Chapter 287: Gulland Rifenin the Hero (3/3)

The Goblin King was clearly stronger, so just how has this man persisted against him for so long?

In that moment, a certain memory flashed through his mind: that memory when he was pushed to the brink of life and death at the southern desert. The appearance of that young man that threw himself at him out of desperation. No matter what anyone might say, that was his loss. At the very least, that’s what the Goblin King believed.

That’s why, as the Goblin King beheld this foe that had expended most of his strength and was about to run out of breath, he decided to put an end to this once and for all. As Gulland staggered a little, the Goblin King found himself taking a deep step.

His sword swung to lop off Gulland’s head, but it hit nothing but empty air.

“What!?”

A smile seemed to surface on Gulland at that, and he dove under the Goblin King’s great sword to press him hard.

A wall of black flames immediately erupted to fight back, but Gulland thrust out instead of slashing. The Goblin King felt like a club had hit him as Gulland’s great sword buried itself into his stomach.

But that was well within his range. Raising up Zweihander, he swung it down at Gulland.

“The Ruler of the Wind and the Lightning(Astaroth)!”

But Gulland yelled out, and in the next moment, lightning surged through his whole body.

“Gugga!?”

Though the king might possess the Underworld’s Ether that could heal him instantly, they could not keep up with the speed of the lightning coursing through him from inside.

“I’ve caught you now, Monster!”

The Goblin King was knelt.

Despite having next to no strength, despite having incurred so many wounds, Gulland still managed to turn the tables and win. His legs were numb, and his hold over his great sword was uneasy, his vision trembled, and it seemed as though he would kneel at any point in time.

And yet in that state, Gulland managed to bury his great sword deep into the Goblin King.

He knew from the earlier exchange that the Goblin King possessed an overwhelming regenerative power. So how was he to win? A war of attrition would eventually just leave him exhausted, so the only chance he had was to bet everything and deal an overwhelming amount of damage on the Goblin King before he could regenerate.

Getting this far needed Gulland to win two bets.

First, the Goblin King needed to respond to his duel. And then, he had to put up a convincing act and fool him. It was true that he was exhausted, but it was not as bad as he looked. Only after all of the above conditions were fulfilled was he able to achieve this opportunity. Two desperate bets in search of a way out of this impossible situation, and for the first time, Gulland could see a chance of victory.

As he put strength into his hands, he sent lightning coursing through the Goblin King’s body once again. Smoke rose from the giant body of the Goblin King, but the Goblin King held his great sword in search of a way to fight back.

A normal goblin, no, any goblin other than the Goblin King would have surely been killed by all that lightning already, and yet, the Goblin King pulled that great sword even deeper into his body.

Gulland was in disbelief.

Why would this monster choose to make his wounds even worse? But he quickly made up his mind. There would be no second chance if he were to let this chance go.

“If you want to die so badly, then I’ll help you as much as you want!”

“GURUuuOOOOAAAA!”

The Goblin King bellowed out a howl, and as he resisted the lightning, he brought the sword even deeper into him.

“──Well done, but!”

And finally, the Goblin King’s giant hands reached Gulland’s arms.

Shock filled Gulland’s eyes. The lightning coursing through the Goblin King would course through him as well. Gulland looked up at those burning crimson eyes above.

“──Don’t look down on me!”

But Gulland’s resolve was not common either, and he didn’t hesitate to send lightning coursing through both of them.

His arms grew numb, his legs gave way, and Gulland was forced to kneel. Just once was enough to leave him in that sorry state. And yet the monster before him has endured it so many times already.

Despite that, he refused to let go his great sword and continued to glare at his arch-enemy that was giving out smoke.

“Ga, ha ha ha…”

As Gulland panted, he noticed that the monster’s vise-like grip had not loosened in the slightest.

“…Bastard!”

Black flame covered the Goblin King’s body. It was as though the black flames themselves were taking on a monster’s visage, but those burning crimson eyes alone beheld Gulland with unyielding resolve.

And once again, lightning coursed through both the king and the hero.

Already, this was a contest of wills, a contest of the burdens they carried, a battle where both staked everything they had and neither side was willing to withdraw.

“What’s the matter? Your lightning is getting weaker!”

The Goblin King said, and Gulland answered with the greatest lightning he could muster.

“──I would never lose to a monster like you!”

Lightning coursed through the two warriors, burning their flesh and charring their bones, and before long, Gulland finally collapsed. That was the only fate that awaited him after releasing all that lightning without regard for his own limitations. The moment the Goblin King had grabbed his arms, it was evident that he was at a disadvantage. With the Goblin King’s nearly infinite regeneration, all his wounds – internally and externally – would eventually recover, but Gulland didn’t have any way to recover himself, so exposing himself to his own lightning would eventually expend him. If anything, just the fact that he was able to endure several rounds of lightning was worthy of praise.

As the Goblin King pulled out the great sword from his own body, black flames appeared to immediately close his wound.

The sight of the Goblin King standing sent cheers erupting throughout the goblin forces, but Gulland slowly stood up once again.

The lightning had already burned his body, and one of his eyes was cloudy too.

Despite that, he picked up his sword and took it into his hands once again, and with trembling legs, stood up. It wouldn’t be strange for him to keel over at any moment, and yet the hero stood once again.

Flashing through his mind were the face of all those that he had lost.

The wife he loved, his irreplaceable comrades, his nasty peers, those that have gone to the underworld ahead of him, and the children he had to protect.

And then, he faced the king once again.

That was a monster that he ought to hate, someone that possessed terrifying power, but at the same time──

“…Duel me, King.”

The winds of the battlefield blew between them.

Already, the distance between them was just a step away from their range. The moment Gulland stepped out, the Goblin King too took his step.And as Zweihander crossed with the Great Sword of Blue Lightning, the sound of their blades resounded simultaneously, but the sound that should come next was dyed in red.

The Goblin King’s great sword had deflected Gulland’s great sword, cutting him through from the chest to the stomach.

The two warriors passed by each other.

But by then Gulland’s life had already ended.

If one were to take a closer look, one would see that there was a smile on the hero’s face as he fought and died.

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The Goblin King’s level has risen.

92 → 100 《Race limit reached.》

Indomitable Soul: Neutralizes the mental attacks resulting from an enemy’s class and level. Increases defense and ether resistance.

Hero (Eiyuu): Charm effect to those of the same race (HIGH), and decreases the chance of death when leading an army (LOW).

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