Goblin Kingdom (Part 1)

Goblin Kingdom - Volume 2: Chapter 89: The Night is Long

StatusRaceGoblinLevel21ClassKing; RulerPossessed SkillsRuler of the Demon Children of Chaos; Defiant Soul; World Devouring Howl; Swordsmanship A-; Dominator; King's Soul; Ruler's Wisdom III; Household of the Gods; One-Eyed Snake's Evil Eye; The King's Dance at the Edge of Death; Magic Manipulation; Soul of the Berserk King; Third Impact (The Third Chant); Instinct; Blessing of the Underworld GoddessDivine ProtectionGoddess of the Underworld (Altesia)AttributesDarkness; DeathSubordinate BeastsHigh Kobold Hasu (Lv1); Gastra (Lv20); Cynthia (Lv20); Orc King (Bui) (Lv40)Abnormal StatusBlessing of the One-Eyed Snake; Protection of the Twin-Headed Snake

From time to time, the beasts would howl, and the soldiers would jump awake. The atmosphere was so tense, the humans could not peacefully sleep. In time, however, the light of the morn reached them, even as the arms of the night god held them tight.

Dark shadows weighed heavily under the soldiers' eyes. Every one of them was alert, not even a mice could get past them unnoticed. They knew that fiendish monsters lurked just outside the village.

Those same monsters had attacked last night. Fortunately, they were able to fend them off, but their viciousness was such that they reminded them of the devils of the underworld. All the soldiers that came with Gowen thought so.

The soldiers that could fight now only numbered 250.

If the injured were to be included, that number would increase, but it was still a worrisome figure.

"If we withdraw now, the losses will increase..." Gowen pondered to himself.

Before the break of dawn, in that moment when the dark of the night grew even blacker, Gowen turned to the Forest of Darkness. The soldiers were cowering and horrified, all because of that goblin king's attack.

Gowen didn't know this, but of the forces that were battling against them, the orcs numbered 40, the goblins 50, and the kobolds 20.

"But..."

Despite the various platoons suffering so much, they couldn't be given the opportunity to rest. The option of "waiting" to allow morale to recover was simply not feasible. The longer they waited, the greater their losses would be. And even if they attacked, the forest was not something they could develop. The soldiers were too fearful of the few powerful among the goblins' ranks.

"It seems... there's no choice but to forcefully withdraw."

There weren't many choices from the start, but now they have no choice but to retreat. They would have to run at full speed to the cavalry waiting outside the forest.

"To that end..."

If they do choose to run, the goblins would surely give chase. If so, then they might as well take the initiative. The one leading the chase... that would be none other than the goblin king himself. If they could bring the fight back to them to slow down their momentum, they would be able to quickly withdraw.

Gowen grit his teeth and hardened his resolve.

As the reign of the night god finally came to an end, the bright light of the sun returned to the forest. Soldiers all around heaved sighs of relief, and Gowen left to decide the formations. It wasn't until when the sun was at its highest that Gowen finished. Yuan would lead the retreat, while Gowen would watch the back.

Healthy soldiers were positioned in front to clear the way of monsters, while the wounded were placed behind them. Protecting the rearmost were Gowen and a group of soldiers he had specifically picked out.

After forcing down their meals, they hastily departed. On either side of the road were soldiers wielding long swords who served both as scouts and escorts for the wounded. In the middle were soldiers with spears, ready to strike at a moment's notice.