CHAPTER 53: A’S ENDGAME 7 (CURSES RELIVE)

"What the hell is that?" a voice resonated from behind.

It was Lilitu—and, like always, backed up by Thalvron.

The goblin roared as if answering them, "I am your worst nightmare." The sheer pressure of the loud shout shook the underground, as if threatening an earthquake.

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It had been a shaking chaos with the whole of the under-surface terrain shaking with each step the chest-eyed goblin took.

Its stature, although single, generated even more fear than the separate goblins could do in their many numbers.

"Get the woman out of here... why is it aiming at her?" Thalvron roared as he held back the matching hammer of the goblin from turning Isabell into flat meat.

"Personal beef, I’ll say," Tasha rasped, dread covering her face, but she knew better than to hang around. Her simple batten would barely be a mosquito bite now.

She stood distance away in a corner behind grounds of elves and goblins, who themselves were terrified, almost slapping Tasha for shouting with the mindset she might draw the goblin’s attention.

Isabell herself barely felt her own life. The darkness around felt like she was stuck in a coffin, the heat, the motivation, and the power she carried at first had all died—replaced with dread that came solely from the combined darkness the goblins carried.

"Somebody turn on the lights," she murmured, shaken to her core.

Sweat crawled down her temple as, even when trying to take steps backwards, her legs felt too small for her body, breathing on the brink of breaking.

Roarrrrrr...!

The goblin exclaimed from his wide maw that took the space of its whole head, revealing the counter-linings of sharp, dangerous teeth with slick slime dripping out from it.

The goblin struck with its crescent blade arm toward the side of Thalvron.

"Tch... so sharp," Thalvron hissed as he studied the sharpness of the limb.

He opened a portal out of mist below his feet and fell into the ground like a curse exiting the surface.

The goblin slashed through the air and its hammer hand smashed straight to the ground.

Roarrrrrr!

It exclaimed again.

"Get you out of here," Lilitu exclaimed from the side, but Isabell barely heard her—drowned in the cold dread that bit into her skin, paralyzing her completely.

The giant goblin immediately charged at her again, jumping skywards first and locking on her with both limbs.

Lilitu immediately moved. Damn this woman... but I can’t ignore her. She’s Allen’s mother and if anything happens to her, he might not forgive me, she thought as she recalled after the meeting where Hallen had privately dropped Isabell and Tasha under her care.

"BLOOD CURSE!" she rasped as she tore herself, splashing her blood on Isabell, and the tattoo on her chest began to glow bright red—same as the blood spilled on Isabell’s body.

"RUN!" Lilitu ordered as Isabell lost her consciousness in obedience to Lilitu. Her eyes turned dark as she immediately picked to her heels, but now the goblin’s target had shifted to Lilitu.

"My princess!" Thalvron roared as he charged in with every last strength he had, eclipsing Lilitu with dread etched deep into his eyes as he swallowed hard.

The goblin wasn’t just coming with a hammer and blade limbs—many more protruded from its body like sharp vines, making it look more like a green plant monster.

The tip of each vein was sharp; it could mirror death.

"Thalvron. Thank you," Lilitu whispered as she appeared in front of Thalvron like a shield. "Thanks for always protecting me." She smirked, gleaming at him over her shoulder with a smile.

"My princess!!" Thalvron roared with widened eyes as shock bathed through his body like electrocuted water flowing down his being. Time seemed to slow as tears shimmered in his eyes, left instead with disbelief and bitterness.

But it began to take longer than expected, with Lilitu smiling at him, waiting for the pain to tear through her being, but nothing was happening.

BOOM.

The stumbling sound of the goblin echoed as they shifted their gaze to see it lying dead and motionless—no wounds, no slash, just the darkness disappearing from the air and its eyes fading away into emptiness.

"They did it," Natasha whispered.

"Yes, but what I’m more interested in is what you just did. Can you repeat your—"

"Nothing just happened," Lilitu intercepted, folding her hand as she forced an angered face, but inside she was relieved.

Thalvron giggled a little, covering it with his hand, "Yes, my princess... nothing just happened." He added more passing laughs.

The air around freed from the heavy tension as both elves and demons began standing up from the hidden corners they had hid in fear, as the unbelievable hope played right in front of their eyes.

Even on the surface, Amaterasu’s pace was fast—non-hesitant and calculated—as she single-handedly blazed through both clans, protecting the shelter and properties of the clan and even fallen merges.

The structured counter of the enemies, the supposed strike through the left of the clan, now became a scattered one-man army—protecting either themselves or the properties of the clan.

But it all came to a stop when the charging cries and their shouts turned to shock as the goblins began falling to the ground lifeless one by one. Even Amaterasu had forgotten about Natasha and Elara, drowned in the frustration of fighting endless armies.

"They did it," she smirked, breaths heavy and flames coiling around her as she came to a halt.

Not too far off, where the werewolves were sheltered, Kelion had gone beyond using his normal abilities and now used his dark elven ability—first to cave the housing of the werewolves in such a way it gave no space for entrance, and even if the walls were broken, it would regenerate back within seconds.

"Hmmm," he hummed as he didn’t feel the usual stumping and hitting of goblin body parts.

His eyes were closed and his body shrouded in a very thick layer of regenerating rock that had kept drumming from the punches of outside forces, but now he felt none of that.

"Is that a prank?" he muttered, opening an eye space from the rock, but he still didn’t see anything.

Then he opened it whole, manipulating the rock below him to rise like a high pillar, carrying his broad frame above the ground in caution.

"They’re dead!" he rasped as he looked at the motionless, disgusting parts that laid far below his feet.

"I knew those two could do it," she smirked.

But then—BOOM.

A distant crashing sound shook the whole clan, reminding them the battle was not yet over.

"Hadas has not been dealt with," Kelion smirked as he looked to the direction of the noise.

But was Hadas the only threat now?

No. Zeus had joined.