ALL NOVEL Chapter 274 271: Pushing an entire tribe to the afterlife (a)
Chapter 274 271: Pushing an entire tribe to the afterlife (a)
The chief of the Lumisoul goblin tribe was a 3-meter tall and imposing figure with a rich blue hue to his skin. His energy-containing vessels seemed to have perfectly merged with his body. There was no difference between his skin and his vessels. He lacked the greatest weakness that the rest of his tribe had, making him the strongest Lumisoul Goblin to ever exist.
He stood at the highest point in the clearing, observing the situation unfold with bloodshot eyes as one member of his tribe after another died at the hands of the undead.
He had been preserving his strength for what he believed would be the true challenge – facing the mastermind behind this sudden and unprovoked attack on his people. Undead had appeared out of nowhere in their land, catching many of his tribe members off guard. The stealthy emergence of the undead and their well-coordinated assault on his tribe was a clear indication of a higher intelligence guiding them.
Unfortunately, as he scanned the clearing and the surrounding areas with discerning eyes, he couldn't spot anyone who appeared to be in command of the undead forces.
Ultimately, with the undead slaughtering one member of his tribe after another, he realized he couldn't hold back any longer. If he continued to hesitate, he'd soon be left without a tribe and without a home.
With a heavy heart, he issued an order for all goblins to retreat back to his position, even if it meant abandoning their comrades who were currently engaged in combat with the undead. The attack he planned to unleash was going to be so strong that it would annihilate all of the enemies along with everyone around them.
Most of the goblins, upon hearing the chief's commanding call, began to disengage from the battle with the undead immediately, retreating back towards him.
Many were hesitant, frequently glancing back at the comrades they were leaving behind on the battlefield, but trust in their chief's wisdom was deeply ingrained in their very being, and they obeyed.
The goblins who were deep in combat with the undead couldn't retreat even if they wanted to as it was taking them their all to survive the assault of the undead. In other words, they would be killed the second they turned around to retreat.
They felt a pang of betrayal when they saw their brethren, who were supposed to support them from behind, retreating back to the chief of their tribe, leaving them amidst the ruthless and relentless onslaught of the undead. Their eyes widened in disbelief and powerful emotions such as confusion, betrayal, and fear became evident on their faces.
The shock and sense of abandonment momentarily clouded their judgment, making their movements sluggish and their defenses vulnerable.
This brief lapse in concentration was all the undead needed to overwhelm their opponents. They capitalized on the goblins' momentary weakness by striking them with all the strength they could muster when the goblins' were feeling down. As a result, many of these isolated and overwhelmed goblins died, their last moments filled with a blend of rage, desperation, and sadness. If they could return back in time, they would never serve such a merciless ruler.
As the goblins retreated back to him, the chief of the tribe, standing tall and dominant, raised its two thick and meaty arms. The very air around him began to vibrate with an unseen power.
Almost at the same time, the radiant glow emanating from his very being became brighter and more intense, as wave after wave of blue energy rose from his skin, gathering at a single point above his outstretched palms. There, the energies merged, pulsating and swirling, to form a massive blue orb that shimmered with contained might.
"You want to end me and my tribe? Heh, you can all go to hell!"
The chief brought its hands down, and the massive blue orb that was like a small mountain was hurled forward with an unstoppable force.
The impending explosion from the orb had the potential to wipe out the entire army of undead but it would also obliterate the Lumisoul goblins who were still embroiled in battle with the undead!
The realization was a bitter pill to swallow for these elite members of the Lumisoul goblins. They were taken as a necessary sacrifice to ensure the survival of the tribe as a whole, even though they were among the strongest members of the tribe.
They had always been at the forefront of every battle they encountered, safeguarding their kin. Their loyalty and dedication to the tribe was unmatched, but in the end, that did not matter.
Honestly, they had somewhat expecteded something like this to happen the second they were abandoned by the tribe to confront the undead alone without support.
After all, the tribe of Lumisoul Goblins thrived on cruelty and ruthlessness. Last winter, when there was nothing to eat, they didn't hesitate to turn on the weaker members of their tribe, cannibalizing them to preserve their own lives. This brutal way of life was ingrained in their culture, and it clearly showed the lengths they would go to survive.
Still, knowing this and experiencing it firsthand were two vastly different things.
The sting of betrayal, the cold abandonment by the ones they considered family, weighed heavily on their hearts. Every time they blocked an attack, defended their position, or took down an undead as the chief's attack closed in on them, the thought of their tribe's betrayal festered. The chief, whom they had once looked up to, now became the object of their quiet rage. They cursed him, not just once, but a thousand times over in the privacy of their minds. The regret of having ever pledged allegiance to such a treacherous leader consumed them as they fought the undead.
If, by some miracle, they emerged from this battle alive, they vowed to leave the tribe that so easily cast them aside since nothing good was going to come out of staying in a tribe that would betray you at any time. Sadly, they weren't going to get this chance in this life.