The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 1187: Secret Realm Battle I

"Now that I’ve felt it, I’m certain this is the effect of the chaotic laws in this realm," Doranjan said grimly. "It’s likely connected to how the unknown god hid the locals here."

Esriel immediately turned to him, requesting every detail. After a short explanation, she learned everything Zandir had told Doranjan and Eztein. How the locals had arrived in this realm hundreds of years ago, tucked away by a power far beyond their understanding.

"This is nothing like the previous secret realm..." Esriel muttered. She recounted her past experience—the laws and concepts there had been weak, yes, but not chaotic to this degree. There had been abundant resources, and only a handful of mechanisms and runes. This place was different... disturbingly so.

The three of them continued onward, moving with heightened caution.

Faint howls and distant screams echoed across the suffocating fog, twisting the air into an eerie, oppressive silence between each sound. The mist grew thicker still, a living labyrinth that could swallow anyone below the Seventh Shackle Realm without mercy.

Growl!

A massive arm, coated in thick red fur, lunged out of the fog.

Eztein, Esriel, and Doranjan reacted instantly, pulling back.

The monstrous arm swept past them, its razor-sharp claws tearing through trees as if they were paper ripping open the ground and leaving a wide, jagged trench.

Bang!!

The entire creature burst from the fog at last.

A wolf-like abomination towered before them, muscular and grotesque, bone spikes jutting from every part of its body. It stood nearly three meters tall, yet emitted not a single shred of energy... a silent, unnatural existence.

With a guttural snarl, the creature lunged, claws stretched wide.

Eztein surged with mana, intercepting it. He kicked the creature’s claws aside, spinning in midair to deliver another sharp strike.

Bang!!

The beast crashed into the ground, dirt and mist scattering.

Eztein didn’t hesitate. His body blurred as he leaped upward, palm opening in a swift and practiced motion. Grotesque tendrils of flesh exploded outward from his hand, mana erupting like a volcanic roar as flames coiled around the twisting flesh.

Boom!!

A barrage of flaming, contorted flesh spears shot into the creature, puncturing its body dozens of times.

"Die!"

Eztein snapped his wrist, and the flesh tendrils twisted violently. They tangled together and rotated like a grinder, shredding the creature into countless fragments of pulped meat.

The sound was wet and sickening.

Esriel flinched and turned her head away, unable to watch.

The brutality of the execution was overwhelming, merciless, efficient, and terrifying.

Eztein flicked his wrist, and the grotesque flesh receded, reverting his hand back to normal. The unknown creature had already dissolved into a puddle of blood soaking into the earth.

Doranjan stepped closer, studying the remains. "Well? What do you think? I’ve been watching... that thing wasn’t a simple creature."

"Yeah," Eztein agreed. "It didn’t feel alive. More like a golem though not quite the same. Something in between."

"H-How can you stay that calm... after that?" Esriel stammered, her face pale. The image of the creature being shredded replayed in her mind, making her stomach churn.

Eztein shrugged. "I don’t know. I guess I’ve gotten used to it."

Esriel stared at the two men, a mix of horror and disbelief twisting her expression. For a moment, she genuinely questioned whether being saved by them was a blessing... or a dangerous stroke of luck.

...

On the other side of the realm, the Lion’s Fang group descended upon a massive continent hidden deep within the secret realm.

Vashno and the warriors hovered in the air, surveying the land below. A suffocating fog swallowed the entire continent, rolling and twisting like a living creature. It dulled their senses, blurring their perception and making exploration difficult, and dangerous.

"This fog!!"

"What do we do? I don’t think it’ll last long."

"It only appears at night. It should clear once morning comes."

"What’s more troublesome are those monsters attacking us out of nowhere!"

The voices echoed anxiously through the group, but Vashno remained silent. He kept his eyes fixed on the shifting fog, watching its subtle movements as if something inside was breathing.

"It’s different this time, isn’t it?" a calm voice said beside him.

Vashno turned to see Raven, the leader of Lion’s Fang. He gave a slow nod. "Yeah. This secret realm isn’t like the previous one. We should stay cautious."

"Agreed," Raven replied. "And from the looks of it, other factions sent large forces too. We should expect conflict—so be prepared."

Before they could say more, both their expressions changed instantly.

A ripple. A killing intent. A disturbance in the fog.

They turned sharply.

"Something’s coming!! Prepare for battle!!"

Their voices thundered across the sky.

At once, the warriors of Lion’s Fang drew their weapons. Mana surged through their bodies, silently intensifying their auras as they prepared their combat arts and spells. The air around them vibrated with tension, the calm before the inevitable clash.

In the next moment, hundreds of arrows ripped through the fog.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The Lion’s Fang reacted instantly. Blades flashed as warriors cleaved through the incoming shafts. Others raised shimmering barriers, layers of protective mana pulsing around them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Explosions rocked the forest as the arrows struck. Trees split apart, collapsing in showers of splinters. The ground detonated into craters, dirt and stone flying upward like shrapnel.

Raven stepped forward, eyes narrowing. Her mana surged violently, whipping the air around her into turbulence. She pulled a dagger from her waist with its blade erupting in a blazing orange glow.

[Carnage Earth]!!

Her arm blurred.

A storm of slashes appeared in the air, so fast they left streaks of afterimages. The atmosphere trembled, space itself vibrating as the barrage of cuts tore through the arrows, reducing them to dust in an instant. The shockwaves surged forward, shredding the fog as if peeling back a curtain.

Boom!!

An explosion erupted ahead, followed by the distant echo of agonized screams.

"There they are... I didn’t expect them to be that close," Raven muttered. Her knees bent and then she shot forward like a launched arrow.

Vashno followed, his aura rising sharply as he prepared for whatever threat lay beyond.

Whoosh!!

They broke through the thinning fog and the enemy line came into view.

A force of one to two hundred warriors stood before them, each wearing identical silver armor. An unfamiliar emblem glinted on their breastplates, catching what little light filtered through the fog.

In an instant, Vashno and Raven came to a conclusion that these armored warriors were likely locals of this secret realm.

Raven’s gaze sharpened. "Since you dared attack us, don’t blame us for retaliating!"

Her mana erupted outward, a crushing wave of force descending upon the enemy line.

Bang!!

The ground trembled.

The armored warriors collapsed to their knees as gravity multiplied around them. Armor groaned. Foreheads dripped with sweat. Panic flashed in their eyes as Raven’s overwhelming power pressed down on their bodies.

Without hesitation, Raven and Vashno dropped from the sky.

They hit the ground like meteors.

BOOM!!

Shockwaves blasted outward, hurling enemies away and carving a crater beneath their feet. Dust and debris scattered as Raven and Vashno strode forward, untouched by the chaos.

They stopped before a man whose armor differed subtly from the rest. The emblem on his breastplate was larger—his aura deeper and steadier. His mana output alone marked him as the leader of the group.

"Let’s see what you’re made of," Raven said coldly.

She reached out and effortlessly seized the helm of the armored man.

"Ugh—!!" He struggled, but his movements were futile. His limbs shook violently. No matter how he tried to resist, he couldn’t break free from Raven’s grip. A shadow of fear flickered in his trembling eyes. He finally realized the gap in their strength.

"Who are you?" Raven asked, voice low and icy. "And why did you attack Lion’s Fang?"

Vashno stood nearby, silent and composed, quietly observing the interrogation. He didn’t need to intervene. Raven alone was more than enough.

She was a master at the Eight Shackle Realm, a level of strength that few dared to provoke.

The armored leader, in contrast, was only at the Fifth Shackle Realm.

The gap between them wasn’t just vast.

It was absolute.

"Why did you attack us?" Raven asked, her grip tightening on the man’s helmet.

The armored man coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Then suddenly burst into manic laughter.

"Cough... Hahaha!!"

His eyes widened with unhinged zealotry as he stared directly into Raven’s gaze.

"You’re all going to die! Every one of you!! Outsiders have no place here!"

Raven’s expression darkened, her eyes narrowing to sharp slits.

Without hesitation, she increased her strength.

Crack...!

The metal helm caved in under her grip.

Bang!!

The man’s head was crushed instantly; blood sprayed across the ground as his headless body collapsed with a heavy thud.

The forest fell silent.

The armored man was dead.

Raven crushed him knowing that he wouldn’t give an answer to their questions.