Inside the palace of the Kingdom of Estalia, a tense atmosphere filled the room.
A messenger knelt before the King of Estalia, his face pale.
"Your Majesty… Our army has been destroyed."
The room fell silent.
The nobles and generals fell silent, finding it hard to believe what they were hearing.
A minister stood up in anger.
"Impossible! We sent 15,000 troops! How could they lose to the goblins?!"
The messenger swallowed, then answered in a trembling voice.
"Goblin Lord… Reed… He is not just an ordinary monster leader."
"He uses strategy. He has a well-trained army."
"He led an ambush that destroyed our formation before the battle even began."
"And… General Ardan has died at his hands."
This time, the room truly froze.
General Ardan was one of the kingdom's best commanders.
If he could be killed by a Goblin Lord…
Then this was no ordinary threat.
The King of Estalia closed his eyes, thinking deeply.
Then, he looked at his advisors.
"We can't ignore this."
He stood up, his eyes gleaming sharply.
"Time to summon the Holy Knights."
Inside a magnificent cathedral, sunlight shone through the golden stained glass.
In the center of the room, a man in white armor stood with his eyes closed.
He was Alexander Vael, the Leader of the Holy Knights of Estalia.
Before him, a priest read a royal decree.
"In the name of the King of Estalia, we summon the Holy Knights to eradicate the threat of the Goblin Lord."
Alexander opened his eyes.
Behind him, hundreds of Holy Knights knelt in neat formation.
They were no ordinary troops.
They were warriors blessed by the Light, slayers of demons and monsters.
Alexander drew his sword, raising it high into the air.
"For the honor of humanity, we will destroy this demon."
"Get ready. We depart tomorrow!"
Inside Fort Fortin, Reed sat on his throne.
In front of him, Shia read the scouts' report.
"A new force is moving towards us. They number around 5000."
A goblin general frowned.
"Only 5000? That's fewer than the previous force."
Shia shook her head.
"They're no ordinary force. They're Holy Knights."
Reed raised an eyebrow.
He had heard of them.
The strongest warriors of the human kingdom, with powers enhanced by holy magic.
Reed chuckled.
"Finally, a worthy opponent."
He stood up, looking at his generals.
"We can't face them with ordinary means."
"But we have something they don't…"
Shia looked at him curiously.
"What do you mean?"
Reed smiled faintly.
"They have Light… But I have Darkness."
He raised his hand, and shadows began to swirl around him.
From the darkness, a creature emerged…
A demon.
The goblins stared in awe and fear.
And among them, Shia smiled widely.
"So… You're finally going to use it."
Reed nodded.
"If humans want to eradicate us with Light… Then we will fight back with darkness."
In the Holy Knights camp, the knights were praying.
They were purifying their weapons with holy magic, preparing to face the darkness.
Alexander stood on a hill, gazing toward Fort Fortin in the distance.
A knight deputy approached him.
"Commander, what is our plan?"
Alexander sighed.
"This goblin is different. He is not just a wild monster."
He looked up at the night sky, his eyes full of conviction.
"But in the end, he is still a creature of darkness."
He drew his sword, which glowed with holy magic.
"And no darkness can stand before the light."
Inside Fort Fortin, Reed stood in the center of a magic circle.
The demon he had summoned knelt before him.
The creature spoke in a hoarse voice.
"My lord, darkness is at your service."
Reed smiled.
He knew the Holy Knights' weakness.
They were strong against ordinary monsters…
But they had never faced the power of true darkness.
Reed raised his hand.
From the shadows, terrifying creatures began to emerge.
Shadow demons. Dark knights. Cursed spirits.
The goblins stared in awe and fear.
Shia smiled meaningfully.
"You are truly unlike other Goblin Lords."
Reed stared at the human camp.
The war was about to begin.
And this time…
Humans would face a darkness they had never seen before.
As the sun began to rise, two armies stood facing each other on the battlefield.
On one side, the Holy Knights of Estalia, lined up in perfect formation.
Their armor shone golden, their swords gleaming with holy energy.
On the other side, the dark army of Goblin Lord Reed, consisting of elite goblins, shadow demons, and dark knights.
A black aura enveloped them, creating a gloomy mist around the fortress of Fortin.
At the forefront of the Estalian army, Alexander Vael stood tall on his horse.
He stared at the enemy, his eyes filled with determination.
"Today, we wipe out the darkness from this world!"
The holy knights raised their swords in unison.
"For the Light! For Estalia!"
On the other side, Reed stood atop the walls of his fortress, staring at the approaching human army.
Shia stood beside him, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"They look confident."
Reed smiled faintly.
"They don't know what awaits them yet."
With a gesture of his hand, shadows began to swirl across the battlefield.
Spears of light shot out from the Holy Knights, striking the front lines of Reed's army.
Several goblins were instantly burned, their bodies dissipating into ashes.
But from within the black mist, dark knights shot forward.
They charged at incredible speed, their swords coated in cursed energy.
A holy knight tried to block the attack, but his sword shattered instantly.
"Aghh!"
His body rotted away as soon as it was hit.
Alexander saw this and frowned.
"They're using cursed magic! Don't let them get close!"
He raised his sword high, holy light exploding from his body.
A wave of energy swept over the dark knights, incinerating them instantly.
Reed watched from a distance and nodded slowly.
"So this is the power of the Holy Knights."
But he had yet to show his trump card.
With a single command, the demon army began to move.
From within the black mist, hideous creatures began to emerge.
Cursed spirits hovered in the air, striking terror into the hearts of the knights.
Shadow demons leapt from one knight to another, killing them before they could react.
One of the knights screamed in terror as his body was torn apart by the demon's claws.
"Monsters! They are no ordinary goblins!"
Alexander clenched his jaw.
"Stay calm! The Light will protect us!"
He stabbed his sword into the ground.
A wave of light swept across the battlefield, incinerating some of the weaker demons.
But Reed only smiled.
"That is not enough."
He raised his hand, and a giant magic circle appeared in the sky.
From within it, a giant demon emerged.
Its eyes glowed red, its body covered in black flames.
"So this is what you planned, Lord Reed?" Shia asked with a satisfied smile.
Reed nodded.
"If they bring the Light… I will bring a deeper darkness."
The giant demon roared, then charged at the Holy Knights.
A single wave of its arm destroyed dozens of knights at once.
But before its attack could continue, a beam of light shot through its body.
It was Alexander.
With incredible speed, he leaped into the air and cut off the demon's head in one strike.
Reed stared at it, then smiled.
"So this is the power of a True Paladin? Interesting."
He jumped down from his rampart, walking slowly toward Alexander.
The knights and goblins instinctively stepped back, creating space between them.
The two leaders stood face to face in the middle of the battlefield.
Alexander stared at Reed with hatred.
"Goblin Lord, Reed… Today, I will end the terror you spread."
Reed chuckled.
"Terror? I only did what was necessary to survive."
Alexander raised his sword.
Holy light exploded from his body, creating an aura that burned away all the darkness around him.
Reed frowned, then raised his hand.
Shadows gathered around him, forming a pitch-black sword.
"Let's see, who is stronger… Light or Darkness."
Without warning, the two of them shot forward.
The holy sword and the sword of darkness clashed in the air, creating an explosion of energy that shook the entire battlefield.
Each of Alexander's slashes emitted a light capable of incinerating demons.
Each of Reed's attacks left a trail of destruction and shadows that crawled across the ground.
The two exchanged blows at incredible speed.
The knights and goblins could only watch, shocked by the intensity of the fight.
Alexander launched a vertical slash that shattered the ground beneath him.
Reed leaped back, then swung his sword, creating a wave of black energy.
An explosion erupted. Dust and smoke filled the air.
As the dust began to clear, Alexander was seen standing tall, blood pouring from his shoulder.
Reed also stood up, breathing slightly heavily, with a wound on his left arm.
The two looked evenly matched.
But before the fight could continue…
A shout was heard from afar.
"Commander! The rest of the Estalian army is approaching! They have brought 10,000 reinforcements!"
Alexander smiled faintly.
"You are running out of time, Goblin Lord. Soon, your army will be destroyed."
Reed frowned, then turned to his troops.
Shia looked at him questioningly.
"What should we do, Lord Reed?"
Reed frowned, then smiled coldly.
"We retreat… But this isn't over yet."
He raised his hand, and a black mist began to cover the entire battlefield.
When the mist cleared… Reed's army was gone.
Alexander stared blankly.
"He managed to escape… But next time, he won't be so lucky."