Fuu!

  Barely thirty seconds had elapsed when my instincts screamed a warning. I looked up—just in time to see a vast, ominous shadow descending from above. “What the—” Before I could react, the ground exploded beneath me.

  Boom!

  Debris and splintered wood rained down as I dove to the side, rolling to my feet amid a flurry of curses. “Fuck!” I spat, backing away from the collapsing outpost and sprinting into the open clearing.

  As the dust settled, the horror became clear. Emerging from the crater was a hulking figure—the corrupted goblin chief towering at least seven or eight feet of raw muscle and menace. Its deep, sickly blue skin was marred by pulsing violet corruption, each patch seemingly alive with a sinister energy.

  Then it roared—a guttural, primal bellow that shook the earth. In a heartbeat, the beast leaped forward with a speed defying its massive bulk. “Oh, come on!” I barked, dodging to the side as it crashed down, fracturing the ground beneath us. “What the hell is this? Jump essence or some damn Mario power-up?” I taunted, a brief spark of mockery amidst the chaos.

  The corrupted chief wasted no time. It lunged with savage force, its clawed hands slicing the air. I met its barrage with calculated evasions, my sword humming with Exira as I parried and countered. Every movement was measured—my mind dissecting its attacks even as my heart pounded with adrenaline.

  Up close, I saw the full extent of its mutation. Once a hobgoblin, it now resembled a walking nightmare: a hulking brute, muscles strung taut like coiled cables, and where eyes should be—only two endless, black voids. “Blind?” I murmured, frowning as I adjusted my grip. Luna’s tense meow from my shoulder punctuated the revelation. This creature wasn’t seeing me—it was sensing me through the vibrations of my very presence.

  It charged again, its massive claws slicing through the space between us. I sidestepped, launching a swift counterattack. My blade bit into its corrupted arm, but the wound elicited little more than a low, pained grunt. Instead, it spun, and a claw tore through my cloak. “Shit!” I growled, stepping back as its roar reverberated like thunder. The violet corruption on its body flared in rhythm with its ragged breath. Whatever dark force had remade it had turned this brute into a living tank.

  “Alright, big guy,” I said, my voice low and steady despite the chaos. “Let’s see what you’ve really got.”

  I channeled Exira into my blade, and a faint purple glow pulsed along its edge. The goblin chief’s claws dug into the earth as it prepared another charge. Luna’s warning meow urged me to stay alert. Suddenly, it lashed out—its claws narrowly grazing my arm. Relentless, it attacked repeatedly, each strike powerful enough to shatter stone. I ducked under a wide swing, rolled to the side, and slashed at a glowing violet patch on its leg. For the first time, the beast howled in pain.

  “Damn,” I muttered, eyes alight with cold calculation. “I almost thought about using a blood projectile there—if only you hadn’t parried it like some damn trained fighter. Blood’s too precious to waste.”

  I pivoted, channeling Exira into my legs, and surged behind the hulking brute. As I circled it in a wide arc, I studied its every twitch. “So the fucker’s blind, huh?” I mused under my breath. But that didn’t explain its pinpoint accuracy earlier. It was then—a heavy stomp shook the ground. The creature repeatedly slammed its foot down: stomp, stomp, stomp. And then, with terrifying precision, its eyeless face seemed to pivot toward my location.

  “Vibration feedback,” I realized, narrowing my eyes. The bastard was using seismic cues to track my every move. “Blind and a fucking seismic radar,” I muttered darkly.

  Without warning, the chief roared and bounded forward. That’s when I noticed its weapon—a huge, jagged greatsword that glinted malevolently in the sunlight, its edge crackling with corrupted energy. “Oh, come on,” I snarled, bracing as its massive blade arced down in a brutal overhead swing.

  Tchingggg! I crossed my swords—both honed with Exira—as the greatsword collided with my guard. The impact sent a shockwave surging through my arms, forcing me several meters back. My boots skidded on the ashen ground as I fought to regain my balance.

  The creature pressed its assault, leaping after me with a speed that belied its size. “Shit!” I cursed as it slammed its greatsword into the spot I’d just vacated, cracking the earth and sending shards of stone flying. I retreated to create space, shaking off the numbness in my arms as I steadied myself.

  Taking a deep breath, I stood utterly still, every muscle primed, as I watched the goblin chief search wildly—its head jerking from side to side, stomping the ground in a desperate bid to lock onto my vibrations. “This fight isn’t going to be easy,” I murmured, gripping my swords tighter. I glanced at Luna—her small frame trembling on my shoulder—and gently set her down. “All right, Trouble, time to sit this one out,” I said softly. She gave me a quiet nod and hopped away, her pendant glowing in defiant solidarity. “Good girl,” I managed a brief smile.

  Then the chief roared again, its heavy steps morphing into a strange, rhythmic dance. At first, its leaps and stomps appeared random—but as I focused, the pattern emerged. This was no mindless brawl; the bastard was remembering its old life—a leader, a warrior—clawing its way back from total corruption. “Great,” I murmured with a bitter edge. “Not just brute force—smart, too.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Fuuu!

  I exhaled deeply, channeling every ounce of Exira into my blades until they pulsed with raw energy. The familiar, exhilarating strain of dancing with death surged through me, and a cold smile spread across my face. “All right, big guy, let’s dance.”

  It lunged again, its eyeless void locked on me. This time, I met the charge head-on. Its greatsword arced down in a crushing overhead strike—a blow that could split me in two. But I was faster. I ducked low, sidestepped, and lashed out with a slash aimed at one of the glowing violet patches on its leg. The blade bit deep, drawing a roar of pain from the beast.

  It spun wildly, swinging its sword in a wide horizontal arc. I ducked, rolled aside, and countered with another measured slash along its side. Each cut chipped away at the corruption as the chief’s roars grew increasingly frantic. Yet every time I landed a hit, it retaliated with raw, savage force—each blow pushing me closer to the brink.

  But I wasn’t about to back down. The rush of combat, the thrill of dancing with death, surged through me—my mind alive with calculated analysis even as my heart raced. “Come on,” I taunted softly, my voice low and steady, “let’s see what you’ve really got.”

  And so the deadly dance resumed.

  Five relentless minutes passed in a blur of evasion, slashing, and analysis. I dodged and weaved as the corrupted chief honed its pattern to near perfection. Every stomp, every leaping strike, locked onto the vibrations I unwittingly gave off. Yet, despite its strength, I stayed just one step ahead—barely.

  Its massive body was now a tapestry of wounds, dark violet blood seeping from every cut. Still, it hacked at me with the relentless fury of a wounded beast. This wasn’t merely a fight; it was an endurance test—a battle of wills and cunning.

  Noctis—responded with every heartbeat. Faint purple veins pulsed brighter as they absorbed the taint and spilled blood from the battlefield. I could feel it: my strength surged nearly 70%, every fiber of my being electrified with Exira-enhanced power. But it wasn’t enough—not yet.

  “Come on,” I muttered, sidestepping another wild swing of that cursed greatsword. I retaliated with a quick, calculated slash along its torso, slicing through another pulsing violet patch. The chief roared, barreling toward me, its attacks now slowing as fatigue set in. Even a corrupted titan eventually tires.

  “You’re running out of steam,” I smirked, dodging yet another lunge with the precision of a seasoned predator. Then, in a desperate bid, the chief hurled its greatsword at me. The massive blade spun through the air with lethal intent, but I met it with both swords. The clash rang out as a shock surged up my arms, yet I held my ground. “Nice try, asshole,” I growled.

  Now unarmed, the hobgoblin charged with flailing clawed fists. It lunged, swiping at my chest. I twisted aside as its claws scraped my shoulder—mere scratches on the grand scale of things. My breath came in ragged bursts; my muscles screamed in protest. Then, I felt it—a rhythmic thump in my chest, like a heartbeat amplified.

  The Noctis pulsed—a signal that everything was about to change. I sensed the shift before I saw it: the empty eye socket on my armor’s chest flickered, and a menacing purple eye sprang to life, its surface shimmering like liquid metal. In that instant, a surge of raw power flooded through me. My physical and cognitive faculties sharpened to a razor’s edge; the energies of my Blood Essence and Mutation Essence merged seamlessly with Exira.

  A cold smile spread across my face as I locked eyes—figuratively—with the blind monstrosity. “You’re in trouble now,” I whispered, every word laced with deadly confidence.

  The chief hesitated, its eyeless face tilting as if it sensed my newfound intensity. I didn’t waste a moment. With a burst of speed, I charged forward, blades aglow with pulsating Exira. The goblin chief roared and lunged, but this time, I wasn’t dodging—I was dictating the fight.

  I had drawn this battle out for more than mere survival. Every drop of goblin blood spilled had been quietly siphoned, stored for the right moment. Now, with heightened clarity and strength, I held that precious resource close, choosing to invest it internally rather than squander it on blood projectiles—whose initial launches had proved almost laughably ineffective as the chief deftly parried or dodged them.

  Pivoting with lethal precision, I flung the less-charged blade at the beast. It swatted it aside with a massive hand, snorting a guttural snarl. “Too predictable,” I muttered, and in one swift motion shifted to a stabbing posture. I drove my remaining sword deep into its right thigh. The blade sank with a sickening squelch, meeting bone as the chief roared in pain. I twisted, yanking the sword free in a savage slash that tore through muscle and sinew, leaving its leg dangling by mere threads of flesh. The creature howled, collapsing as black blood poured forth.

  I pressed the advantage. “Stay down,” I growled, severing its left leg in one clean, calculated strike—corrupted flesh ripping away like wet paper. Then, channeling Level 3 Exira, I slammed raw energy into the hulking brute. The ground cracked beneath it, forming a crater as its roars escalated into something far more sinister. Dark corruption exploded outward, and the resulting shockwave hit me like a freight train, sending me sprawling across fractured earth.

  “Fuck,” I spat, coughing blood as I struggled to rise. My left arm hung uselessly, bent at a grotesque angle. With grim determination, I snapped it back into place—a sickening pop marking its return.

  The hobgoblin rose once more, its massive form looming above me. Horror gripped me as I watched its torn limbs knit themselves back together, black veins pulsing with renewed corrupted energy. It laughed—a deep, guttural sound that made my skin crawl. “You think this is funny?” I growled, wiping blood from my mouth. Its regenerating form mocked my every effort.

  Then, its laughter died. The creature’s instincts flared as its head jerked upward, and though it had no eyes, it locked onto the overwhelming energy radiating from me. I raised an outstretched arm toward the sky and whispered, “[Sanguis Telum].”

  The beast snarled as it realized too late. High above us, a massive blood lance—ten meters long and glowing a deadly red—spun into existence, gathering momentum. The air crackled as it descended like a spear of divine judgment. In the blink of an eye, it crashed down with the force of an artillery shell.

  BOOM!

  The lance pierced through the goblin chief’s skull, shattering its corrupted head and driving deep into the earth. The impact was deafening—a shockwave ripping through the air as its massive frame crumpled. Its head was reduced to a grotesque pulp, the splattered remains a brutal testament to our deadly dance.

  Panting, I stepped closer to the lifeless carcass as the Noctis pulsed faintly, its purple veins drawing in the lingering corruption. Luna’s soft meow reached me from behind, and I turned to see her—cautious yet curious, her pendant glimmering. “It’s over,” I said, offering a small, weary smile. She hopped up onto my shoulder, nuzzling my neck in comforting solidarity. “Good job staying out of the way,” I joked, scratching her chin. “Man, that was one hell of a mess, huh?” Her gentle “meow” was all the affirmation I needed.

  I exhaled deeply as the adrenaline ebbed, my gaze lingering on the smoldering remains of the corrupted hobgoblin chief.