Chapter 70: Goblin Sovereign(2)

The tension within the massive, gruesome fighting ring set up right in the center of the camp was at its absolute breaking point. A chaotic mob of goblins surrounded the arena, their roaring chants and shrieks shaking the entire valley.

Standing amidst the dust and scattered bone fragments in her torn, battle-damaged armor was the green-haired, blue-eyed female knight. Her expression was a volatile mix of fierce anger and bitter helplessness, yet the stubborn defiance in her eyes refused to waver.

High above, seated upon a crude throne constructed of stacked skulls and heavy timber, the colossal Demi-Goblin—towering far above any standard goblin and radiating an aura of pure, savage cruelty—leaned forward. He rubbed his massive, clawed hands together, flashing a sadistic grin as he surveyed the howling pack below.

"Any warrior who wishes to claim this human female as his personal prize must first prove his worth in this blood circle!" the Demi-Goblin’s deep, rumbling voice echoed across the camp. "The challenge is open! The one who survives the gauntlet claims the prize!"

Instantly, stepping forward from the crowd one by one, came a total of five vicious, elite goblin champions. Each of them was notorious within the clan for their unmatched brutality and bloodlust. The rule was absolute: only the one who conquered all five consecutive trials of this bloody gauntlet would earn the right to take the captive knight.

---

Stepping into the ring first was a hulking, heavily scarred goblin warrior whose face was mapped with deep battle-wounds. Clutching a massive iron-spiked wooden club in his thick fists, he didn’t waste a single second on pleasantries, charging straight at Keklar with murderous intent.

The heavy club whistled through the air, aimed directly at Keklar’s skull with enough force to shatter a boulder.

Amidst the screaming and shrieking of the watching goblins, Keklar didn’t even flinch. He planted his boots firmly into the dirt and raised his forearms. The complex runes etched across his blue-grey skin flared with dense dark energy as he activated his *Iron-Hide Armor* trait.

*CRASH!*

The spiked club slammed squarely against Keklar’s shoulder, but instead of crushing bone, the iron spikes bent backward against his hardened skin with a sharp, metallic ring. The challenger’s eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated horror.

Before the brute could even begin to recoil, Keklar’s hand lashed out like a striking viper. His iron-hard fingers gripped the challenger tightly by the throat, hoisting his massive body effortlessly into the air. With a brutal twist of his wrist and a sickening crunch, Keklar snapped his neck, tossing the limp body carelessly into the dirt.

---

Without giving Keklar a single moment to catch his breath, the second challenger lunged into the arena. This one was a lean, hyper-agile goblin with razor-sharp obsidian blades strapped to both forearms, moving with the lethal, unpredictable grace of a poisonous serpent.

His speed was so blistering that only dark, flickering afterimages remained in the air. The blade-runner zipped around Keklar, unleashing a flurry of lightning-fast slashes across his chest and arms, leaving shallow, bleeding cuts on his skin.

However, Keklar’s cold, analytical eyes tracked every single movement, perfectly reading the rhythm of the attacks. As the assassin leaped into the air for a final, overhead decapitation strike, Keklar channeled dark mana into his fist and delivered a devastating counter-punch straight into the enemy’s ribs.

*SNAP!*

The sound of shattering bones echoed sharply. The second challenger spat a mouthful of dark blood, collapsing mid-air before crashing lifelessly onto the ground.

---

The consecutive slaughter of two elite warriors sent a ripple of shock through the watching goblin crowd. Stepping up next was one of the Demi-Goblin’s personal guards—an absolute behemoth known as the ’Iron-Tusk Warrior,’ possessing massive tusks protruding from his jaw and a physique like solid rock.

With an earth-shattering roar, the massive warrior charged like a runaway freight train, aiming his tusks directly at Keklar’s midsection.

The impact was catastrophic, sending a violent shockwave through the ground that cracked the surrounding stone. The warrior’s tusks slammed into Keklar’s stomach, driving him sliding backward through the mud. But Keklar gritted his teeth, leveraging his blood-magic and system-enhanced core to reinforce his posture.

As the brute turned around to charge a second time, Keklar sidestepped the rush, caught the massive warrior by both tusks, and used his momentum against him, slamming him headfirst into the earth with bone-crushing force. A final, lethal stomp to the neck ended the third challenger’s life instantly.

---

The fourth challenger was unlike any ordinary goblin. Utilizing the dim light and natural shadows of the ravine, he was a stealth specialist capable of near-total invisibility. Suddenly, the arena air grew freezing cold, and a poisoned dagger materialized out of thin air, aiming directly for Keklar’s spine.

Relying on his heightened combat instincts and system sensors, Keklar whipped his head to the side at the absolute last microsecond. The blade grazed his shoulder, leaving a thin trail of dark blood.

"Playing in the shadows?" Keklar murmured coldly, his voice devoid of fear.

He flared the latent energy of his Red Fire Fairy in his palm. A sudden burst of brilliant crimson illumination washed over the arena, instantly dispelling the shadows and exposing the assassin kneeling just a few paces away. Before the stealth fighter could re-cloak, Keklar closed the distance in a blur and snapped his spine with a ruthless sweep of his arm.

---

Only one challenger remained—the brutal, bloodthirsty Sub-Commander of the entire camp, wielding a massive, jagged battle-axe gleaming with a dark, toxic sheen. His eyes burned with absolute hatred, desperate to avenge his fallen comrades and reclaim his pride.

"You’ve come far, blue-skin!" the Sub-Commander roared, swinging the colossal axe through the air with enough kinetic force to whip up a miniature gale. "But your journey ends right here!"

This was the longest and most ferocious clash of all. The shockwaves from their colliding weapons blew back the lesser goblins standing at the edge of the ring. Keklar’s body was slick with sweat and streaks of blood, but the hunger for victory in his crimson-tinged eyes burned brighter than ever.

Iron clashed against flesh and bone; dark magic flared against brute physical might. Finally, as the Sub-Commander threw every ounce of his remaining energy into a final, apocalyptic downward chop, Keklar expertly parried the heavy blade with his bare, iron-hard forearm, stepping inside the enemy’s guard.

With a final, merciless burst of dark-magic-infused force, Keklar drove his fist straight through the Sub-Commander’s chest.

The giant goblin froze, staring down in absolute disbelief at the bloody hand protruding from his back, before collapsing heavily into the dirt. The battle was over.

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### Triumph and Retreat into the Cave

Total silence blanketed the arena for a fraction of a second. Then, realizing what had just transpired, the entire mob of goblins erupted into frenzied, ear-splitting cheers.

*"Keklar! Keklar! Keklar!"*

One by one, the monsters dropped to their knees in absolute submission and awe. Even the massive Demi-Goblin seated upon his skull throne shifted uneasily, his expression turning from arrogant mockery to profound respect and underlying fear.

Keklar stood in the center of the ring, his chest heaving as he regulated his breathing. A brilliant, translucent blue notification panel flashed before his eyes, rewarding him with massive experience points, attribute upgrades, and stat boosts for conquering the fivefold gauntlet.

He slowly turned his cold, piercing gaze toward the green-haired, blue-eyed female knight. The arrogant defiance in her eyes had completely dissolved, replaced by a chilling realization of the monster standing before her.

Without uttering a single word, Keklar walked over, gripped her slender wrist with an unyielding iron grasp, and yanked her forward. She let out a cry of protest, struggling and thrashing against his grip, but her exhausted strength was utterly useless against his hardened physique.

Dragging her behind him, Keklar strode past the bowing crowd of goblins and headed straight into the dark, secluded tunnels of his private inner cave. As the heavy stone walls swallowed them away from the noisy camp, a wicked, triumphant smile spread across his lips.

"Now," Keklar rumbled in a deep, dark voice as he pushed her against the cold stone wall of the chamber, "our real fight begins."

The green-haired female knight stood pressed against the rough rock, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. Her deep blue eyes—once burning with the fierce, unyielding pride of an imperial knight—were now locked onto Keklar with an expression of profound disgust and sheer revulsion. She despised him not just as a monster, but as a vile creature that had dared to drag her into this filthy abyss.

Keklar, however, remained entirely unfazed by her glare. His cold, crimson-tinged eyes slowly scanned her from head to toe.

Despite the dirt, the dried blood, and the torn armor that exposed the smooth, toned contours of her athletic frame, she possessed a striking, lethal beauty. The contrast between her vibrant green hair and her piercing blue eyes only heightened her exotic allure. To Keklar, she wasn’t just a captive; she was a prized trophy, a vital piece in his grand puzzle to unlock higher evolutionary tiers and accumulate the necessary power to dominate the human realms.

He stepped closer, closing the distance between them, his towering bluish-grey frame casting a heavy shadow over her. A dark, predatory smirk curled at the corner of his lips as he reached out a heavy hand to grab her chin—

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, a deafening explosion ripped through the air, shaking the entire mountain foundation.

The ground beneath their feet violently bucked and heaved, raining loose gravel and dust from the cave ceiling. Outside, the chaotic roars of the goblin pack abruptly shifted from celebratory shrieks into shrieks of pure, unadulterated terror. Waves of volatile magical energy—crackling with fierce, destructive mana—surged into the cavern tunnels, carrying the unmistakable scent of scorched earth and holy elemental fire.

Keklar froze mid-movement. His hand paused inches from the knight’s face, his sharp eyes instantly darting toward the cave entrance.

The female knight blinked, her expression shifting from terror to sudden, glimmering hope. "The... the royal army! Or... or the Academy’s vanguard! They’ve found us!"

Outside, the sounds of battle escalated into a raging tempest. Shouts of agony, the clash of steel, and the roaring thunder of high-tier spells echoed through the valley. Someone—or a terrifying force—was obliterating the goblin camp with ruthless efficiency.