Chapter 313 - 167: I’m Not Pretending Anymore

The Goblin Commander dispatched the Goblins’ special forces: the Assassins—Red Hat Goblins.

They were named for their pointed red hats and were masters of various Assassination Techniques. They were even smaller and more slender than typical Goblins, with most standing less than 100cm tall, but their lean frames hid explosively powerful muscles. Not only were they fast, but they could also use Magic.

Only a large Goblin Tribe could produce Red Hat Goblins. Normally, they answered only to the Clan Leader. It was only because the Vanguard Army was leading the charge that the Goblin Commander had a few under his command. Otherwise, given his rank, the Red Hat Goblins would have completely ignored him.

There is no rivalry like one between peers. The moment the Speed Skeleton appeared on the battlefield and effortlessly killed several Bear Goblins, the Red Hat Goblins had already set their sights on him. Now that the Goblin Commander had given the order, they moved out immediately, planning to eliminate the Speed Skeleton and prove their own superiority.

The thrill of the hunt.

The Speed Skeleton successfully lopped off another Bear Goblin’s head. Just as he landed, his body suddenly snapped to the side, dodging a Flying Knife that shot through a gap in the crowd.

Peering through the dense crowd, the Speed Skeleton detected several beings with extremely powerful life signatures. Clearly, the competition had taken notice of him.

’Hooray!’

Far from being nervous, the Speed Skeleton was actually thrilled.

’I’m not just some background nobody slacking off anymore! They finally recognize my strength!’

He flexed his limbs, assumed a runner’s stance, and with a light push off the ground, shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, heading straight for the Red Hat Goblins.

The Physical Skeleton strode onto the battlefield, its massive frame shouldering aside the Giant Tusked Boars. He swung his two Shields, sending the Goblins in front of him flying as he charged straight for the Bear Goblins, with the Power Skeleton and the Ox Demon following in his wake.

Unlike the Speed Skeleton, they couldn’t just weave past one Goblin after another to directly behead the Bear Goblins. They had to resort to a cruder method: smashing their way through the enemy’s defensive line in a straight path to deal with them.

Both the Physical Skeleton and the Power Skeleton were enormous. To the diminutive Goblins, they were genuine behemoths; even a Bear Goblin seemed like a mere child before them.

The Goblins were helpless before the Physical Skeleton’s Shields. Their attacks did nothing more than clang harmlessly against the massive bulwarks, having no effect whatsoever.

The Goblins, realizing these three giants were after the Bear Goblins, swarmed forward to stop them. But with a single swing of the Power Skeleton’s great hammer, dozens of Goblins were sent flying. The lucky ones were reduced to a mangled mess of flesh and blood; the unlucky ones simply exploded into a crimson mist, as if hit head-on by Rocket Shells.

The normally timid and cowardly Goblins were now filled with courage, surging forward wave after wave in an attempt to block the Tattooed Skeleton with their own bodies.

The Physical Skeleton paid them no mind, mechanically swinging his arms to shove aside the Goblins in his path. He even had the spare focus to scan the battlefield with his Soul Fire, searching for any trace of the Speed Skeleton.

Weaving through the dense crowd like a fish through water, the Speed Skeleton lunged straight for the Red Hat Goblins. The blades on his arms and legs flared out as he slashed at them. At such high speeds, even a glancing blow would slice a target in two—the very reason so many Bear Goblins had been decapitated.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

A rapid series of clashes rang out as the Speed Skeleton and the Red Hat Goblins sped past one another.

To the Speed Skeleton’s surprise, his opponent was quite strong. Wielding Dual Swords, the Red Hat Goblin had actually managed to block all of his attacks.

The Red Hat Goblin pulled back its Dual Swords and turned to face the Speed Skeleton, a mocking smile spreading across its face.

’And here I thought he was supposed to be tough. So this is it.’

And he wasn’t alone. There were five such Red Hat Goblins in total, and they had formed a pentagon, trapping the Speed Skeleton in the center.

Assassins never waste time on pointless chatter. They weren’t like villains in movies and anime who drone on with long speeches; for them, immediate action was the only truth.

The battle ignited in an instant.

Both the Red Hat Goblins and the Speed Skeleton were beings of extreme Agility. They became a blur of impossibly fast shadows, clashing as they moved.

Any Goblins who unwittingly strayed too close were mercilessly cut down.

A battle between Assassins was a matter of life and death, decided in a heartbeat. It was only natural for anyone who drew near or tried to interfere to become collateral damage.

Soon enough, the other Goblins noticed what was happening and gave the area a wide berth, not daring to approach. The ground was littered with the bodies of those who hadn’t.

In a 1-v-5, the Speed Skeleton was slightly strained, but he still fought them to a standstill, refusing to give the Red Hat Goblins any advantage.

The Red Hat Goblins hadn’t expected this Undead to be so difficult to handle. They had originally assumed he was just a bit faster than others. They never imagined he wasn’t just *a bit* faster, but faster by a huge margin. They could barely keep up with his Speed, and the slightest distraction would get them sliced to pieces by his Bone Blades.

They were deeply shocked. They never imagined such a powerful being could exist among the Undead.

’If this keeps up,’ they thought, ’it’ll be impossible to take this Undead down with Speed alone. We have to change our tactics.’

They were proper Assassins, after all; their combat methods weren’t so simplistic as to rely on Speed alone. Red Hat Goblins were fast, yes, but they were keenly aware that no matter how strong you are, there is always someone stronger. They had never been arrogant enough to believe that Speed could solve everything.