Chapter 34: The Hob Slaughter [Pt 3]
~RUMBLE!!~
The horde of Hobgoblins rushed to Rey in full assault.
Saliva rushed from their open mouths as they roared and chanted in words that Rey could not fully comprehend.
According to his knowledge, regular Hobgoblins didn't have any particular Skills.
Perhaps special variants of Goblins—like Goblin Mages and Goblin Champions—did, but not the foot soldiers.
Hobgoblins were simply stronger, more durable, and more agile versions of Goblins.
They were much smarter too.
"I shouldn't take any chances..." Rey whispered to himself as he raised on of his eyes up in the air.
"... [Flare]."
~SHWIIIIIIIIINNNGGGGG!!!~
The instant he said that, a bright ball of light emerged from his palm and shot up to the ceiling.
Right before it touched the stony walls above, however, the ball exploded into a brilliant display of pure light.
"KRRRIIIIIIIAAAAAAKKKKKK!!!"
In this Floor, where darkness was the natural state of affairs for everyone, a mere glimpse of illumination was sure to stun the residents.
However, Rey didn't settle for a simple flicker of light, or a small display of luminescence.
Instead, he sent forth a flare that filled the world with such brightness that it seared through the extremely sensitive eyes of the Hobgoblins.
The result? Absolute blindness!
"KRIAAAKKKKK!!!"
As Rey heard their howls and screams of pain, he undid the [Blindness] Skill he had inflicted on himself.
Thanks to that, he wasn't affected by the sudden flare.
"Looks like you're all in agony." Rey found himself chuckling for some reason.
Looking at the creatures that desired to eat him now stumbling in the darkness felt amusing to him.
~ZTTTZZZ~
He slightly arched his hand, and a sudden burst of lightning appeared on it.
"Let me ease your pain."
Rey applied the [Greater Warrior's Mantle] to buff himself, while also increasing the intensity of the lightning formed by his [Greater Lightning Magic] Skill.
As his body grew in strength and speed, he readied his legs for an epic sprint.
'Let's go!'
~WHOOSH!~
Rey swiftly moved, almost as if he was the wind itself.
The lightning on his hand caused the very air to vibrate, and the feeling as he sped towards the confused crowd was electrifying.
Before a single Hob could recognize what had happened, Rey dealt the first strike to them.
~KRIIIZZZ!~
Lightning burned through their skin as he sliced off the heads of the Goblins before him.
Their weapons did them no good since they didn't know where to direct them to.
Seeing in the dark was one of their major advantages, and now it was gone.
Without their sight, they could only poke at random areas, unable to properly sense their enemy.
Unfortunately for them, since they were huddled in a group, their careless strikes ended up doing more harm than good.
"GUAARK!"
"KRIII?!"
"KUAAGH!"
The Hobgoblins screamed in pain as they began harming one another in a desperate attempt to kill the human invader.
As squishing sounds reverberated across the vast space, and blood flowed from the bodies of the Hobgoblins, Rey kept up his own assault.
Cutting through the horde proved easier than he expected
Sure, the Hobgoblins had Orichalcum armor, but it didn't protect their necks from being sliced through.
They could not resist.
They could only helplessly await their demise!
~FWOOOSSH!~
Once Rey got to the center of the Hobgoblin crowd, thanks to his deft maneuver and superior speed, he jumped to the air, gaining the perfect view from above the Hobs.
~BZZTTTZZZ!~
At this point, both of his palms were cackling with lightning, and he was grinning like a maniac.
The horrid smell of feces had now been replaced with burning flesh and sizzling blood.
Rey seemed to prefer this aroma.
"Lightning Rain!" As Rey cast the Spell, he directed his hands downwards.
~FWOOOOSHH!~
Flashes of electricity burst from his fingertips, causing them to dance around the powerless Hobs.
~ZZZTTZ!~
Lightning pierced through the heads and necks of the Hobs.
~KRRIAACK!~
Intense electricity, and the heat generated from it, eventually caused the Orichalcum armor the Hobgoblins proudly donned to overheat and explode.
~TZZZTT!~
More flashes of lightning descended from above, randomly targeting the Hobgoblins and striking them down where they stood.
"Hahaha! Hahaha!" Rey laughed in amusement.
"KRRIIAAAKK!!" The voice of the Hobgoblin Chief suddenly echoed.
His tone was aggressive, but it had a tinge of desperation etched within.
The Chief pointed upward, roaring and groaning in pure fury.
'Ah! Seems he noticed I'm right above them.' Rey's eyes widened slightly.
In response to their Chief's commands, the Hobgoblins raised their blades and spears and did the only reasonable thing they could do in such a situation.
They threw their weapons into the air, hoping they would at least be able to hit the being that reduced their numbers to such an absurd degree.
~WHOOSH!~
Blades sliced through the air, and while most were off by a wide margin, a few flew towards Rey himself.
However...
"[Phase]"
He easily passed through the attacks that were directed at him.
'Mana-infused attacks or refined Orichalcum would have affected the [Phase] Skill, but this is nowhere near that level.'
Once the first volley of their attack was complete, Rey resumed his slaughter.
~BZZZZZZZZZTTTZZZ!!!~
"Die! Die! Dieeee!!!"
Rey realized he sounded like a maniac, and the honest truth was that he didn't know why.
Was this a result of the pent-up stress he had been holding on for a very long time?
For a month now, he had been hiding his true nature and abilities from his classmates.
He felt so suffocated that it was sickening.
It was only in here—at moments like this—that he felt truly free.
Perhaps that had driven him to the edge of insanity.
Or maybe... he had always been this crazy.
Either way, Rey could not deny the honest truth.
'I... I'm having so much fun!'
And he didn't want it to end.
... Not yet.
*
*
*
[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
At this point, I feel bad for the Hobgoblins.
It's all good, though.