Chapter 71: | A Reckoning in the Dark

Theo and Avara witnessed the most horrifying, sickening scene either of them had ever laid eyes on.

The women, members of Zay’s party, were being violated by black headed goblins. Theo couldn’t even begin to put into words what he was seeing, but it was clearly something brutal and utterly without a shred of decency.

The men, including Zay, lay dead, their bodies torn open, organs scattered across the floor, blood pooling into what had become a dance floor for the goblins.

“I’m going to kill every single one of you!” Theo screamed.

Theo’s shout drew their attention, and they all turned toward the entrance.

The goblins, caught mid-celebration, stopped what they were doing, grabbing their axes and fixing Theo and Avara with looks full of rage and twisted hunger.

“Disgusting!”

“I will not let any of you touch me!” Avara shouted.

She swung her body and shifted into her crow form. Theo drew both his swords, dropping the torch he’d been carrying this whole time.

From the ceiling of the chamber, Avara struck them down with her sharp black feathers. Meanwhile, the goblins charged toward Theo, swinging their stone axes.

The young man took a long breath and let it out slowly. His eyes opened again, activating his Mystic Eyes ability.

[Authority of Mystic Eyes Triggered!]

[Foresight Skill Activated]

[Buff from Eye of Eternity Ring Activated]

[Future Observation Duration: 00:00:00:30]

The goblins’ movements froze right in front of Theo, the world around him shifting into gray, and even Avara found herself caught within the reach of the Mystic Eyes power.

[Swift Pace Skill Activated]

Theo counted the goblins in the chamber, twenty seven in total, with one wearing a crown, seated on a throne made of bones like some grotesque mockery of royalty.

Twenty seven monsters, I need to take them all down in under a minute.

He moved fast, taking full advantage of the ability to strike through the future itself. Gripping both swords tightly, he swung at the shadow images of the goblin monsters’ future selves.

To save precious time, Theo targeted their vital points directly, stabbing or beheading them outright.

That proved far more efficient than going for their hearts, since he worried the dense muscle around their chests might resist a direct thrust.

His movements accelerated, the Swift Pace skill pushed to its absolute limit. Theo struck them down, leaping from one spot to another to take out goblins scattered across the chamber.

[Future Observation Duration: 00:00:00:10]

Ten more seconds!

Theo surged forward, gripping his sword tightly. He swung it sideways, activating a crescent blade attack.

[Crescent Blade Strike Skill Activated]

His eyes watched the crescent blade’s slashing attack tear forward, cutting through their shadow images, three goblins split apart instantly by the strike.

[Future Observation duration has ended]

[Host consciousness returning to the present]

Theo finished the fight, his consciousness snapping back to his body as the Mystic Eyes talent skill deactivated.

The goblins in front of him began charging at him again, but at a specific moment, they froze, struck down by attacks they never saw coming.

Some had their heads pierced straight through by a sword, others decapitated outright.

Still others had their bodies sliced open or their arms severed. Even in the final seconds before the thirty second mark ended, three goblins dropped dead, their bodies split apart as if struck by some mysterious, unseen force.

Avara paused for a moment, watching the black headed goblins drop dead one after another, seemingly out of nowhere.

She turned her face toward Theo, who hadn’t moved an inch this entire time.

Out of the original twenty seven goblins, he’d managed to kill eighteen of them.

A system panel appeared in front of Theo, displaying the exact count of goblin monsters he’d killed, along with the exp he’d earned.

[Congratulations! You have successfully killed a monster]

[Type: Dark Goblin (C-Rank)]

[Count: 18]

[Reward: +450exp]

[EXP: 605/700] [+450exp]

Avara realized that had been Theo’s power at work. She flew back toward him immediately and shifted back into her human form.

Theo suddenly collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, his sword planted into the dirt.

[Warning! Temporal Status percentage has increased]

[Temporal Status: 22%] [↑5%]

The woman glanced sideways at him, then looked forward again. “Let me guess, you used that power again?”

“It was the only way I could take them all down.”

Theo tried to steady himself, taking a long breath and letting it out slowly.

He pushed himself back to his feet and walked forward, holding his sword, still clean, not yet soaked in blood.

“Let’s finish this!” Theo said firmly.

“I’ll take care of the rest, Theo!” Avara declared.

She stepped forward, stretching her hand out and channeling her power ahead.

Sharp black feathers swirled around her, then shot forward with full force, targeting every remaining goblin for a kill.

The goblins stood no chance, barely managing to even defend themselves.

Theo watched Avara’s expression, and the woman looked like she was holding back a wave of fury over the goblins’ sickening behavior.

Three goblins remained, one of them an elderly goblin clutching a wooden staff. Theo noticed Avara had finished her assault. Now it was his turn to finish off the rest.

Theo moved around the chamber, activating his skill once again.

[Swift Pace Skill Activated]

The young man moved faster, dodging the goblins’ attacks and striking them down by beheading them outright.

He soon found himself standing directly in front of the elderly goblin with the magic staff, who looked panicked and terrified, attempting to flee backward.

Theo wasn’t about to let him escape. He gripped both swords tightly, their blades glowing bright blue.

[Crescent Blade Strike Skill Activated]

Both swords swung in alternating strikes, driving forward with full force. The elderly goblin tried to block the attack, but the overwhelming power shattered his magic staff and tore through his magical barrier.

BLAST!

A burst of wind erupted, tearing the elderly goblin’s body apart into tiny fragments. Theo collapsed, exhausted, staring forward, breathing hard.

[Congratulations! You have successfully killed a monster]

[Type: Dark Goblin (C-Rank)]

[Count: 3]

[Reward: +75exp]

[EXP: 680/700] [+75exp]

“We did it, Ava.”

Avara arrived beside Theo and looked ahead, taking in the chamber now littered with goblin corpses, the stench of rotting blood hanging heavy in the air.

Theo turned to look at Ava. “Go to the village and tell them I found the kidnapped girls.”

“Really? Where are they?”

The young man pushed himself up, walking forward and shoving against the stone wall.

As the door gave way, Theo found a group of girls huddled inside, their condition heartbreaking, severe trauma leaving them paralyzed with fear, even as Theo stood there to help them.

Avara looked at them in shock, then turned and nodded obediently. She’d head to the village to spread the word and bring back help.

Theo nodded, then crouched down toward the girls, giving them a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry,” Theo said. “I’ll bring you all home safely.”