Blood flowed in streams, and the terror in the hearts of the goblins was taking a heavy toll on the left flank. Kasho rode on his wolf, urging his greens to attack. The immense fury in his eyes — a madness akin to Koshio's — struck fear into the hearts of the bravest green-skins of mine.
"Hold the line, kill that fool!" I shouted, completely enraged, panicked, and disoriented by the raging onslaught.
My second head was wrestling with a snaggle-toothed orc who had drawn closer, tearing at his shoulder until the bones cracked. Finally, blood spurted, and the arm was ripped away along with muscle and skin. The orc roared furiously, still trying to strike with his club, but the third head, with its brown eyes, tore his throat open, and both heads began to devour him as he bled out. Ahead of me, I heard a roar; I concentrated my aura near the ground, and stone spikes grew a dozen or so centimeters — enough so that a boar-rider fell from his mount and ended up torn by my teeth, writhing and enduring goblin spears and blades.
"Great Artax! We must fall back. We can't hold out much longer! Also, strange sounds are coming from the right flank but these treacherous filth keep pressing on!"
The stench of blood was buzzing in my head! I hadn't felt this way in a long time; a strange, hydra-like rage was consuming me, wanting to tear apart and murder everyone in front of me. I decided to concentrate a mass of aura within myself. The red aura of a berserker enveloped my scales, unleashing something I had been afraid to test after becoming significantly stronger — Berserker's Fury, the powerful blessing of the Monster King, entered the fray.
I was no longer just that furious, three-headed beast; I was one marked by the last of the behemoths, by one of the seven Beasts of the Cataclysm!
"Come at me, trash!" I roared, and the pain seemed to shatter my bones, tear my flesh, and burn my entrails. I was not myself; I had become death, its cruel messenger.
Not strong enough to master this state, yet strong enough to endure any pain, if only to make it back from this damn place and survive. Orcs of levels often higher than mine, as well as those slightly lower, pressed their attack. The goblins couldn't hold out — a powerful group from the north, traitors from the west, a 5 to 1 ratio… if not worse!
Every thought was agony, every movement like a knife driven into flesh. In this state, I was now so much more powerful, and inno way weaker than Hakku or Banyak! I attacked furiously, spitting deadly venom faster and more frequently. The third head, writhing in pain, produced earth spikes and massacred the orcs like a squad of crossbowmen. The second head was like a terminator, ripping apart anyone who crossed its path with its claws, biting madly, roaring menacingly!
I don't know how long this state lasted; redness obscured my vision. Blood drenched not just my snout, but my entire face. A black aura mixed with the crimson of Berserker's Fury, something that had never happened before — could I have awakened a higher level of this ultimate skill?!
"Take down that hydra! It's their highest spiritual leader!"
Kasho rode into my field of vision — again, this time to his own doom! There was no way I would let him live. Not after he betrayed us, not after he killed Mago!
A massive orc with a shield roared furiously, massacring the nearest goblin that crossed his path; perhaps twenty of his shield-bearers closed in. Huge javelins and throwing axes flew in my direction, wounding me terribly. If not for Zod, I would probably be dead by now. Several of the treacherous goblins closed the distance and engaged my goblins in combat; one of them I crushed with a tail strike.
I had two javelins driven into my body, one piercing straight through the neck of my second head, so that blood leaked from its nostrils and maw… Another volley hit my back and flank; two javelins sank deep, while three others bounced off my hard scales and the earthy armor created at the last second by my newest head, which specialized in earth creation!
"What about the reinforcements!? Has no one arrived!?"
I called out, spitting blood as the effects of Berserker's Fury began to wane. I had killed several enemies and survived wounds that would have felled multiple bears… And I hadn't lost consciousness through it all. I truly had become stronger! Covered in blood and weakened, for a brief moment I wanted to smile, but the pain denied me that pleasure.
"Great Artax! The Queen has defeated the enemy leader! Victory is ours!" a wolf rider called out from the distance, but javelins quickly reached him, and though some hit the trees, one of them pierced his wolf's skull, and it collapsed with a crash.
"It cannot be! The famous Bardus was personally chosen by our leader! By the Great Man too! He couldn't have lost to that skinny monstrosity?! Agh!"
The shield-bearer grew terribly enraged, his aura buzzing like a beehive poked with a stick. With a furious roar, just as I was losing my strength, he personally led the charge. Kasho also joined the attack, filled with contempt — severing the head of one of the Valar's green.
For a moment, I thought we were finished. In the thickets and among the trees, I wouldn't be able to escape them with my massive body, and we couldn't defeat them alone! What was left for us but to fight to the bitter end? Maybe play dead, ha! But with these damn gray killers who most likely devour the corpses of murdered enemies, that probably wouldn't fly…
I tried to gather some aura within myself and summon something akin to a stone. I didn't have enough skill for a stone spike with a sharp tip, so I hurled it at the first goblin that drew near, hitting him square in the head, until his skull cracked and he slumped to the ground dead! Ha, that's why you should wear helmets, pff!
However, the cost of aura and time was too great. Several goblins broke through on the left flank; I was no longer enveloped by the red aura of the berserkers, and I had to fend them off myself. I bit furiously, struck with my tail, and hoped my scales would protect me. Finally, a club shattered my flank, likely breaking a bone in one of my four legs! I hadn't felt such damn pain in ages! Not since my old life, when my classmates maliciously broke my arm during PE. Though even then, despite the clouded memory, it hadn't hurt this bad!!!
"Forward, servant of the gray lands, kill the filthy minion of the cold-blooded!"
The grand shield-bearer urged Kasho on, and though the latter attacked with a spear and was over 5 levels higher than me, he couldn't deliver a fatal blow. My second head had been hacked off, a javelin had pierced one of my three hearts and probably a sixth lung, but I was still standing! Unless these bastards cut off all three of my heads, or pierce all three of my hearts, they won't kill me! Never!!!
"Pathetic hobgoblin! Pff! Weakling!" the giant orc snarled and charged at me himself with immense force. "You piece of trash! You piece of shit! You minion of bloodsuckers!!!"
He attacked with a massive, iron-bound shield. Strange symbols glowed upon it, and when he pressed it against my body, it burned! Like white-hot iron! What kind of contraption was this?!
I knew instantly that I stood little chance against this level 51 brute! Especially so weakened and close to the end of my strength. I spat venom into his face — a direct hit! The orc howled in rage and raised his short war hammer high, intending to crush my skull, but he missed. I turned swiftly; the third head killed another goblin with a spike, while I myself lashed him with all my might using my tail and thrashed about, rushing backward.
"Retreat! Run! Retreat!" I called out once more, sounding like some sort of monstrosity, with a punctured lung, spitting blood, though far too many of my goblins had already fallen…
Just as the threat of complete annihilation hung over me and the entire left flank of our first raid's vanguard, I sensed strange green auras far to the south. I resolved that I could not die until reinforcements arrived! Think, Oskar, think, fuck, holy shit! Just think! I shouted to myself, and the enemy figures were already mere meters away from me. That was when I did it.
I concentrated a massive amount of aura into the ground before me. Both of my remaining hearts flared as if they wanted to explode; the third head fainted from the exertion. I, however, recalled the technique the Lizardmen used to shield us from Daralis's attack! A mud wall! Smaller, clumsier, but just as thick, it rose before me, separating me and perhaps 50 goblins from the oncoming enemy onslaught! I could hear nothing but screams and cursing from the other side.
"Agh! Pathetic tricks! Go around this garbage! It's too thick to smash! Agh!"
The shield-bearer howled in absolute fury, and I knew that I had bought us all another minute of life! A minute, and a whole minute at that!
Fainting, seeing the world like someone who hadn't slept for 60 hours while working non-stop in a factory, I caught sight of a familiar face — someone I never would have expected to see here!
By no means, how!? From the right flank's reserve?!
"Forward, you failures! Protect the Chosen of Zod!!!"
Barga was charging with hundreds of goblins, the old orc strapped with ropes hung dangling from a massive boar — entirely shuddering and terrified?!
What were they doing?! Did they kidnap some old guide just to show up here via secret paths?! Who the hell is he?! Xerxes at Thermopylae?!