Chapter 103: now this is normal part 2

As the charging goblins closed the distance, rapidly narrowing the gap to nearly thirty meters, the girls still maintained their formation. Not a single step was taken in retreat.

?Astra was the first to make a move. Standing centrally with her bow drawn, she activated her title alongside her pawns. Instantly her combat power directory skyrocketed in a flash, leaping straight from the novice rank into the intermediate rank.

?The temporary goblin leader, overseeing the chaotic assault from the rear of the horde, was initially stunned. Moments ago, among the group of intruders, this female had seemed no more threatening than the rest. Yet suddenly, her strength had surged to an exaggerated, terrifying degree. Despite his brief shock, the leader sneered, barking out orders to keep the charge going. He remained confident in their overwhelming numbers. After all, she was only one defender. Although two other intruders were positioned near her flanks had also increased their strength but he was mot worried at all, the leader calculated that a single individual’s power boost could not possibly turn the tide . They continued their furious charge, placing all their faith in brute force and sheer numerical superiority.

?What the goblins failed to anticipate, however, was that the very instant they pressed forward, Astra released a devastating salvo, she sent a rain of lethal arrows whistling through the air. Because of the tight spacing and the fact that the other girls were positioned directly in front of her line of sight, she could not unleash her volleys in rapid, continuous succession. Nevertheless, every single arrow she fired carried immense force and precision, descending like a deadly hail upon the front ranks of the charging goblins.

?The front-line creatures were struck down instantly. Shafts pierced crude leather armor, bone, and flesh, bringing the leading vanguard to a violent halt. The scene turned terrifying in a matter of seconds. Some goblins panicked at the terrifying sight of their companions being shot through the head and chest, dropping dead right beside them. Even those who survived they were still struck through the legs, shoulders, or stomachs they were left howling in agonizing pain. The sudden slaughter brought the horde to the absolute brink of a psychological collapse.

?Seeing the situation deteriorate so rapidly, the temporary goblin leader screamed frantic orders to stabilize the charge and yelled at his troops, commanding them to press forward relentlessly. He insisted that closing the distance was their only hope to reduce casualties, engage the archer and eliminate her. This forced command managed to suppress the rising terror among the ranks. Biting back their fear, the goblins roared anew and resumed their headlong rush toward the defenders.

?Little did they know, this initial volley was merely the opening act.

?When the horde reached a distance of mere meters away from a direct collision, Brenda, Magenta, and Fiona sprang into action by activating their titles. Magenta and Fiona switched to attack and defense. Following their recent upgrades, their aura points surged to fifty-one, instantly pushing them securely into the high-intermediate rank, they charged forward to meet the oncoming swarm head-on.

?Meanwhile, Velvet and Valeria who were positioned on the flanks, activated their titles but rather than joining the frontal clash at the center, they immediately went off toward the outer edges of the goblin formation. Their movements were swift and fluid, swinging outward to strike perpendicularly against the direction of the goblin charge. Behind the vanguard, the three members of the second line activated their respective titles, maintaining a their distance behind the vanguard.

?This sudden series of fluid actions left the entire goblin force momentarily stunned. They had foolishly assumed Astra was the sole leader capable of increasing her strength. Discovering that almost the entire group of intruders—with the sole exception of Linda, who still held a bronze title—had gained massive, terrifying power boosts caused widespread hesitation. But for the charging horde, it was already far too late to rethink their assault.

?Magenta’s vanguard breached the enemy front lines with devastating impact, not even needing to activate her skills. She plunged straight into the sea of green bodies, swinging her wide battle axes in massive, terrifying arcs with the assistance of her two pawns. With every mighty swing, limbs were severed, armor was crushed, and blood sprayed onto the grass, carving out a wide, open pathway through the crowd. Utilizing that exact opening, Brenda and Fiona surged forward immediately beside her, widening the breach and swinging their weapons with lethal efficiency. It became a scene of absolute, unmitigated carnage; the girls moved like an unstoppable wall of death, slaughtering goblins with every single step forward.

?The second line did not enter the dense thicket of close-quarters combat directly. Instead, they executed a clever and unexpected tactical maneuver: they retreated slightly backward. As Magenta’s vanguard crashed into the center of the enemy ranks, the goblins on the outer flanks—who had avoided the initial frontal collision—gazed in horror at the center of the battlefield, where terrifying human were butchering their allies left and right. Panic threatened to consume them. However, when those same flanking goblins noticed the second line pulling back, a sudden surge of misplaced courage took hold. Believing these retreating figures were weak, terrified targets left behind, the flanking goblins eagerly redirected their path and charged toward them.

?In truth, Linda and the second-line members were not built for heavy frontal combat, but they remained completely calm. Astra, standing firmly in the rear, continued raining precise arrows into the main goblin force, systematically thinning out the charging groups before they could reach her companions.

?Before the flanking goblins could close the distance to Linda’s position, Valeria—who had cycled around the side with Velvet—suddenly cut back inside. They struck the charging flanking goblins from an unexpected, exposed angle. They carved through the enemy ranks with relentless ferocity. The goblins suddenly found themselves ambushed from their own sides. Because of their loose, disorganized formation, Valeria and Velvet had ample space to maneuver freely, executing swift footwork and lethal strikes. Their killing speed proved just as terrifying as that of the central vanguard, pushing the already panicked goblin force into a state of total structural collapse.

?From the rear, the temporary leader watched the disaster unfold in horror. In just a single exchange, he had lost nearly a quarter of his entire force. As he snapped out of his frozen state and looked toward the center, his eyes widened in terror. Magenta’s vanguard had pushed deep through his lines and was now bearing down on his position from less than ten meters away. Recognizing that the intruders were intentionally targeting him, moving forward with the momentum of pure meat grinders, he knew defense was impossible. Overwhelmed by cowardice, he turned to run.

?Before he could even make his escape, however, Velvet and Valeria finished off their flankers, cycled around the periphery, and intercepted the rear of the goblin formation. When the temporary leader spun around to flee, he found his escape route completely barred by the two girls.

? Realizing he was trapped, he drew his heavy iron spear, activated his own physical enhancement, and rallied a small group of surrounding guards to launch a desperate last stand.

?Little did he know he was stepping directly into the path of the unpredictable Valeria. As the leader lunged forward in a desperate counter-attack, thrusting his spear toward her chest, Valeria remained unbothered. She activated both of her active skills in unison, stepping smoothly past his guard. Her spear executed a complex, twisting arc in mid-air, bypassing his clumsy attempt to parry. Before the temporary leader could react or raise his weapon to block, the sharp point of Valeria’s spear pierced directly through his throat.

?The surrounding hobgoblins stared in utter shock as their leader fell in the very first exchange. For a brief, frozen second, as they were still thinking of rushing forward to avenge him. But Valeria gave them no time to think. Exploiting their hesitation, she delivered a lightning-fast thrusts killing them in an instant.

?Witnessing their temporary leader wiped out in seconds, the morale of the remaining goblins shattered beyond repair. Screaming in pure terror, the survivors broke rank and tried to flee in every direction. They knew that continuing to fight meant certain death, whereas scattering into the dense woods offered a slim chance at survival. Although the girls worked with terrifying efficiency, the sheer number of goblins made it impossible to exterminate every single one instantaneously. The surviving creatures seized upon the chaotic environment, running frantically in hopes of outrunning whoever was closest, completely abandoning their fallen comrades.

?Seeing the enemy formation dissolve into a chaotic rout, the girls seamlessly switched into a full pursuit, hunting down fleeing targets. Even Linda joined in, freely eliminating goblins that attempted to run. The goblins scattered across the clearing. Due to their massive numbers, a portion of the goblins managed to escape into the forest. However, those who were caught or failed to outrun the girls were shown no mercy, cut down where they ran.

?After a few minutes, silence returned to the clearing. The goblin horde, which had so arrogantly assumed victory through numbers, lay utterly decimated. Though the girls could not chase down every scattered goblin, they had successfully slaughtered more than half of the entire force.

The girls regrouped at the center of the clearing. After a brief breather, they set off to fetch Smith and Sarafina, who had remained hidden in the forest. Because the girls had originally advanced from Smith’s direction, the fleeing goblins had naturally run in the exact opposite direction, desperate to put distance between themselves and the human fighters. As a result, not a single fleeing goblin had stumbled upon Smith and Sarafina’s hiding spot.

?After safely reuniting with the pair and bringing them back, the group set to work clearing the battlefield But just as they reached the outer edge of the clearing, a series of low, thunderous roars echoed from the deep tree line. The sound was vastly different from the high-pitched screeches of the common goblins; these were deep, guttural growls filled with immense unbridled fury.

?The girls turned instantly, weapons drawn, toward the edge of the woods. Emerging from the trees was a fresh, towering contingent of heavily armored hobgoblins—the elite hunting parties that had finally returned to their camp.

?Even from thirty meters away, the intense fury etched onto the imposing creatures’ features was palpable. A suffocating aura radiated from the newly arrived horde, making the situation painfully clear: the true masters of the camp had returned, and they were out for absolute blood.