1,003 damage]

[Critical Hit! You have exploited a weakness: Inner Thighs!]

He shoved the greatsword away and, with unhinged motion, plunged the Nightfang’s twin into the chest of the monster, twisted it, and withdrew immediately from that position.

However, the head of the monster rolled into the air.

He ran sharply and easily crisscrossed the other two purple-skinned goblins. In that moment, the room was already lit by the cantaloupe color of the fireballs that the mages were casting.

Immediately, Lucien spotted them—without having to directly look. He had noted their location.

Then, as they flew, he also leaped and used the face of the purple goblin that was going to attack him as a stepping stone to catapult himself into the air.

Throwing his hand towards the fireball.

For a moment, Erikta stared in confusion. The other goblins around were also very confused as to what Lucien was going to do.

Then, following their confusion, was a blue radiant light that consumed the hall and then died back instantaneously.

Lucien collapsed on the ground, lying flat.

[You have fused with a Tier 2 fireball for 1,000 Fusion points]

Lucien chuckled as he lay on the ground.

’What the hell... it actually worked.’

His dry laughter slowly came to an end.

But he stayed on the ground, his eyes cold and clear. One moment, they were all staring at him; the next moment, he had vanished.

[You are using Trait: Stealth]

Again, the second round of invisible cutting attacks began, and the purple goblins were immediately thrown into confusion.

The goblin leader from his position immediately shouted at the mages.

"Blast him! Blast everywhere!"

His thick voice speared through the hall, and immediately—slightly trembling, in fact—the mages extended their staffs into the air and started releasing fireballs everywhere.

The whole cavern expanse shook each time, and even the purple goblins were not spared from the bombardment.

However, Lucien was not hit.

He just stayed in one corner and continued to use Severance on his opponents while fusing the fireball traits.

After fusing the two traits together, he got a new one.

[Congratulations, you have fused Tier 2 Fireball Attack with lesser fireball]

[You have gained Ignition]

[This new fireball has been written in Tome of Fire]

[Usually, spells are stereotypical, unless one has a Grimoire or an Elemental Tome...]

[...because your mind is also the tome of fire, all fire spells can be inscribed and can be used in malleable manners]

[Due to the weak rank of the Tome, your usage is still limited]

Lucien exhaled.

’I see... that makes sense.’

He stared forward and fixed his eyes on the goblin leader. There was one simple thing to do to salvage his situation, or else, no matter how much he tried, he would still not be able to win.

He exhaled, then moved.

As he ran through them, he leaped, and mid-air his stealth was undone.

But it was too late.

A large burst of flames exploded in the air and rained down fire on everyone, while Lucien landed on Erikta’s throne, crushing it.

He grabbed the Goblin King’s collar and buried a punch into his face.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

[You have dealt 310 damage]

Then he threw the king down the dais of his throne seat.

Lucien slowly summoned another sword as he walked down.

"I’m going to teach you, you motherless cunt. I am going to teach you how to speak to your elders."

Lucien held the Darkness Cutter in his right hand and the Kage Fang in his left.

Erikta stood up, chuckling feverishly.

"Foolish human. You know nothing! I may be motherless, but you are motherless and fatherless—at least I have a father! He taught me human language so I can humiliate humans! Kekekekehhh."

Lucien paused for a moment.

’Why do this bastard’s words seem to hit the point?’

He frowned and shot forward.

"I will make you eat those words."

Erikta grabbed the golden markings on his body and pulled them out. The marks flowed and snapped into two jagged, golden daggers.

Lucien stared with a bewildered expression, even as he descended on the goblin with a fierce overhead strike from the long katana.

Erikta crossed both daggers above his head to block, his teeth grinning like a demented battle maniac.

"Fatherless human."

He roared as he shoved Lucien’s sword away and blurred forward with his daggers arcing through with a golden trail of light.