The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 1152: The Demon: First Attack

Guardian Fortress.

At this time, the colossal fortress halted in its endless drift, as though holding its breath, waiting for the inevitable.

Torkez stood at the forefront, his expression solemn. He knew the truth: the battle had already begun, even if no blade had yet crossed. All he could hope for was that their plans, fragile as glass, would unfold without shattering.

Every expert of Astros was present. Thousands stood ready, though most were still below the Shackled Realm. Their numbers were impressive to the untrained eye, but compared to the storm descending upon them, they were a mere candle against the night.

Behind them were the people of the fallen Astros Empire—ordinary warriors, desperate survivors, and a scattering of talents. They had courage, but courage alone could not bridge the gulf between them and Imperium’s monsters. Lydia was the strongest among them; the rest were too weak, shadows in the tide of war.

"Our goal isn’t to defeat them," Torkez muttered under his breath, his voice heavy. "It’s to survive. If we endure, we can fight again. But if we fall here... everything ends."

"Oh? Then it’s about to begin."

The calm voice came from behind.

Torkez turned and saw a white-haired man, a dark spear casually slung over his shoulder. Eztein’s eyes gleamed like tempered steel.

"Eztein, are you ready?" Torkez asked.

"Yeah," Eztein replied with a short nod. "I’m more than ready."

He stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Torkez. Neither spoke further. The silence between them wasn’t empty—it was steady, resolute.

Then, Eztein’s brow furrowed. His gaze sharpened toward the horizon.

"They’re here," he said flatly as his body rose into the air.

Torkez followed, his eyes narrowing as he too saw it: a dot on the far edge of the sky. One dot, then ten, then hundreds... until the heavens were swarming with thousands. The sky itself darkened under their numbers.

The cold breeze whipped past their clothes, carrying with it the smell of war. The atmosphere thickened, suffused with killing intent so strong it made the air feel heavier with every breath.

Torkez’s voice thundered across the entire Guardian Fortress:

"Everyone! Prepare yourselves! The first wave is here!!"

In an instant, thousands of Astros experts ascended into the air, their energy flaring like a sea of burning stars. Their eyes locked onto the approaching tide, fierce and unyielding.

The sky was about to break.

"It’s only the first wave, but I can already sense multiple energy fluctuations at SSS-rank."

Eztein’s lips curved into a sharp smile as his grip on the spear tightened, veins on his arm bulging with anticipation.

...

On the other side.

The vast group of experts halted as their eyes fell on the sight before them—a colossal fortress suspended high in the sky, its silhouette blotting out the sun. Around it hovered thousands of warriors, their energy flaring, their gazes sharp and unyielding. The Guardian Fortress loomed like a silent predator, daring anyone to step closer.

Yet for all their numbers, the invading group was fractured. They weren’t an army—merely an uneasy coalition drawn together by a single purpose: to bring down the Blood Lightning Monster.

Among them, Spatial Whisperer remained quiet, his face unreadable as his eyes scanned the crowd. He had no interest in petty squabbles over leadership. He was here only for the hunt, and for now, he watched to see who would seize command.

It was not someone he recognized.

A chubby woman with long blonde hair stepped forward, her crimson attire gleaming under the sunlight. She exuded confidence, her voice carrying across the skies as she bellowed:

"Blood Lightning Monster! I know you’re in there! Surrender yourself now and spare us the trouble—don’t force our hands!"

Despite her bravado, not a single warrior dared to advance on the fortress. They all kept their distance, a careful gulf of air between them and the silent walls. Every one of them knew what it meant to face the Blood Lightning Monster. He was no longer regarded as a mere fourth stage monster—not after the world had witnessed him slaughter a fifth stage being.

The air grew heavy. Seconds ticked by, and still, the Guardian Fortress remained silent. The warriors of Astros hovered in place, eyes blazing, their battle intent burning like wildfire.

Whispers spread among the coalition.

"I think... he’s still recovering his strength."

"No matter how strong he is, fighting someone above his stage must’ve drained him."

"He’s vulnerable. This is our chance."

The words rippled through the crowd, feeding both courage and hesitation. No one wanted to be the first to test the fortress’s fury.

Everyone murmured in agreement. Her reasoning made sense—if the Blood Lightning Monster was truly weakened, then this was their best chance.

The blonde-haired woman’s lips curled into a wicked smile. With a confident stride, she moved forward, and hundreds of warriors followed at her back like a tide.

From the sideline, Spatial Whisperer watched in silence, his expression unreadable.

’Test it for me... See if the Blood Lightning Monster is really exhausted,’ he thought coldly, letting others throw themselves into the jaws first.

His gaze drifted downward. His sharp senses picked up the faint ripples of hidden energy signatures. Dozens of figures lurked in the shadows below, slipping through the terrain with practiced precision. Their movements were soundless, coordinated, predatory.

Assassins... plenty of them.

Jehlin, the blonde woman, halted about a kilometer from the fortress, her entourage bristling with restless energy. She glanced back at the other experts who still lingered behind, frozen by hesitation, and her smile twisted into a sneer.

"Are you all just going to stand there? Then why bother coming here at all?!" Her voice thundered through the air, sharp and mocking. "Our combined strength is greater than the Blood Lightning Monster’s forces. Together, we can overwhelm him!"

Her words carried weight, slicing into the pride of the hesitant. Slowly, more warriors began to step forward, hundreds more joining her side.

Whispers spread among the coalition as they recognized her.

"That’s Jehlin..."

"The mercenary commander... she fought in the Large Country Wars."

"She’ll sell her blade to anyone, as long as the pay is good."

Jehlin, infamous for her ruthlessness, only sneered at their murmurs.

"Well then," she raised her hand and pointed toward the looming fortress in the sky, her eyes glinting with greed, "let’s fight. Whoever takes the Blood Lightning Monster’s head... takes the prize."

The atmosphere shifted. With her declaration, the restless crowd grew bold, their killing intent swelling. All eyes locked on the Guardian Fortress, the silence before the storm pressing down like a mountain.

Guardian Fortress.

Eztein’s sharp eyes followed the mass of enemies drawing closer, their numbers swelling like a tide.

The experts of Astros reacted instantly—blades were unsheathed, spears raised, and energy surged through the air in violent waves. The cries of summoned monsters echoed across the battlefield, mixing with the howling wind. The atmosphere grew heavier with every passing heartbeat, thick with killing intent.

From the deck, Doranjan stepped forward, his gaze locked on the approaching forces.

At the center, Torkez slowly lifted his hand. His expression was calm, but his eyes burned with resolve.

"—Fire!!"

On the fortress walls, three enormous steel barrels jutted outward. A low hum reverberated from within them, and then—

Swoosh!!

Three massive projectiles shot forth, streaking through the sky with blinding speed.

Jehlin’s eyes snapped toward the incoming objects, her instincts told her that it was harmless. "What is this...?" she muttered. Without hesitation, she thrust out her hand, weaving a shimmering barrier of energy before her.

The Blood Lightning Monster... who knows what tricks he’s hidden.

A heartbeat later...

BOOM!!!

Blinding light swallowed her vision. Three colossal explosions tore through the air, the shockwaves rattling even the clouds. A towering mushroom of smoke and fire blossomed in the distance, casting shadows over the battlefield.

From atop the Guardian Fortress, Eztein, Torkez, and Doranjan watched the devastation unfold.

Eztein narrowed his eyes. "That blast... you increased the power, didn’t you?"

Torkez exhaled slowly, lowering his hand. "Yes. The fruit of my research. Though... it won’t be as effective against the high-level ones."

His voice carried a mix of pride and grim practicality.

Originally, the Mana Convergent Bomb had been deadly only to lower-ranked warriors—dangerous to S-ranks, but useless against those who had broken past. After years of refining the design, Torkez had succeeded in creating an upgraded variant.

The Mana Convergent Bomb II.

Its destructive force was now strong enough to wound even a One-Shackle Realm expert and outright annihilate those in the Solidifying Realm and below. A weapon not meant for the strongest enemies... but for thinning their numbers in waves.

It was, in Torkez’s words, a tool of survival, perfect for this war.

Torkez raised his hand again, his voice cutting through the battlefield.

"Everyone—begin!!"

At once, the experts of Astros snapped into formation. Their postures straightened, weapons tightened, and their energies surged like a tidal wave. Magic circles blazed into existence beneath their feet, pulsing with raw mana.

In the next instant, hundreds of blazing fireballs shot forth, streaking across the air like a storm of meteors.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth trembled as explosions swallowed the advancing enemy. But Torkez didn’t let the momentum falter.

"Again! Switch—ice!!"

Obeying his command, the Astros experts shifted seamlessly. Magic circles flickered anew, and this time, hundreds of razor-sharp ice shards rained down like a frozen storm, stabbing into the smoke and fire.

"Now—lightning!"

Bolts of crimson lightning followed, cracking the air with deafening roars. Then came water, surging like waves to batter and drown the already scorched ground.

The fortress unleashed a relentless rhythm of elemental fury, a barrage so overwhelming that the sky itself seemed to flicker with fire, ice, lightning, and water.

Yet, at the heart of the chaos, Jehlin stood unmoved.

Explosions blossomed around her, flames licked at her skin, ice shattered against her barrier, lightning danced across her silhouette—yet her cold, unyielding gaze never wavered.

To her, these attacks were nothing. Childish tricks. Insults.

It almost felt as though the Blood Lightning Monster was mocking her, daring to repel her with mere basic spells.

Around her, many of the lesser mercenaries screamed and fell, consumed by the barrage. But among the thousands present, hundreds bore the weight of the Shackled Realm. They, like her, endured.

Jehlin’s lips curved into a thin, icy smile.

Slowly, she lowered her hands to her waist, grasping the twin daggers hanging there. Her grip tightened until the air itself seemed to vibrate.

And then...

Whoom!!

Her energy surged upward like a raging torrent, tearing into the sky. The ground trembled beneath her feet as a suffocating pressure spread outward, crushing the weak-willed and silencing even the distant whispers of the enemy crowd.

The true battle was about to begin.

Torkez saw the enemy closing in and raised his hand.

"Activate the spatial jump—now!"

At once, the Guardian Fortress blazed with radiant light. Under the gaze of thousands, its colossal frame shimmered and blurred as white brilliance engulfed it. Space itself twisted violently, turbulent ripples spreading out before—

Vwoom!!

—The fortress vanished from sight, swallowed by spatial distortion.

"Shit!! They escaped!!" Jehlin spat, fury flashing in her eyes. She clenched her daggers but could only watch helplessly as the fortress disappeared into the void.

Grinding her teeth, she forced a deep breath, steadying her boiling temper. Then she turned sharply to the mercenaries behind her.

"Spread out. Find them! They couldn’t have gone far. Transporting a fortress and all those warriors drains enormous energy—they’ll still be within range."

Her voice carried authority, but underneath it was a note of frustration.

They had already confirmed that the fortress could perform spatial jumps. The disturbance in the High Water Plains, and the countless witnesses who had seen it, left no room for doubt. Yet knowing was one thing—stopping it was another.

From the shadows, Spatial Whisperer observed silently, eyes half-lidded. He had felt the moment the fortress began to bend space. He could have interfered—he could have locked it down. But he chose not to.

Not yet.

This rabble wasn’t enough to break the Blood Lightning Monster. He would wait. More would come. And only then would he act.