The hall shook with the presence of the Goblin King. His colossal figure towered over the students, holding a titanic sword, its blade gleaming with a cruel radiance.
Without hesitation, the monster raised his weapon and struck a blow against one of the chamber's stone columns. The impact echoed like thunder, cracking the structure and causing a huge splinter of rock to come loose.
With a ferocious grunt, the Goblin King grabbed the piece of stone and, without the slightest effort, threw it towards the group.
The rock cut through the air like a projectile. Its size and speed made any attempt to dodge it unfeasible.
Arisa's eyes narrowed. There was no time to hesitate.
Ignoring the pain in her burned hands, she pulled the bowstring and fired.
The arrow glowed brightly and, in an instant, turned into a trail of pure ice. The crash against the rock was deafening. Frozen fragments scattered around the room, reducing the threat to a shower of debris.
Renji took a deep breath and clenched his daggers.
"A single blow from him could kill us..." he muttered, feeling the weight of that realization.
Toru smiled with superiority.
"Ha! I already have a plan. I'll control the reanimated mages and send them at the boss! With so many consecutive attacks, he'll fall."
Arisa turned to him, her expression annoyed.
"Did you see what he did with that rock? With a single attack, he'll sweep away your army of freaks!"
Renji nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on his enemy.
"Your ability can still be very useful, Toru. Don't waste it with a vain attack."
The Goblin King roared, slamming his sword into the ground. The impact opened small cracks all around.
Remembering what had happened earlier, Renji looked down at Arisa's hands and noticed something curious. The ice from the arrow she had fired had spread to his burns, cooling his reddened skin. He frowned.
"Arisa... the ice has covered your hands. Does it still hurt?"
She flexed her fingers slowly. The pain was still there, but much less than before.
"Bearable. But why does it matter now?" she replied, trying to ignore the discomfort.
Renji crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Before, your arrow was lightning... now it's ice. How exactly does your ability work?"
Arisa hesitated. She hadn't stopped to think about it. In the heat of battle, she just attacked.
With a quick thought, she opened the system. Bright lines appeared before her eyes, revealing the name and description of her skill.
[Basic Skill - Elemental Trinity: Each arrow fired from your bow will be randomly imbued with one of the three elements: lightning, ice or fire].
She read it aloud, absorbing the information.
Renji nodded.
"You can't choose the element. But if ice helped your burns... maybe fire works in the opposite way."
"You mean I can use fire for something else...?"
Before they could go any further into the subject, Renji noticed something strange.
Toru was too quiet.
Turning around, he opened his eyes wide.
A horde of goblins stood before them, but something was wrong. They were the same ones who had died. Now they were moving around in disarray.
"Toru... what are you doing?"
He turned and looked Renji in the eye.
"That's my skill: Lament of the Champions. I can revive bodies and put them under my command. At the moment, my maximum is ten goblins, no more."
Renji narrowed his eyes.
"And why are you telling me this now?"
Toru smiled sideways.
"Earlier, you showed that you know how to strategize... use that in your plan, if you have one."
Those words would upset Renji, but thanks to them, an idea popped into his head.
"We have to keep him distracted at all times."
He approached the two of them, his voice low but firm.
"Toru, use your army to keep the King occupied for as long as possible. Arisa, prepare an arrow and aim it at his eyes, we need the fire for the plan to work. As for me, I'll take care of the rest. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be able to behead him."
Toru smiled and raised his hand, giving a silent order.
The reanimated goblins advanced in a chaotic flurry. The King, noticing the onslaught, spun his sword in a devastating arc, tearing apart half the horde in a single blow.
However, before he could take a breath, new goblins were already rising from the shadows, ready to attack again.
The cycle repeated itself several times, irritating the monster more and more.
It was time.
Arisa readied her arrow, which, as luck would have it, was engulfed in flames. She aimed at the boss's eyes and, noticing an opening, fired.
A vortex of fire swept through the air, hitting the King's left eye and melting his helmet. The glowing metal fused to the monster's skin, and he roared in pain, completely blinded.
Renji took advantage. With agility, he ran across the battlefield, climbing onto the creature's back and driving his black dagger into the back of its head.
Like a butcher, he slid his blade from side to side, over and over again. - Thanks to his increased speed. - Opening more and more of a fissure in the back of the creature's head.
Even blinded, the King tried to strike back. However, Toru lifted one of the reanimated mages, conjuring a barrier that intercepted the beast's attack.
Channeling all his strength into one last blow, Renji plunged his dagger into the monster's flesh, decapitating it.
The Goblin King fell, defeated.
And with him, the fate of that battle was sealed.
Renji fell exhausted, while Arisa and Toru approached, smiling with victory.
"You did it!" Arisa exclaimed, amazed.
"It was only a matter of time." Toru laughed.
Emerging from behind the rubble of the chamber was Yui. The only one in the group who hadn't woken up yet.
"So... it's over?
Just then, Arisa, Toru and Renji's screens flashed on at the same time.
[Arisa Tachibana: Level 6]
[Reward: 5000 XP]
[Toru Kanzaki: Level 7]
[Reward: 5000 XP]
[Renji Kurogane: Level 6]
[Reward: 5000 XP]
Renji looked at his screen, taking in the information.
[Passive Skill Activated: You have absorbed 10 points of strength and 10 points of endurance].
He had absorbed part of the King's attributes, as he had done with the lesser goblins. Immense power had just been added to him.
He closed his eyes and deactivated his ability.
But deep down, one question kept running through his mind.
What else could he achieve with this ability?